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Originally Posted by Coidzor
Spoiler
It's more like innate might not have been the best word to choose in particular, but your bones can only grow in so many ways and if someone tries to break them there's only so many ways that a given bone will reform to the stimulus. Even with the leading explanation for sexuality actually changing, which, as far as I can recall, is still a bit of a gray area due to the usual ages of the children involved, is such that it's more whether the person who experiences that kind of traumatic event has the potential for being affected in that way.
Also it's a bad example because the bones will form as they form so long as there's nothing catastrophically wrong happening. Or maybe it's still good because I only recall equally traumatic things as giving rise to what we think are changes in sexuality as opposed to just ceasing to live life in denial and/or the closet.
Sexuality arises from the self in my view, and while people can try to break you in many, many ways, what allows one's sexuality to be broken is, again, something intrinsic to the person being broken or else the techniques would roughly work on all of us.
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Mm. I have made assumptions again.
A bone is a bone is a bone. A sexuality is a sexuality is a sexuality.
But the bones can be thicker, thinner, healthier, weaker, and vary in composition based on diet and exercise, as well as health. Diet, environment and to a degree health are all relatively external stimuli which alter the growth of the bone.
I am not arguing that sexuality isn't a part of who you are. I am saying that it's entirely possible for external values to sway you. Your environment can bombard you with enough information that it changes how you see yourself. This change is internal, ecause it's how you see yourself; it is still caused by the environment. You can debate whether or not you were changed, or allowed yourself to be changed, but that is a different conversation.
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Hmm, I'd forgotten about that. Only increases my unease with the idea of making a big deal out of it then.
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They don't. They have to let you know you are part of a trial, and that it may involve getting a placebo, but they aren't having you sign a document about
PLACEBOS, and that you might be taking
PLACEBOS and should have conversations about
PLACEBOS with your doctor.
PLACEBOS. They don't make a big deal of it, because teu don't have to. There's no reason for patients to be suspicious, especially if they volunteered for the trial (which is the standard, as I understand it). The kind of people who would worry about whether they are getting a placebo or not is not the type who would be willing to go through a test anyway. Isn't that job like, discussing side effects an stuff too? The list of side effects from medicines nowadays is worse than the ailment usually.
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Originally Posted by PairO'Dice Lost
If one is unsure about sexuality (or opinions on race, in your racism example), then yes, a society drawing attention to it when one didn't consider it as an option before might have an effect; as supernerd said above and some others have said in previous iterations of the thread, they didn't realize it was an option and when it was brought up at all, even in a negative light, they gravitated in that direction. There will always be some people who are subconsciously influenced to do or be something because it's forbidden or edgy or whatever, and I could see some people being nurtured in a gay direction as a form of rebellion.
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That's a pretty good point, and not one I can argue.
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Originally Posted by golentan
So, I've started in on writing a new story. Science fiction. The owner of the starship is in an interspecies homosexual relationship. Though given that her wife isn't even humanoid, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that gender is fairly irrelevant in context by any reasonable standard.
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Hm. I've thought about that before. I always figured that it would either freak people out really bad at the species level, or not bother them at all. I can get into the xenophobic mindset, of a culture so alien even the base assumptions o their biology, personality, social understanding, everything is so different you couldn't know what traps lie in wait... But then I figured, I don't really feel human most of the time anyway, and if she eats my head afterwards, it was a good run up until then. I'll reincarnate eventually, and be no worse for the wear than maybe a little gun-shy and afraid of mantids.
How different is the physiology? On a gross level as well - or would that be superficial level? I mean, Asari are superficially pretty close to humans, up to and including mammary and uterine structure, but totally different physiology. Also, how important is the different mechanics?
... Bah. Now I need to go find some trashy alien romance stories.
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Originally Posted by Heliomance
Spoilered for potential TMI:
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I'm with you, on words one, five six and eight. Unfortunately.
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Originally Posted by Heliomance
Yeah. I usually do when I'm in girl mode.
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I thought about that, but actually discounted it for the very reason you spoilered. The mechanics are untenable. Well, without tape or something.