Questions of sex attitudes

[anthorn]

Ok here is a question to the gals and maybe guys. On women attitudes to sex.

For the purpose of a character.


Basically i have Character aged 23. who is female.
Lets call her Nikita. (And yes Nikita is a girls name. I knew a girl called Nikita, she was ginger)
In the story at the begining, she was a member of a sisterhood order. And when she refused to sleep with the city govener. The governer got pissed and destroyed the sisterhood order and threw Nikita in jail. Where she was given another chance to say yes to this Governer. She says no again, and as a response she's sold to a brothel.

Where she is examined like an animal: Bathed, all body hair i.e armpit etc. plucked out then her body is examined, in every way possible. She's then put into a see through thin fabic gown. But for her first customer is a guy she met 3 years ago, who ends up rescuing her, so there is the threat of sex but no sex. In that the guy she meets recues her and does'nt fiddle with her. They end up sharing a room together at an inn. Where she walks about in basically a shirt and underpants. Come morning.-without any laisons going on during the night.

Is this plausible. Whould a girl who went through all i listed still be comfortable being half naked in front of a guy she met only once three years ago, even if he did rescue her from what she considered a fate worse than death.

Would her attitude to sex be changed at all, bearing in mind that she's never slept in the same room as a boy before, or had sex at all.

 

[Overread]

well up intil the animal examinations, your character is showing a strong will of her own on two separate occasions - remember that gaol is no laughing matter
Thus she shows that she has a resiliance to outer pressures - the animal examinations I take it are conducted by males, thus appprehension would certain play a part in the early stages of the build up to sex and being alone; but I would see it as a temperaty fear that would more likley be lost during the act and the folling night of action. Don;t forget that as a first true night, there will be some of the nerves acting up anyway

Now were she to be raped and more during her time in the brothle, or abused beyond basic examination, then I could see a willfull woman being more than noramlly afraid of contact.

well that is what I think - from a male

 

[jenna]

From a female, the most obvious answer is that all women are different and have different reactions to situations. Is she a highly sensitive person? If so, the examination and the abuse of her body from having all her hair removed would be enough to have a very negative effect on her. Or perhaps she is very strong and pragmatic, and realises that while what she went through wasn't pleasant, it could have been much much worse and she is thankful for that.

Psychologically, the situation at the inn is feasible, if she has been traumatised by what happened. It's not uncommon for a victim of abuse to recreate what they went through, and there are various mental and emotional reasons for that. However if she wasn't all that effected, I wouldn't see why she would walk around half naked in front of the guy, if that had never been part of her personality before.

My suggestion to you in your writing of a female character, is to keep doing your research. Read psychology books or sites, try to work out the psychological reasoning behind your characters actions. The more you can do to make your characters more believable, the better..

 

[Culhwch]

What's this guy doing visiting a brothel and then rescuing this girl just because he'd met her three years ago? So if it was another girl he'd just have had his fun and gone on his way? But, because he knows Nikita, he saves her? And yet there's no trust issues from her to him, despite the fact he was basically going to rape (if, in fact, all these girls are forced into the work) another young girl? I find that a little strange...

Is it integral that she's walking around, as you say, half-naked? Is it important to the plot? Does it advance the story? If you're so worried if she would or wouldn't, throw some clothes on her and stop worrying about it...

 

[quidscribis]

While it's true that all women are different, the scenario you describe with the girl walking around half-naked doesn't sound plausible to me. If you could explain her behaviour such that there was a plausible reason, fine, but as it stands now, no.

To me, it seems more reasonable that her attitudes towards sex - ie, not having any - would be reinforced rather than dismissed.

 

[anthorn]

What's this guy doing visiting a brothel and then rescuing this girl just because he'd met her three years ago? So if it was another girl he'd just have had his fun and gone on his way? But, because he knows Nikita, he saves her? And yet there's no trust issues from her to him, despite the fact he was basically going to rape (if, in fact, all these girls are forced into the work) another young girl? I find that a little strange...

Is it integral that she's walking around, as you say, half-naked? Is it important to the plot? Does it advance the story? If you're so worried if she would or wouldn't, throw some clothes on her and stop worrying about it...

Well the guy who rescues her, does'nt intend to rape her, he came to the city looking for her, because he has a task in which he will need the help of a songmage and student of History, so he finds out where she is at, and using some of his own money. Pays to be her first client. Then rescues her.

And when i say half naked. I mean shirt and underpants. No trousers.

Most of the girls are forced to work there are drugged to be compliant, others are sold by there families at a young age, because they're poor. Others join for easy money. And the brothal is run by two matrons.


And i would have thought that seeing an entire order of people, some her friends. killed for her decision not to sleep with the governer, would be more traumatic. I dunno

Hope that answers some puzzles

 

[Culhwch]

Wel, the fact that he was looking for her and not just for a good time does clarify the situation a bit. But again - why is she sans trousers? What does it bring to the story? These are the questions you need to answer to get to your answer, as far as I can see...

 

[anthorn]

Cause she went to sleep, and she took them off because they're uncomfortable to sleep in?

