Yaoi Writing.

[JetKL]

Hey All,

I just wanted to consult with some oher authors about Yaoi standards in Original fiction and even in fanfiction.

1. There is a tendency in a lot of fiction for the uke to suddenly become a woman with a penis. (Example: over exaggerating of slenderness, long lashes etc.)

a) How do you combat this in your writing?

How do you deal with it in other people's writing?

2. The use of rape as a way to get a straight man to become gay.

a)what the hell is with the overuse and quick brush over with rape? It's a tramatic experience not a segway to gay sex.

b)what are your ways of easing 'non-gay' characters into homoerotic situations?

c)what do you think are some of the biggest problems with these scenarios?

Edited May 19, 2009 by JetKL

[JayDee]

As an occasional futa writer, I was always far more worried about my woman with a penis becoming an uke.

what are your ways of easing 'non-gay' characters into homoerotic situations?

Take 'em to a Raiders game.

[marley_station]

Hey All,

I just wanted to consult with some oher authors about Yaoi standards in Original fiction and even in fanfiction.

1. There is a tendency in a lot of fiction for the uke to suddenly become a woman with a penis. (Example: over exaggerating of slenderness, long lashes etc.)

a) How do you combat this in your writing?

How do you deal with it in other people's writing?

2. The use of rape as a way to get a straight man to become gay.

a)what the hell is with the overuse and quick brush over with rape? It's a tramatic experience not a segway to gay sex.

b)what are your ways of easing 'non-gay' characters into homoerotic situations?

c)what do you think are some of the biggest problems with these scenarios?

For the most part, everything I have written is yaoi. Given the fact that my fandom consists mostly of scrawny, smooth-skinned, doe-eyed thirteen-year-old boys, it is difficult if not impossible to avoid some level of feminization in my writing, regardless of the ages of the characters in my fanfiction. Consequently, reading about men who are significantly feminized in the work of others does not bother me.

As for the use of rape in fanfiction, that's a minefield in and of itself, never mind using it as a method of influencing the sexuality of a male character. If I had to spitball it, I'd say that the fanfiction you've been reading has been written by someone without firsthand experience. Give them a break. It's fanfiction.

Easing non-gay characters into homoerotic situations. Hmm. Define non-gay. Anyone? While you're at it, define homoerotic. Five bucks says my definition of homoerotic doesn't even come close to yours. To me, everything is homoerotic. A basketball game. A football game. Two sweaty men loading landscaping equipment onto the bed of a pickup truck. How would I segue two average everyday joes into a 'homoerotic' situation from there? Seamlessly. One guy lifts his shirt to wipe sweat from his eyes, and the other one catches a glimpse of *insert an interesting aspect of the physical body here*. It's ridiculously easy. Haven't you ever considered doing something totally inane in the interest of breaking insanity tension in a situation? The next time you and a guy are alone together in a room and it feels awkward, reach over and grab him, and then plant one on him. The rest is the stuff of great yaoi fanfiction.

I don't think you can get around awkward in any of these situations, can you? Humans are awkward creatures. A man in an arbitrary situation that happens to cause him to question his sexuality isn't a novel concept at all. If you've never been in a situation then why wouldn't your reaction to being in it for the first time be awkward? And why wouldn't you as the reader expect it to be awkward?

You know what I would find awkward? Reading yaoi where an adult man who'd never in his life used his ass for anything other than taking a shit spends a night in bed with a guy taking it up the ass and then awakes the next day not feeling the slightest bit awkward.

[marley_station]

As an occasional futa writer, I was always far more worried about my woman with a penis becoming an uke.

what are your ways of easing 'non-gay' characters into homoerotic situations?

Take 'em to a Raiders game.

JayDee, I'm behind the curve, forgive me...what does futa mean?

[JetKL]

1. I understand what you're saying about the progression of male characteristics with age. I think that's what you're hinting to when you tlk about writing 13 year old doe eyed boys. I agress that to a certain level gender rolls and associations play a large part in how we view male characteristics. There are many types of men in the world. I do find that the general style of writing generally doesn't progress beyond young doe-eyed thing being taken care of by more experienced 'manly' men. Do you find this is the case in your writing?

2. I really really hate the whole straight guy becomes gay thing in stories. For the most part i find the methogs of canging sexuality of be annoying, inane and unbelievable. I have a huge problem with Rape being one of those motivating factors. That's why I brought it up, I was hopeing someone might play devils advocate and explain to me the train of thought for this type of writing. As a rule I generally don't read fan ficiton. There a are a great majority of original fiction writers both in the published and non published world that use this method on occasion.

3. I've seen lot of work with a 'straight guy' that becom a 'gay guy'. Once again I'm particularly interested in understanding the varying theories and methodologies of this particular style of writing. I have one mabe two fictions in which a 'straight' man enters in a 'gay relationship' though I don't remember consiously ever really thinking about them as gay or straight I tend t approach it was I would the building of any relationshi in a story.

4. Building the tension or awkward in a story is an art. While anti-intuitive as a person (one tends to try and make peoples lives easier in real life) I agree with you completely that the greatest of writers put their characters through any numbers of obstacles and then immediately put on their character hat and solve the problem from that point of view.

