Touchy character traits..

I think it's important to approach traits like the ones you described with a great deal of care and tact. It would probably be a bad idea to overly emphasize or glorify the character having a habit of self-mutilation, and the bondage fetish would probably be better left as something he alludes to rather than saying it straight-up. The idea of sore wrists and ankles would lend itself well to this, but I personally would avoid the rope.

In regards to the former, there are some ways that you can effectively portray the emotional turmoil the character has gone through while showing the scars, but if it were me I would keep them covered up the majority of the time. Just my 2 cents.

 

Might someone get offended? What's your personal take on this? People in general are sensitive and get offended by anything and everything under the sun. On top of that, this hobby seems to attract an awful lot of sensitive people who are prone to getting easily offended. And then of course there are the things that are genuinely offensive (e.g. I think a lot of people would be rightly offended by, say, a character in the KKK). So yeah, you could have the most bland character ever and someone somewhere might be offended.

That said, some issues, like self-harm, are more sensitive than others and need to be treated in a respectful manner. In my opinion people would also be justified in being offended by things like self-harm being treated in a flippant or less-than-respectful manner.

But at the end of the day, it's your doll. If you want your doll to have a character, and you want the character to have certain traits, it's up to you. If you want to actually portray those things in a public forum, that's also up to you. But if you decide to do that, make sure you research your audience carefully, are mindful of any forum rules that might make it possible for you to do things like post pictures of scars, and are prepared to handle any potential backlash in a mature manner.

 

I have characters that do all kinds of self destructive or taboo things. They are my characters so I do with them as I damn please. That being said I would be very careful to post stuff about them or photos that I know people here might find really offensive. People here are so sensitive. :P
I write about them and might eventually take pictures but I would keep them on my Livejournal only and even then with warnings just to cover my butt.

 

Treat everything that you think could possibly be construed as offensive as carefully as possible. Do your research. I have a few characters with traits similar to your character's, and others with other offensive/touchy traits as well. The best way to handle them is not to glorify them (as kaschan502 already said). Every character should be a person first, not a list of traits. However, never feel you have to restrict yourself to only things that are inoffensive and banal. Just make sure you follow forum rules, and if things become too harsh for DoA, take them to ConDoll.

 

I have several characters with very... Fetish-y personalities, some are vampires or demons or other things and so some things, while disturbing initially are just how they are. I have a fallen angel who actually wears a pair of hand-cuffs at all times because he and the demon who he's in a relationship like that sort of thing. Now, when I get his demon, I probably won't explicitly PHOTOGRAPH that, but it will be implied in the story, and is already implied by the accessory of actually having a pair of doll-sized hand-cuffs on one wrist 'just in case'.

Personally, I think anything goes, some people are just offended by EVERYTHING and can't just leave it alone. These people can't be pleased, and I just don't want to try because that would just make it less fun for me. As long as your tactful with it, I say do as you want. I sure am.

 

no, i don't believe in such a thing as 'touchy' character traits.

if you're giving your dolls traits, you're telling some kind of story (even if you don't write it down, it can be in your head. all my dolls have a complex backstory in my mind, even if i've only written down short vignettes or short stories from time to time)

my point being, people who write or create stories (and therefore characters, which is what dolls are in this case) should not be inhibited by what others think. some of the 'best' or at least most popular, well known books of the past century were/are widely considered controversial, were banned, burned etc.

to me creating a story is a way of dealing with and expressing one's problems. not everyone writes for this reason, but [as someone who has had some traumatic, unpleasant experiences inflicted on me as a child and young adult] i find that writing about characters who have also had similar experiences or may have problematic traits like me is a good way of dealing with them and overcoming them (it's therapeutic). in fact, my attraction to dolls in general probably stems from this.

i don't believe any subject should be considered taboo, but then if you choose something that is an extreme taboo in society (like saying your character/doll was sexually abused or something like that) you run the risk of ostracising others. that's your choice- you know the consequences of dealing with that subject matter. then again, you wouldn't casually bring such a topic up (i hope) since if you're writing about something "touchy" it's common sense to use a degree of tact.

that said, the notion that these things should not be discussed is absurd to me. by allowing ourselves to be "offended" when we read about a character who has what you call a "touchy character trait" or experienced a traumatic situation, we are only empowering the negativity of the trait/situation. by keeping our experiences taboo, we are only ensuring that future victims will feel just as victimized as we ourselves were.

in my opinion, the only way to liberate ourselves from taboo subjects is to be able to write or talk about them freely. and if you are doing this through the medium of a character (your doll and their background story) it's simply another form of free speech. however, should you choose to do this, you will reap consequences and open yourself to criticism. it takes bravery.