 

[Overread]

so she is interupeted in bed after being rescused by her rescuer = then fear, followed by outrage/anger is what I would guess - but then again it could change to fear followed by a total emotional collapse --- depends again on the character you have crafted

 

[Culhwch]

I'd imagine that she'd want to cover up as much as possible, following the degradation that she has been put through previously... But it is your story in the end - if there's good reason for her not to have pants on, by all means take them off of her. Jst be sure to sell it to us, else it might come across as cheap thrills.

 

[Pyan]

She's then put into a see through thin fabric gown. But for her first customer is a guy she met 3 years ago, who ends up rescuing her, so there is the threat of sex but no sex. In that the guy she meets recues her and doesn't fiddle with her. They end up sharing a room together at an inn. Where she walks about in basically a shirt and underpants.

Can't see a problem with the clothes - presumably she was rescued wearing only the "thin fabric gown".
Now, the first thing she'd probably want to get rid of is that gown, as a symbol of her servitude in the brothel, so it's only natural that he would give her a shirt and pants to sleep in....therefore I would assume that the clothes she's wearing in the morning are his, not hers.

 

[anthorn]

No their her clothes. He gave her a robe to wear while they escaped,
Then bought her some clothes.

 

[Pyan]

Comes to the same thing...the point being that she wouldn't wear the clothes she wore in the brothel a minute longer than she had to....

 

[anthorn]

Do you think it would add to the trauma if she learned that this guy, did'nt save her to be all heroic but because, she had a talent that he needed for a particular task?

 

[Overread]

depends on the "talent" if you mean sexual talent or one which involes the use/abuse of her body then I would say it would add to the traumer.

but no matter the talent, her discovery that he saved her for a purpose would undermine her confidence in herself and make her feel more isolated in the world.

 

[Pyan]

Ah, but he's not going to tell her that now, is he?

No. she'll discover it either at the very last minute, or at the least convenient time....

 

[Overread]

kind, encouraging words; gifts a penty; private space (room) to call her own; cloths and money also for her own. Posibly some romantic nights out - ballroom dances, walks along the riverfront - rides in the countryside

all before the fall

 

[anthorn]

Yes...... Well from what i've written so far, He's told her where he's going, but not why he's going and he's casually asked her if she'd like to come. (This is during a conversation about what they'll do next) She agrees rather naievly. And during this he gains her confidence. He tells her about his past, how he never knew his parents and how, he's been trained for an important task. He even shows her some scars that he suffered from the time they met three years ago.

He also gets her to recount the times she spent in the Order and how it was destroyed.
And casually asks her if she knows about the history of this place he's going to.

What she does'nt know is that he needs someone with a knowlege of the history of the place. I.e incase there are booby traps or mystical defenses and such. And thats why he rescued her because she is a Songmage and has knowlage of the place where he is going. (He's going to Lancifer, an aincent fortress on an abandoned island to steal something. Now this fortress belonged to a Sorceress who started a war long ago that resulted in, the banning of women becoming anything more than mages. And he needs her knowlage to help locate the item to be stolen.) (The Order of the Rose had a strict policy on not using the Mystic Arts for personal gains such as stealing.)

 

[The Pelagic Argosy]

And i would have thought that seeing an entire order of people, some her friends. killed for her decision not to sleep with the governer, would be more traumatic. I dunno

This is the part I don't get. If this governor can go so far over a sexual rejection, why wouldn't he just kidnap/rape this girl and be done with it?

As for your question about what she would wear to bed, it depends on the tone of your story and the character of this girl. If you go into graphic detail about this girl's trauma in the brothel, with the hair plucking, and the examinations, etc, then your story is going to have strong sexual, even S&M, overtones. The half-naked thing won't seem so strange. You could establish sexual tension between these two characters, or establish trust between them by the gesture of her taking off clothes. (Trust that he might shatter when she finds out that he has ulterior motives.) But, if that's not what you're going for at all, I wouldn't even mention what she wore to bed. If he bought her some clothes, I, personally, would just assume that she slept in them, because she's sharing a room with a stranger - if I think about it at all.

As for her character, if she went through all this trauma and degradation with her head held high, then she is a strong person. I don't see any reason why she would disrobe in front of a stranger. (In fact, why doesn't she demand her own room?) If she's deeply traumatized, she might only feel comfortable sleeping fully clothed and with the door locked. I guess that's two more votes for keeping her clothes on. (Again, is it even worth mentioning?)

Do you think it would add to the trauma if she learned that this guy, did'nt save her to be all heroic but because, she had a talent that he needed for a particular task?

She might feel obligated to help him after he rescued her. But, again, if she is a strong person who came through all this unscathed, she might just thank him for assisting her, and then she might politely tell him where he can stuff this "particular task." Then the onus is on his character and how he will go about demanding assistance.

 

[Overread]

This is the part I don't get. If this governor can go so far over a sexual rejection, why wouldn't he just kidnap/rape this girl and be done with it?

might be that he wants more than just lust - a submissive bride perhapse?
Also, if he is power hungry, to force her to the act by force of strength might not be enough for him - he might be striving for the voluntary submission of the girl to satify his ego.

as a point of refrence, have you (the OP) read The Black Jewels Trillogy by Ann Bishop as it deals with a similar concept of dark acts