Sexuality in WoW

Sexuality in WoW.

Sexuality is an important aspect of most if not all stories told, and can be a very strong character drive. Without sexuality Harry Potter would have been a lot less tense, The lands of Westeros would be a realm of peace and quiet and vampires would still look like this!

Blizzard tends to stay away from a focus on sexuality as a motivation. It's a PG game, after all, and no-one can take offense to something that doesn't exist. But then in come the role-players! We like to tell a variety of stories, with our own unique characters at the center. A characters sexuality, or it's opinions about it, are a huge influence on the decisions they make, and the way they behave. I'm not just talking "does this character like boys or girls", there's more nuance to be had. Does a character respond well to the other sex, or not at all? Is your ugly old man more likely to trust a nice young girl, or less likely? The influences of a characters sexuality are everywhere! Even if they are subtle.

Then there is the way a culture looks upon sexuality. Blizzard makes little to no canon for these things, but I've always found it fascinating to think about. I can imagine a short lived violent race like trolls have a much greater cultural and perhaps even genetic demand to find a mate and produce offspring. Without that, the race dies fast. But our big blue friends from space do not know natural death. They have no reason to quickly fill the populous. Does this mean they are less inclined to take a lover? Perhaps they have very long courtships; Perhaps courtship and reproduction are very formalized.



Once I was role-playing with someone in Stormwind. My character at the time, a night elf called Delidah, was an outspoken lesbian. It was my first role-playing character, I knew nothing. But I did know that Night Elves spent centuries with their men locked in stasis, and I thought playing a lesbian would be an interesting experience. A Night Elf seemed like the most obvious choice. The character I was role-playing with proceeded to tell me through whispers that a lesbian night elf was breaking with the lore, and that they didn't want to role-play with me anymore because of that. They left, and every time I encountered that player after that they ignored me.

Now, the question I'd like to ask the community is:
Should we, as role-players, be following the lacking canon, or should we be filling the gaps as we see fit, through personal insight?

And... Then, how would you see these gaps filled? What effects do you think having lived for a thousand years has on your sexuality? Or being very short? What about cross-racial? Every race in wow is humanoid-- It's safe to assume they can get it on. Should they?

Discuss!

romance and love was certainly a theme in cataclysm.

erwtenpeller wrote:
should we be filling the gaps

if you know what I mean?

But aren't Tholo Whitehoof and Anren Shadowseeker a canon, cross-species, gay couple anyway?

They're just buddies.

Spoiler:

Weren't there:

A female Nelf and female Human in Arathi who were "heavily hinted" at being lesbian?

Two female (obviously) Sentinels in Dragonblight who flirt?

And Kama (the Pandaren Beast Tamer) is mentioned in one of the "Steamy Romance" novels as having a life-partner, referred to as female.

I mean, it's not massively obvious or open sexuality, but then there isn't much obvious or open sexuality in much of WoW.

Sexuality =/= love. I think love and bonds etc are shown more frequently, rather than sex, and desire.

Edit: It is worth noting, perhaps, that all the above are lesbian homosexual relationships. None that I've ever seen have been openly gay. Tholo Whitehoof and Anren Shadowseeker are definitely good friends (as their speech says: "I've got your back" "You are a good friend". Bromance, maybe, just not romance).

Schrecks vampire was the best vampire there ever was. Using your train of thought; we should then blaim the homosexuals for the sparkling fairies we got now a days?

I knew that vampire thing would come back to bite me in the ass. I don't know how you think my "train of thought" blames homosexuals for eddy. That's a strange thing to say.

If you want lesbians, just look at Shrine of the Seven Stars, a Dwarf and Human female both with the same lastname doing /flirt

I do believe it should be included in our RP; I tackle it differently from character to character.

Vaell might find it very fascinating but peculiar whereas Kyven has seen it all his life - he just finds the "taker" weaker!

Coppersocket wrote:If you want lesbians, just look at Shrine of the Seven Stars, a Dwarf and Human female both with the same lastname doing /flirt

Women can flirt without being lesbian! I wont say they're lesbian unless blizzard makes them emote proper ERP like.

I won't believe Thrall's bitch is pregnant until, i see the head popping out of her orifice.

I just think she's fat.

I was hoping for more personal opinions and experiences, rather then references to obscure NPC's somewhere.

I am more curious about the impact sexuality has on people's role-play then if there are some NPC's making innuendo jokes.

Is it perhaps something people are not comfortable with posting about?

Erwt, Read Fenuviel's stories here on the forums. Dark sphere badassery +gay sex.

