PC Partner Preference

[Aurelis]

First of all, let me say that I am IN LOVE with this game and have talked about it to everyone I know!

This may seem silly but it's something I'd like to ask about / suggest nonetheless ... On the Anagoge island, Elmetaph prompts you for a choice of your character's sexuality -- as an elf, I had the option of men, women, or both. Which I thought was cool! My sister rolled a Rakshasa, and she was only presented with men or women.

I in no way think there is any ill intent, but given that the cultural lore and the way elves talk and others talk about elves, and they're portrayed (and are?) open for business anytime, anywhere, with anyone... it leads to an a=b, b=c, a=c scenario of "elves=bisexual, elves=sluts, bisexuals=sluts" -- and there is a lot of stigma in the real world that that's believed to be the case, so it'd be nice to push against that in a fantasy world. :) A great example in-game of individual > race is how, in general, elves are obsessed with cleanliness, but Therese is a gardener who "unlike most elves, doesn't mind getting dirty".

Is there any chance of giving all races the option to be bisexual, even if it's reacted to by Elmetaph as being "unexpected" for their race? Again, I know this seems silly, but it would be a small detail that would mean a lot to some people.

[Lyesea]

Very interesting, now I'm more of a student of elven lore but im honestly surprised rakhasha care about gender.

[Vish]

other suggestion
Now it is that way:
Elf: bi, hetero or homo
Humans: Hetero or Homo
Rakshasa: Hetero or Homo
Change to:
Elf: Bi or Animal (zoophilia?) or other 18+ not standard sexual option (zoophilia should be 'safe' option because we game conscious animals here in game word)
Humans: Hetero Homo or Bi
Rakshasa: Hetero (in counter for Elves Rakshasa mostly perceive sex as procreation)

[Aurelis]

That is a suggestion, yes, and I respect your right to have it, but it is opposite of mine -- I am interested in seeing something as personal as sexuality not be determined by race. As I've played, I've continued to encounter more characters who have individualistic traits that are counter to their race, because a person is not simply "an elf" or "a human" or "a rakshasa" ...

I'm also not inherently a fan of perpetuating the already well-inundated lore that "elves are sluts" -- a direct quote from one NPC, actually, and echoed in a lot of dialogues ... I get stigma, I understand that people inherently rely on generalizations. I'm in no way saying that I want anything on that front to change. Racist NPCs are just as valid as racist people, they exist and there's not a lot that can be done about that ;)

I would be against driving that further with the stigma "Someone who sleeps with anyone might as well sleep with animals!" Big oof, it's like the argument that "gays shouldn't marry because what's next, people marrying goats?!"

I just want to see more inclusivity and less restrictions in a game where you can play a cow and that's a totally valid play style!

[Citan]

Yeah, I don't see why it wouldn't be open to other races, will rework the dialog a bit.

Internally, that question is really just a way for the game to ask you (the player) what gender you'd want your "background romantic NPC" to have, when they eventually show up. If you choose the elf option saying you don't know what sex they'd be, the game just flips a coin for you! So I wasn't really thinking of this as a "what sexual preference does your character have" question, although from a player's point of view it obviously is, so the jokey elf option seems a bit too flippant.

[Aurelis]

Citan That makes perfect sense from a developer/internal point of view and I totally understand it! To be clear, I definitely didn't think there was any "malice" (for lack of a better word) ... As players, we took it as a clever "pick your preference", kind of like a very old game from the 80s where your first choice is whether you enter the men's or the women's restroom to determine your gender.

Thank you for the info and the consideration, it's greatly appreciated :) And I look forward to seeing the flipped coin my elf gets!