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Legolas · 08-21-2003, 10:08 AM

I believe that the main difference in behaviour towards males and females stems from the notion that women are the weaker sex. It's odd to see that, especially in a game where males and females can start out with exactly the same abilities, but then with such fragile avatars as the taller 'normal' fenotype females get assigned to them I suppose it is not that strange. The fact that most players come from r/l also tends to have an impact. NPCs rarely react differently to one gender than they do to another, but player characters do.

Assume a man was kidnapped. What would you do?
You get some guys together, grab a sixpack, mention how sad it was that the man disappeared (you saw him once or twice and he seemed like a nice guy) and go back to whatever it was you were doing.

Now what if it was a woman?
Damsels in distress always bring out the best in a man. You grab your sword, leave your cumbersome armour and hurry off to whatever tower she might be locked in, praying that you get there before your buddies do. Then there's the rescue, you notice she's not all that attractive after all and gallantly refuse any kind of reward. Then you go home and drink for a bit to get over the shock.

Not too long ago I had a female character who developped phobias for just about any creature that hit her, and had a tendency to run off screaming before collapsing to the ground in tears, all the while whimpering how absolutely useless she was. 100% of the male characters went after her when she ran and kindly took the time to explain it was okay to be afraid, but that she had to be brave, and could really make a difference.
Try that with a male character, and people will shrug and call him weak and useless. After all, if he's got some courage somewhere, he'll get himself together and rejoin the party later on...

Those are some of the more extreme examples, most of the different behaviour shows itself in smaller acts of kindness and show of patience and respect from males. Other female characters also tend to act differently, being more open towards eachother.

So far I've not gotten any of my female characters involved in a relationship with another character (and I've always given Anomen a wide berth too), but then I can't think of more than two or three male characters who have either.

08-21-2003, 10:08 AM	#44
Legolas Jack Burton Join Date: March 31, 2001 Location: The zephyr lands beneath the brine. Age: 41 Posts: 5,459	I believe that the main difference in behaviour towards males and females stems from the notion that women are the weaker sex. It's odd to see that, especially in a game where males and females can start out with exactly the same abilities, but then with such fragile avatars as the taller 'normal' fenotype females get assigned to them I suppose it is not that strange. The fact that most players come from r/l also tends to have an impact. NPCs rarely react differently to one gender than they do to another, but player characters do. Assume a man was kidnapped. What would you do? You get some guys together, grab a sixpack, mention how sad it was that the man disappeared (you saw him once or twice and he seemed like a nice guy) and go back to whatever it was you were doing. Now what if it was a woman? Damsels in distress always bring out the best in a man. You grab your sword, leave your cumbersome armour and hurry off to whatever tower she might be locked in, praying that you get there before your buddies do. Then there's the rescue, you notice she's not all that attractive after all and gallantly refuse any kind of reward. Then you go home and drink for a bit to get over the shock. Not too long ago I had a female character who developped phobias for just about any creature that hit her, and had a tendency to run off screaming before collapsing to the ground in tears, all the while whimpering how absolutely useless she was. 100% of the male characters went after her when she ran and kindly took the time to explain it was okay to be afraid, but that she had to be brave, and could really make a difference. Try that with a male character, and people will shrug and call him weak and useless. After all, if he's got some courage somewhere, he'll get himself together and rejoin the party later on... Those are some of the more extreme examples, most of the different behaviour shows itself in smaller acts of kindness and show of patience and respect from males. Other female characters also tend to act differently, being more open towards eachother. So far I've not gotten any of my female characters involved in a relationship with another character (and I've always given Anomen a wide berth too), but then I can't think of more than two or three male characters who have either.