Does it sound feasible that two people meet on the internet then fall in love not realizing they are the same sex until they meet. When I say fall in love it's more a meeting of minds and ideals rather than a physical attraction which is the norm. The physical attraction is a later development.
Only if one of them is actively pretending to be the other sex; that has happened countless times to real people. I would be thinking "wow, how stupid are you guys?" if they had been talking for months or years without bothering to ask the other about their sex. As for if they can fall in love without having met or without even knowing each other well enough to know their sexes... some people aren't going to buy it regardless of how well it's written. But I have made excellent friends over the internet and then had real chemistry with them in person (though not in a romantic way) so I would probably give your characters a pass on that one.
That's just not feasible. Why would you never discuss sex/gender, especially when you think you're falling for the person? Also, they both just happen to have unisex names? Or they don't even know each other's names?
Avatars influence the way I read posts, beyond my desire to not have this be so. IMO it is unfeasible.
I think you would need to work had to make this feasible enough. If both charecters chose misleading avatars, that would be a good start. They'd both need to be so unsure of themselves and the situation, as to not want to let on they ere interested in the other person romantically. This would explain them not asking about gender or past romantic relationships. You will be able to get away with a certain amount of implausibility before the reader says, 'no, this is too silly'.
That's interesting. I was a member of several gardening forums and they not only got my gender wrong from my avatar but the the manner in which I posted on the forum. This surprised me and from little acorns... etc. Hence the idea for the novel because I was tempted to play them along and follow through just for the craic...
But you're talking about two people who are interacting socially, albeit virtually. You don't mention how long they communicate via the internet before they meet, but even if it's only a short time I still don't think you could make it work for the reasons given by Tenderiser.
Perhaps if they were below average IQ and starving for attention? You'd have to setup (IMO) a special set of circumstances. I've been confused by more than a few avatars but always vet ongoing communication with determination of more background info than "you sound cool".
You could probably make a fun short story where they meet on something like Omegle but without webcam and through a bizarre set of misunderstandings believe that they are each other's preferred gender. They would have to meet very quickly, after only a short conversation. If you wrote it with the right tone of humour (kind of farcical) I think people would be willing to suspend a little belief and enjoy it. Perhaps even write it so the reader can see what's coming, but the two main characters are oblivious because of some silly mistakes. I think that would be fun.
In this case, I struggle to take your posts seriously, because you are poking fun every time you post -- because of the avatar. It's like every post starts and ends with That's the feeling. I could remove your avatar, and might do so (via Adblock)
Hmm, I'm not sure. It's a sad love story. One of the women is gay and the other is fighting her bi curiosity. One woman has everything to lose and she is concerned that it is a passing affair for the other party. Perhaps the internet is not the best place for them to meet. Back to the drawing board. I know the end of the story I just can't figure out the beginning. The basis of the story was inspired by a chance conversation where some gay friends (male) related a story about their friends called the snatch sisters. My idea of how they met is crap; I appreciate you input. The lads' original story started with the husband who wanted a threesome - the wife was against it. Much to his surprise the women fell in love and he was kicked into touch. Erotica style romance is not my bag so I need to mull this over. They say life is stranger than fiction! Dear Aaron, the trouble with avatars is that they can be deceiving and if you knew me a little (lot) better you would understand why. It wasn't meant to be a gif it just happened that way. It even made me laugh when I saw the result for members who clicked through to my profile. I've had my fun so I better look for a miserable scary one instead.
It wasn't a threesome, but I have a friend to whom this happened and to say he was devastated is a gross understatement.
I can imagine. I often wonder how many people are bi yet never fully explore their sexuality for fear of upsetting their family. Regardless of what people say, there is still a lot of prejudice. And how do you cope with announcing to the world your wife or husband is having a same sex affair?
Yes. There are a lot of artificial restrictions in place in society that impact on what people are or are not prepared to do. As long as you explore some aspect of sexuality I am sure it doesn't matter too much if you explore all the options ;-) In his case she left him for their mutual friend, ending the marriage. Full-on Christian couple, just below pastor level in terms of church responsibility. I was devastated for him - they were my dream couple.
