Yeah, you say that when challenged, but then you say changing a hetero character to a homo character must be meaningful. I.e. hetero is the default.
The point A.M.P. is making, I think, is that these traits are not owned by Hobbits or Elves, so therefore being a Hobbit or Elf does not mean they are inherently these things, they are separate traits assumed a connection because of race, similar to traits including sexuality. Also Justin, a characters sexual orientation doesn't have to be made meaningful at all, it is as relevant a tool in story telling as the writer wants it to be. For example, does it matter what Frodo's sexuality is? No. In the case of the OP writing a homosexual story, we can also say that the sexual preference is not relevant either, as the gender of the characters does not matter, neither does the sexually termed preference. That is to say, it is irrelevant to the story itself but not to the reader, as the story would be the same if it was a gay or straight couple.
But you literally don't. You can say it as many times as you want, but the substance of your posts points in the direction that heterosexuality is the definitive norm, and anything other than should be a plot device.
Obviously Frodo's black hair was a metaphor for darkness. His hair would grow longer over time, representing the Ring's burden on his morality. Does he stay in the white, and destroy it, or does he succumb to the darkness and keep it for himself?
Of course he isn't sarcastic. Every character trait has to be important or else it's meaningless. That's exactly why Frodo had black hair just as why Gandalf had a white beard because he would eventually become Gandalf the White. Foreshadowing, man.
Then what does this mean? That certainly sounds like the possibility of substitution is forbidden. Let's say that the story requires that the main character has a consuming personal distraction. Let's say that that distraction is that their spouse is recovering from a sports accident. Spouses can be same-sex or not. Spouses make sexual orientation clear. Do you permit a spouse, AT ALL, if the sexual orientation aspect is not specifically critical to the plot? If orientation is not critical to the plot, does the author have to change "spouse" to "sibling" in order to keep the character's sexual orientation a mystery to the reader? Then, is the author allowed to make the injury a sports injury if a car accident would have served the plot equally well? Is the author allowed to name the sibling and choose their gender if any name and either gender would have served the plot equally well?
I'm tired of getting dog piled as well as having my personal character attacked with accusations that I hold heterosexuality and homosexuality to different standards and accusations that I'm trolling. I'm getting overwhelmed. I'm done with this thread.
I never insulted you or accused you of anything. And I find it a little annoying that you would run off without responding to multiple points I made. Please come back just for a bit?
ChickenFreak, if you care to, we can continue our discussion in private messages one-on-one. But, for the reasons I mentioned earlier, I'm not going to continue it here.
You're right. But, I'm getting dog piled here as well as getting personally attacked. The dog piling is overwhelming me and preventing me from giving each question the attention it deserves. Private messaging?
