30 Days of Character Development: Day 5

Warning: Possibly NSFW due to expansive discourse on intercourse. Just playing it safe.

The Prompt
What’s your character’s ranking on the KINSEY SCALE?

Short answer: 0

Long answer: My background in anthropology wouldn’t let me just put “0” and call it a day. So, here’s my attempt to explain why this is probably my least favorite prompt of the “30 Day Character Development Challenge” within the scope of the prompt.

I went back and researched the aspects of the Kinsey Scale to make sure I was answering the question correctly. According to a 2011 paper written by Donna J Drucker, the Kinsey Scale is “the 0–6 scale [that] remains a potent and popular way of marking how a person’s behavior, desires, and self-identification together cohere into markers of sexual identity.” Wikipedia simplifies it even further, which could be boiled down to, “Which gender do you want to have sex with, and in what frequency with each?”

The first image that popped into my head was Toriah sitting in Silvermoon City or Orgrimmar and thinking, “Yeah, I’d have sex with that one. No, that’s definitely a no. Eh, maybe that one. Ooh, definitely yes for this one!” as people walked by on their business. This is about as unlikely as Toriah suddenly making nice with Garrosh Hellscream and taking him out on a date.

For starters, the whole sex thing— and we’re talking straight up intercourse here— is very strictly tied to relationship stuff. You know, the warm fuzzies, the I-make-a-great-team-with-this-person-in-life stuff. Again, the anthropological stuff kicks in and says, “Well, you’d want to start a relationship with someone who will contribute to procreation and furthering your genes. It makes sense that it’s all tied together,” but I find that explanation to be wholly inadequate, too. You know what this sort of thinking reminds me of? It reminds me of this meme:

Stand down, Commander Shepard! DOWN, BOY!!

I’m sorry, but I have a very difficult time thinking of people strictly in terms of, “Do I want to have sex with it?”

Okay, now that we’ve laid out the groundwork, let’s move on to my second complaint about this prompt: Why is this even important to my character?

Even if Toriah did spend inordinate amounts of time in major cities scoping the sentients that passed by, does her “ranking” on the scale make her less or more capable of saving the world? Does it make her actions less or more meaningful? Does it, in the grand scope of things, actually matter?

The answer is a very firm, loud, and resounding, “NO!”

Whom Toriah wants to or does not want to have sex with doesn’t factor in at all. At the end of the day, she is going to do what she does best and keep doing it. I am not going to write a scene with Toriah charging into battle, screaming, “I LIKE BELF GUYS AND I CANNOT LIE!” because, like I said, that’s really improbable, but it sure is funny. She isn’t going to walk into a melee and announce, “It’s okay, I got this because I’m strictly heterosexual.”

And, just so I’m making my point completely clear: it would be equally ridiculous if she was a straight up “6” on the scale or anywhere in between, or even an “X.” Toriah isn’t going to jump into the fray or stalk through the Barrens shouting, “Don’t worry, the [insert preference] is here!!” In case I haven’t said it in the last few minutes, it is absolutely and unnecessarily absurd.

The last post concerning Toriah’s (decided lack of) vanity becomes relevant because judging someone’s capabilities on their sexuality is just as vapid and inane as judging them on their looks and comeliness.

Of all the minor details, whom she may share a bed with is the most minor of all.

Okay. I’m done. Let’s move on to other things and look forward to Day 6, shall we?