something entertaining: A word on gay content in Sfeer Theory

Reblogged from chirart

something entertaining: A word on gay content in Sfeer Theory

madasmaybutter:

phoenix-scribbles:

honhonhon:

This actually has been building up for a while, but after a comment we received earlier today I actually want to make a post about this, so I am doing it here!

So, I draw this webcomic called Sfeer Theory! It’s a fantasy epic I am working with my best friend in the world, Alex Singer….

I appreciate this outlook a lot, since romance doesn’t do anything for me. Most real people have romantic and/or sexual relationships at some point in their lives, so including this type of interaction is natural. That said, I hate gratuitous sex scenes. If it’s not contributing to the story it shouldn’t be included.

(I suppose it could be used to gain readers and exposure, but if the cost is compromising the integrity of your work, is it really worth it? If you want to write porn, at least be honest about it. And if you use sex appeal to attract readers, that’s what they’ll be sticking around for, not your story…)

…..anyway, opinions! (You should read the full entry above if you haven’t already. c: )

Hmm… I donno. I don’t think the original post was really about romance and gratuitous sex as much as it was about not being introduced as, “My gay friend,” but as, “My friend.”

I’d say they are closely related. By including gratuitous sex you are effectively putting the character’s sexuality before more important character traits. Both are irrelevant unless you’re writing romance.

Again, I disagree. This is not necessarily true (generalizations are nasty like that; they let the opposing side say, “necessarily”). First: By including gratuitous sex you are putting that character’s relationship before other important plot points. Example: If you have a character who is having sex all the time and just not showing it in the story, you are still making that character highly sexualized and it becomes one of his/her key character points. On the other hand, if you have the same character and show the sex scenes selectively, you are highlighting those relationships and making them more significant than the others. Second: Putting a character’s sexuality in the forefront is not necessarily only useful for writing romance. Say the aspect of this character’s sexuality you are highlighting is his/her real or perceived sexual orientation. Maybe it is a story about bullying and depression and there is no romance written into the plot whatsoever. Not only is it possible, but it is done regularly.

(Source: chirart)

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