HMD for Vanyel Askhevron in Any Comm

[peacockherald]

Any crit on how I'm playing Vanyel? Questions? Comments? Concerns? Want to plot something? 

Let me know here ~ 

Comments

[sockadin]

Hi, forgive the sock, I just don't know you well and have had some bad experiences giving crit in the past to people I don't know too well, even if it was just little things, so... I hope you can understand my caution. (I am, ftr, a member of DF, though, I'm not just appearing out of nowhere.)

So, I was paging through the CR meme and noticed something that... kind of raised some flags for me as far as your characterization, and I thought it would be worth bringing up to you.

Steve might be the one teaching Van a few things in the bedroom though. Poor thing has been very sexually repressed >: // He's from medieval times, he probably hasn't even thought of half the things you can show him

This little bit of an exchange kind of made me a little concerned? I mean, for one thing, creative sex was happening plenty back in medieval times - anything that vibrates or is stretchy would probably be new, but just being from a medieval-based society doesn't mean that he wouldn't know anything but the most basic vanilla sex, especially when the universe is fictional and does not have to (and indeed DOESN'T) adhere strictly to being an actual historical medieval setting.

Add to that the fact that Vanyel's coming from Valdemar, which is on the whole more sexually progressive than that (if only just) and by far moreso among the Heralds, who while they don't have the fabled orgies and so on, DO tend to have a healthy relationship with sex and discussing said sex. Add on to that the fact that he was with Tylendel (however briefly) who was very sexually active (even for a Herald iirc), and trained among the Tayledras who are much less squeamish about same-sex relationships, I find it highly unlikely that Van wouldn't at least have a lot of knowledge about sex and various ways to have it, if not a lot of first-hand experience.

While this could be just an unfortunate phrasing, other things I've seen mentioned lead me to believe that it's not, and it just sits very wrong with me characterization-wise that you seem to be playing him so seriously ignorant of sexual matters when every indication from canon would be that given his life, him being so ignorant would be not only unlikely but out of character.

[peacockherald]

Hi there -

I understand your concerns, and admittedly that is just bad wording on my part, at least to my mind.

Vanyel does have knowledge of sex, of course - both from his short relationship with Tylendel, and a few mentioned pairings he's had. It is not that he is ignorant or overly inexperienced, he just honestly hasn't had that much sex, at least in my opinion. Within the novels it is hinted that he remains largely abstinent after losing Tylendel, with a few brief moments here and there (three of the for sure known are with women and were purely for pro-creation rather than for his own pleasure, and the other a random soldier whom he spent one night with before moving on). In my phrasing I meant more that he simply was not allowing himself to have partners, and so his array of experience with actual acts may not be as broad, even if he has knowledge/awareness of them. So you are right, he is not ignorant of different kinds of sex, but neither would I call him a master in the bedroom either - more for the fact that, as stated above, he hasn't had all that many partners for his own pleasure. At least - again - in my opinion, based on what I read and remember in the novels and inferred.

I apologize if he comes off like that, and there are some instances where I can see that it has and I should work to adjust future interactions. Trust that I take critique seriously and consider it seriously when given, and I appreciate your feedback. And I hope that I have helped ease your concerns.

[sockadin]

It does, somewhat, yes. I can't speak to your actual play as Vanyel as I haven't seen much of him, but that did make me a little wary.