I think the OP is perfectly feasible, especially as it's an attraction of minds/ideals rather than physical bodies. I'm surprised that the consensus so far has been what it is: perhaps it reflects personal values and mine are less 'normal' than I'd thought? Probably just different strokes for different folks. Not wanting to big-note myself, but I'll need to get personal to address the topic (uh-oh... ): This is the only internet forum I've spent time in, and one of the things I like is that I'm not forced to reveal details about myself that real life discloses (sex, age, race, etc). I like that people can only judge me by what I say (i.e. my thoughts and beliefs), and not the physical factors I never had a choice over. If others can be bothered, they can make educated guesses, but they have to actually take note of what I say for those guesses to be 'educated' (and can you ever 100% predict e.g. a person's sex from their writing?) I've always liked the idea that 'true love' would depend on the 'inner self', ignoring genitals, gonads, etc (and you'd double your chances!). That perhaps represents a schism between romance and sexual attraction though, and I accept that for many those are intertwined (also that the 'inner self' can't be entirely detached from the physical package, what with hormones, social conditioning, etc). Indeed, despite my logic, I do have a fairly solid sexual preference that directs me romantically. There may be a bit of wiggle room, but it's in the vicinity of 100% to the point that an 'unexpected gender' situation would need some reflection. Maybe all your story needs is a character with a similar mindset? The second character could be similar, or might just respect privacy, appreciate mystery (that's a turn-on for some), or be headstrong/optimistic. Anyway, that's the kinda hinge I'd imagine for your story, and to me that has the potential to be incredibly romantic (assuming you're not taking the slapstick comedy approach)... but now I'm wondering how out-of-left-field my perspective is, and whether that would limit the audience who would 'get it'. And are names/avatars really a consideration? Unless you specifically use your own name or likeness (which could still go either way, depending on your name/what you look like), there's no way to know.
I feel strange and I do not know how to reconcile this weird nostalgic feeling other than babbling about how all of this goes out the window if you deal with a person who doesn't know their own gender identity.
Wait. If both were pretending to be the wrong gender. Than wouldn't they still be right? If one is honest than the honest one would know. If both were dishonest than they wouldn't be the same gender. Lol @ op. Well to me it can be done in the sense of two people getting romantic without admitting to it. You got to think. The moment they think they are in love, gender is going to be a question. So you need the love to be so developed at this point that the allure to continue out ways the sting of them both being the same gender.
I think the story would require more than just a meeting of minds. If I met someone on the internet with similar ideas, beliefs and attitudes to myself, I'd naturally assume they were like myself, being about the same age and the same gender. I'd need a good reason to think they were of the opposite gender. Occasionally, someone might incorrectly guess the gender of someone in a photograph. Some names can be used for both genders. If the people had very different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, this would increase the chance of making a mistake, as appearances and names would be unfamiliar. The characters could have a discussion about homosexuality in which they make hypothetical statement that are misunderstood. (This would be an interesting writing exercise). Even if only one of the characters is pretending, the story would fall apart. Suppose both characters are male but one is pretending to be female. He thinks, 'that woman wants to be romantically involved me, but she must think I'm a woman because I'm pretending to be one, so she must be a lesbian, so she won't fancy me in real life'.
You have to write it, @ladybird. The drafting'll see you home. In my mind's eye I see two guys on a 'hunting and fishing' forum, and this woman writes all macho about bears and stuff. Then the other guy, he packs his bags, kisses his wife goodbye, heads for the mountains to team up with this 'Geoff.' 'Umm, Geoff couldn't make it.' 'Oh.' 'But I can handle a rifle.' 'Well okay then.' LATER 'So how come you know all this stuff? You n Geoff must be really close, eh?' LATER [online] 'Hey Geoff, bad news about Grandma, hey, but that niece of yours, she's a swell gal, umm.' 'Yes, she said you had lovely hands.' 'Oh.' 'She really loved the way you smile, your hips' wiggle, your eyes.' 'Oh.' 'Your shiny bald head, imagines your lips all over her...' 'Hey, let's get back to bears, Geoff.' 'Yah.'
I have not weighed in on this fascinating thread, but after reading Matwoolf's latest post, find myself unable to hold back any longer. I propose that this very unlikely storyline become the theme for an upcoming WF short story contest. We will see who among us is able to pull off this unlikely story line either being unbelievably believable or perhaps (as Matwoolf hints) quite hilarious. I don't know how such important decisions are made, but just wondering who might be up for the challenge--could be a hoot.
I think they are called, soul mates Too much emphasis these days is put on physical appearance. As you grow old you lose all your teeth and go bald anyway, so waht are we left with? Can men and women truly be soulmates and is there really a meeting of the minds? @matwoolf You have to write it, @ladybird. The drafting'll see you home. I will. And I appreciate your feedback. It's just a shame there is not a forum here that's not visible to the search engines @everyone Thanks for your feedback. You've certainly given me some pointers... are you by any chance all men?
Hey if your story idea says anything. It says that it doesn't matter that I am a girl/boy! Suddenly reminded. Trivia. When I was a young lass/lad the local school kids made a point of calling me "It" and or "The He/She" because of the gender neutrality I had. I used to hate think about that but now I don't much mind the memory.