 

There is not such thing as a touchy character trait so long as you portray it right.

Personally, I am attracted the characters that go through the very real tragedies in life, who go through hardships, get hurt, broken down, or do terrible things. That is how life is... it's raw and it's real. Yeah, some people won't like it, but you can't please everyone, and if you try, you will fail in the grandest way.

However, be tactful. Do not romanticize, do not glorify, and do not define a doll's character by these traits. These traits develop a character...they do not make the character.

 

well, Ethra_VII just managed to say in a few sentences what i took half a page to try and convey.

edit: and in case that's not clear, it's a complement.

 

I don't see a problem with "touchy" traits.

Most people in real life have a trait or two like that. Person A has a "self-harm addiction", as the OP put it (I don't really believe in self-harm addictions, in most cases, it is not an addiction, but I'll leave it at that), person B steals candy at grocery stores for a kick, person C cheats on their wife, person D bites their nails and picks their nose when alone, person E has a history of abuse (this happens much more often that people think!), person F has thousands of debts...

Why shouldn't doll characters have traits like that too?

The difference is, most real life people conceal their not so nice traits, or their traumatic past, or the things they are in some way ashamed of - or made ashamed of! - while in the doll world, we portray them openly. I think the latter is a good thing because it serves as a parody or a catharsis in some way, and opens people's eyes to how reality really is. The only rule is to stick to the rules of the forum if you post the story of the doll here.

 

The only thing that really bothers me is yoai and the fact that I seem to be the only one who has and will always have heterosexual dolls. What offends me is the fact that pictures of dolls of the same sex having, well, sex is acceptable while simply discussing your beliefs is not. I'm not against anyone, I just think it's kind of confusing. :/

 

Erm... discussing your beliefs when considering dolls is allowed, one is simply not allowed to be "preachy" about their beliefs. Have you seen the thread about religion and dolls?

And the fact that you, personally, are bothered by yaoi definitely has no connection to the treatment of beliefs here, in my opinion. First thing is your personal taste, the latter is a rule. I wonder why you bring these two together.

Also, same-sex love is not something forbidden today, and "yaoi" is not a trait. Openly shown sex, on the other hand, no matter between which sexes, is not wanted here, and also not shown here from what I see.

 

This thread is about touchy character traits. Where in your post does this fit in? You mean to say that you find homosexuality a touchy character trait?

There are plenty of hetero pairings, in fact I think this place is packed full of them. Just like people are seeing elitism everywhere there are a lot of people who believes a crossdressing gay doll is lurking behind every corner.
Plenty of people also, just like you, dislike and treat all Yaoi the same. There are as many different kinds of Yaoi as there are hetero romance stories. I admit though that it is just as hard to find good ones.

Are you offended only by homosexual characters having sex or do you find it equally offensive when two hetero dolls are depicted engaging in sexual activity?

As dollblue already said though, these kind of photos aren't allowed here. You might see dolls kissing, hugging and holding hands. The steamiest I have seen are dolls hugging without their shirts on.

 

I appreciate how well you handled my post, but my point is it's like the same as say, being preachy because they are pretty much promoting it. I see guy on guy pics all the time, typically half under the covers, but still. But yes, I agree that openly shown sex on either side is distasteful.

 

by that logic, any picture depicting heterosexual love is "promoting" heterosexuality. what does that even mean? the fact that you use the term "promoting" clearly reveals that you view anything that deviates from the "norm" (and i use that term loosely, as in, your "norm") as having some kind of [negative] agenda or subliminal message behind it. if you are complaining about something being promoted, that means you are against what is being promoted.

the only thing that a picture with dolls in a romantic context can promote is love, the perceived gender should be completely irrelevant.

 

Well, the first character of mine I decided to "dollify" (though he wasn't the first I got home), is a gay, seriously masochistic and bondage fetishistic young man, with a history of alchohol-abuse and sleeping around from quite a young age.

