[quote=@pugbutter] You know, I have an optimistic side. It may be hungry, lonely, and scared, having been locked away in the deepest, darkest, coldest region of my heart long ago, but nonetheless it's there, its heartbeat but a whisper in the dark. The optimistic side of me wants to say that maybe this is what these people are looking for when they demand from their partners a particular shape to their fleshy protrusions. That they think males play male characters more plausibly than females do, and vice-versa, so really, they're just looking for the partners who can write their characters with as much accuracy to their respective genders as possible. But this is the point where the realistic side rattles the cage and tells the optimistic side to cease its crazed rambling lest it won't get any bread and water for supper tonight. [/quote] Well, to clarify, I don't judge male or female writers for their expected ineptitudes. What I meant is that typically (but not always!) they have certain interests respective to their gender. Women more often like emotionally motivated plots, romances, characters that have lots of feelings, plots that revolve around devotion or tragedy. Men on the otherhand like things a little more visceral and direct, less sappy and more grit. Basically, men like action movies and women like chickflicks. But in RP terms. And obviously, just like with action movies and chick flicks, this is not universally true. Personally I'm a woman, I hate chick flicks, but I am admittedly drawn to plots that revolve around themes women find alluring, like powerful men and plots motivated by passions. And though I support and even encourage RPers to play characters across gender lines, they often do it in particular ways. Men who play women often have them come across as pragmatic and sometimes emotionally flat, where women often play men who are a little more emotional and have their hearts on their sleeve than most men regularly are. These are just trends, not bad things. In fact I think women learn a lot about men, and vice versa, by attempting to play one. Though I'm female, I most often play men, and I take it as a challenge. When I play a guy and people say they have no idea my character was played by a woman, I take it to mean that I played the role out superbly.