It is very heavily insinuated that Kaldorei engaged in same sex relations in lore (Sentinel Sweetspring). Just on the basis alone that Kaldorei females became sentinels and males either became druids or shopkeeps. On Moon Guard, it is quite commonplace for lesbian relationships (that are not ERP based) and much of it is Kaldorei. Eliza actually was partnered with a Kaldorei Druid (fun combination, DK and Druid) for a while before the relationship became tainted. Eliza may not be an outspoken lesbian, but she will consider that an option if/when it arises.

Sexuality I find to be a very important part of roleplaying. It allows one to open up another dimension of RP if you go the route of romance/love. I understand that ERP does occur from this and that's whatever it is, just do it in whisper/party with that other person. I've seen many times where a partner has been killed/hurt and the other stays faithfully by their side just as if it were a real life situation.

I've always assumed there was homosexuality here. Just like everywhere. But sex doesn't really play into much of my character's "lives" in WoW.

I'm sure different races would see sex (and same sex relationships) differently.

It's an interesting question or topic. Long lived races, war like races, races with few remaining numbers. All would feel differently about sex, love and gender.

Look at things like the view of transgenders/homosexuality/bisexuality in some NA tribes, in the Indian subcontinent and the Far East, in the Spartan States, in the Navy, in prison... it goes on.

Amaryl wrote:romance and love was certainly a theme in cataclysm.

Don't you dare remind me of that clusterfuck that was the Thrall/Whatsherface questline.

Grufftoof wrote:It's an interesting question or topic. Long lived races, war like races, races with few remaining numbers. All would feel differently about sex, love and gender.

Look at things like the view of transgenders/homosexuality/bisexuality in some NA tribes, in the Indian subcontinent and the Far East, in the Spartan States, in the Navy, in prison... it goes on.

Exactly! That's what I was hoping to read views and ideas on.

Also while I remember there's two NPC's in sholozzar basin with the two last names. A male gnome and human female.

With Aishling I have chosen her to be bisexual, but with a low libido. She's the only one in which I have actually thought of her sexuality. With the rest, well...

I think the problem with telling about sexuality is that it can offend people. People are offended if there aren't any gay couples and there are people offended if there are gay couples. So I think that's why it's kept in the dark... which I do not mind.

With the rest, I haven't really thought about it, but that's because I usually decide the moment they feel attracted to persons.(Read: When I think the other characters would fit them, so I can play them into flirt mode).

The only thing in regarding to sexuality in WoW that has made me raise an eyebrow as "lore-breaking" has been homoesexual Sin'Dorei.

Here's what I base my perspective on:

90% of the race was wiped out (meaning there's a demand for reproduction)
The Sin'Dorei live in a very strict, almost totalitarian society.
Silvermoon is a very well regulated and policed city.
Along with the fact that there no homosexual Sin'Dorei NPC's that I can think of right off the bat, it leads me to assume that, being 'gay' in Sin'Dorei society would be frowned upon or even restricted.

I could be wrong though, but that's the impression I get.

/cough
Martek the Exiled
*Male Belf admirer*

Allright, to a serious post about how I bring sexuality into my RP....
Mainly I don't.

That is, with my RP mains, I don't. As in, I never bring it up as a current issue. I write what romance I want in their stories into their backstories (sure, I never write down those, but you get the point). Why? Well first of all, love/sexuality are terribly complicated concepts. I don't think my RP on either would live up to my own expectations. Secondly, I guess, I'm monogamous to a fault, and RPing actual attraction or such would just feel wrong to me.

With my alts, I'm a little more open though, Theodoric for example is a fairly young man, always dressing smart, always trying to impress his surroundings... And while it'll never come up in actual RP, this is due to him subconsciously overcompensating for his impotence. Tar-Chan gets incredibly self-conscious around female pandaren around his own age, being the stereotypical socially awkward nerd virgin.

It's there, yet I try not to draw too much attention to it, normally. I guess sexuality for me is one of those finer points of my characters that only the privileged few ever get to know about at all IC. Does that make any sense?

Might elaborate if I see the need.

Clydas wrote:It's there, yet I try not to draw too much attention to it, normally. I guess sexuality for me is one of those finer points of my characters that only the privileged few ever get to know about at all IC. Does that make any sense?

That's how it's best used, of you ask me!

Cid wrote:/cough
Martek the Exiled
*Male Belf admirer*

Is a figment of the orc's imagination

Ixirar/Kavalis wrote:

Cid wrote:/cough
Martek the Exiled
*Male Belf admirer*

Is a figment of the orc's imagination

So it's just Martek's wishful thinking, huh? Don't think that makes him any less bi, tbh