Roleplaying Across the Gender Divide
Yeah, I know this seems 'old hat', but I was asked recently by another player how I had found it, playing a male character in live games. He is considering crossing the great divide in the opposite direction and wondered what he may experience.
Playing a male hasn't been easy. In tabletop you can mostly get away with it, though how successfully depends on a lot of factors. Playing your opposite gender in a live game is much harder, especially if you are NOT intending 'playing it for laughs'.
In my own case, for a start, I'm blessed with rather large lady bumps ;-) I considered binding, but eventually settled for wearing very baggy clothes and a 'flattening' bra. Nothing much I could do about my facial bone structure, so I went with a mask, which I am told works really well in terms of making 'him' rather unnerving. When I remember, I try to lower the pitch of my voice and to speak more slowly. I also give thought to how I carry myself and particularly how 'he' sits.
In Camarilla play you have the option of wearing a badge to indicate to others anything unusual about your appearance, so I do wear a badge stating that the character is male, and I also supply a picture of how he actually is meant to look. When I use the bage most people remember and address my character as a male. When I leave the badge off I usually find people forget and address 'him' as a female...which does at least allow some roleplay on the subject. My character, you see, has a disease which means he actually has both male and female characteristics, so a bit of confusion can be lived with.
In terms of getting into the head of a male character when you are female, I find that fairly easy. Elijah, my character, is well-established in my brain. I know where he lives, who he lives with, how he conducts his 'average' days and nights. I know his politics and his religion and his manner of expressing them. I know his opinions on a range of topics. I know how he is liable to react in most situations, though I admit he tends to be a greater physical coward than I originally intended him to be and would probably get some stick about that in human society; fortunately he's a vampire, so all bets are off.
Do I enjoy playing Elijah ? Damn sure ! I love him to bits.
Has playing him affected me ? I guess it has. Not as much as you might think, or as I perhaps hoped for, but I hope I do justice to his gender. Those who have met Elijah in gameplay are welcome to comment, indeed invioted to comment, on how they receive him and to provide any helpful hints on how I maight make him come across better.
Yeah, I know this seems 'old hat', but I was asked recently by another player how I had found it, playing a male character in live games. He is considering crossing the great divide in the opposite direction and wondered what he may experience.
Playing a male hasn't been easy. In tabletop you can mostly get away with it, though how successfully depends on a lot of factors. Playing your opposite gender in a live game is much harder, especially if you are NOT intending 'playing it for laughs'.
In my own case, for a start, I'm blessed with rather large lady bumps ;-) I considered binding, but eventually settled for wearing very baggy clothes and a 'flattening' bra. Nothing much I could do about my facial bone structure, so I went with a mask, which I am told works really well in terms of making 'him' rather unnerving. When I remember, I try to lower the pitch of my voice and to speak more slowly. I also give thought to how I carry myself and particularly how 'he' sits.
In Camarilla play you have the option of wearing a badge to indicate to others anything unusual about your appearance, so I do wear a badge stating that the character is male, and I also supply a picture of how he actually is meant to look. When I use the bage most people remember and address my character as a male. When I leave the badge off I usually find people forget and address 'him' as a female...which does at least allow some roleplay on the subject. My character, you see, has a disease which means he actually has both male and female characteristics, so a bit of confusion can be lived with.
In terms of getting into the head of a male character when you are female, I find that fairly easy. Elijah, my character, is well-established in my brain. I know where he lives, who he lives with, how he conducts his 'average' days and nights. I know his politics and his religion and his manner of expressing them. I know his opinions on a range of topics. I know how he is liable to react in most situations, though I admit he tends to be a greater physical coward than I originally intended him to be and would probably get some stick about that in human society; fortunately he's a vampire, so all bets are off.
Do I enjoy playing Elijah ? Damn sure ! I love him to bits.
Has playing him affected me ? I guess it has. Not as much as you might think, or as I perhaps hoped for, but I hope I do justice to his gender. Those who have met Elijah in gameplay are welcome to comment, indeed invioted to comment, on how they receive him and to provide any helpful hints on how I maight make him come across better.
posted by Katisha @ 4:11 AM
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