I do not have any problem with touchy character traits, as you can see. Rather, it makes the characters seem more realistic to me, as I am of the belief and opinion, same as dollblue, that everyone has character traits they want to hide. Many of the character traits I made up for the character stated above, has, in fact, got their roots in me (but not all of them, luckily), and it makes the character so much dearer to me, as I can relate to many of the challenges I put in his way. I also agree with those who say they think it's good we are willing to show off characters with taboo or touchy traits, because I, as doll blue, find it gives a much more precise view of how reality is.

In the end, it is my characters, and I do as I please with them. I make sure though, that I follow the rules of the forum (I haven't posted any gallery-threads yet though, so that's easy ;P). Posting things that do not follow the rules are the only thing I may consider to be wrong or have a problem with.

In fact, I have more of a problem with "perfect" characters than those with touchy traits, as there aren't any persons in the world who are perfect, and I'm not much fond of the glorification of perfectionism in any way (which you can see, in books, movies etc. and ESPECIALLY in the advertising sector of media), because I feel it often gives persons, especially very young, a warped idea of what the world should be like. Then again, if people want to have "perfect" characters, who have only good character traits, that's their choice, I just do not see how that is less offensive than characters with touchy traits.
NOTE: ^ This is solely my opinion and view, and I fully understand that many people may think otherwise.

 

I pretty much agree with everything said here. Characters, and dolls, reflect things that we see and know in life. Life is offensive, and in different ways to different people. A lot of the time, though, serious offense [like the KKK example, or having a Hitler doll who dominates a Jewish doll, etc.] can be avoided by the research, and also by acknowledging a person's sensibilities by explaining that yes, the KKK has done some really bad things, but that it also does good things in a community and that you are not try to support the violence against certain ethnicities, etc. A lot of times, people just want you to answer to their hurt, and not just be told that it's none of their business, or whatever.

 

I'll be honest, I'm in the same boat as you in terms of only having straight dolls. I'm personally not a fan of yaoi either, but to each their own. I don't view yaoi pics as promoting yaoi any more than heterosexual pics promote heterosexuality. I'm honestly not a fan of pics of dolls "doing the deed" regardless of sexuality, so I make it a point to avoid those threads. To that effect, unless someone openly says something like "YOU SHOULD LIKE YAOI AND IF YOU DON'T THEN YOU'RE STUPID" then I don't see this as being "preachy." And getting back to the main point- yaoi isn't a doll's trait. Homosexuality could be construed as a trait of the character, but that can be portrayed in any number of ways, not just in when a doll is having a "romantic moment" with another doll of the same sex. For that matter, I saw a pen-pal thread the other day where someone had their male doll looking for a male companion. In that case, the character was homosexual, but that doesn't constitute yaoi to me.

 

Okay, not into the man-love. That's cool. We all got our thing. But what bothers me about this is that the way you word this, homosexuality is some "touchy" character trait. Why? That kind of implies that heterosexual dolls are acceptable, but the homosexual dolls are "touchy" or "taboo" somehow.

And why does it matter that you only want dolls with straight characters? That shouldn't bother you. You are no different from someone who has only gay dolls or someone with gay and straight dolls... we all have dolls that have a sexuality... but that sexuality should in no way be considered "touchy" and most of all, it should not define the character.

And last I checked, showing sex in these forums was not acceptable due to the divers age groups here.

And also, you really should not use "yaoi" in place of "homosexual". Yaoi is a type of media involving homo-eroticism between two males. It is not a character trait. Not only that, but yaoi is explicit, and therefore not allowed on the forum. This in general irks me, but I digress.

 

Well, didn't you just open a can of homophobic worms. Do you know, it almost sounds as if you think pictures of dolls portraying homosexual relationships are promoting homosexuality? Now, I'm sure you don't really think that, because it's completely illogical and based in prejudice rather than reality. It's about as stupid, naive and ignorant as thinking a gay person is one day going to see a picture of heterosexual dolls kissing, have a lightbulb moment and think, "Wow! A guy can love a girl! That's it - no more homo for me, straight all the way!"

Ahem. Back to the topic in hand. I agree that there are no "touchy" traits, but there are good and bad ways of handling them. Sensitivity, maturity, research and empathy are your friends here. A doll's character maturely portraying "touchy" traits because all people have some uncomfortable personality issues will come across well and show a well-rounded character. A doll's character shallowly portraying "touchy" traits because it's "cool" or "interesting" or "just rly lyk KAWAII!!" will come across as a Mary Sue who will offend everyone simply because the character is so annoying.