[JayDee]

JayDee, I'm behind the curve, forgive me...what does futa mean?

Futanari, shortened to Futa - Wikipedia has a pretty good definition, if open to argument as much wikipedia material is.

But, basically, think Jamie Lee Curtis.

[Supersonic Bitch]

Hey All,

2. The use of rape as a way to get a straight man to become gay.

a)what the hell is with the overuse and quick brush over with rape? It's a tramatic experience not a segway to gay sex.

b)what are your ways of easing 'non-gay' characters into homoerotic situations?

c)what do you think are some of the biggest problems with these scenarios?

Skipped some parts because my fanfiction does not include dickgirls.

So, onwards to the second point.

a ) You are so very right about that. Absolutely no non-consensual sex in these situations.

b ) Hey, they are just in denial (or homophobic which means that they are truly in denial). Throw in some dubious consent and you get just the right reaction and lots of angst to top that. *evil smirk*

c ) For myself: character A being able to just mind-fuck character B into said dub-con sex. (It is so much more delicious than using some spells or lust potions or such things.)

[marley_station]

Futanari, shortened to Futa - Wikipedia has a pretty good definition, if open to argument as much wikipedia material is.

But, basically, think Jamie Lee Curtis.

Got it. Thanks.

[yblue]

Okay, I have to speak up here, because I’m highly allergic to overly feminized uke’s. I wouldn’t even want to see a girl act the way some boys do in yaoi fics, and to be honest I don’t really read real yaoi anymore. Most of what I write is original slash, and my guys are guys. They generally don’t have over exaggerating of slenderness or specifically long lashes etc. Advice I can give you: try not to feminize your uke’s too much. Simply make them act / look more like actual males. Even when they look a bit frail and big eyed they can have some boyish features as well. Don’t make them cry every five minutes, not even in an angsty drama fic. Give them a believable personality and pimp the little masculinity you allow them to have. Does your uke really need to be weak in every possible way? Give him one or a few stronger qualities, make him put up a fight or give some witty comment before allowing the seme to rid him of his innocence. Make your uke take the initiative at some point and don’t make them say ‘I love you’ right away after being used as a cum dump by some random stranger. Another point I’d like to make: why always make the seme/uke or top/bottom distinction? A lot of the better fics I read had versatile or switching characters.

How do I deal with other people’s writing? Personally I stay away from fan fiction. I read and evaluate summaries. I avoid Mpreg like a blistering pest. I stop reading stories that trigger a turn off and make a note of the author so I can avoid them in the future.

Now, on to the rape topic. I am not disturbed by the fact that people describe rape in their stories, because it’s fiction. Some people like darkness, drama and angst, and some don’t. If it doesn’t float your boat then don’t read it, I’ve never stumbled upon fics involving rape where the author didn’t properly warn their audience. (as opposed to other ‘themes’ I happen to greatly dislike) That said, I don’t think this ‘turning a straight man gay’ by raping him would work in a decent story. If that is your whole plot your fic will most likely suck ass. I completely agree with you saying changing a person’s sexual nature by force is impossible, (Except maybe after months of rape and torture, because then you can play the Stockholm syndrome card) and the raped man will become a greater homophobe than before and either plot to kill the rapist, have some sort of revenge and/or enter serious therapy.

As for easing non-gay characters into homoerotic situations I completely agree with Marley and Supersonic; it’s not that hard to imagine and it opens a lot of possibilities. Like you yourself pointed out; non-gay doesn’t necessarily mean ‘defined strictly hetero sexual’. A certain situation may awaken something in a character he didn’t know was there. Awkwardness and tension between characters who are unsure of what they want, or try to deny rationally what they are feeling can offer material for good fiction. I don't mind chatarters initially being 'forced' into something they soon start to enjoy.

[marley_station]

1. I understand what you're saying about the progression of male characteristics with age. I think that's what you're hinting to when you tlk about writing 13 year old doe eyed boys. I agress that to a certain level gender rolls and associations play a large part in how we view male characteristics. There are many types of men in the world. I do find that the general style of writing generally doesn't progress beyond young doe-eyed thing being taken care of by more experienced 'manly' men. Do you find this is the case in your writing?

2. I really really hate the whole straight guy becomes gay thing in stories. For the most part i find the methogs of canging sexuality of be annoying, inane and unbelievable. I have a huge problem with Rape being one of those motivating factors. That's why I brought it up, I was hopeing someone might play devils advocate and explain to me the train of thought for this type of writing. As a rule I generally don't read fan ficiton. There a are a great majority of original fiction writers both in the published and non published world that use this method on occasion.

3. I've seen lot of work with a 'straight guy' that becom a 'gay guy'. Once again I'm particularly interested in understanding the varying theories and methodologies of this particular style of writing. I have one mabe two fictions in which a 'straight' man enters in a 'gay relationship' though I don't remember consiously ever really thinking about them as gay or straight I tend t approach it was I would the building of any relationshi in a story.

4. Building the tension or awkward in a story is an art. While anti-intuitive as a person (one tends to try and make peoples lives easier in real life) I agree with you completely that the greatest of writers put their characters through any numbers of obstacles and then immediately put on their character hat and solve the problem from that point of view.

1. Personally I prefer to take my male characters into adulthood with some of the doe-eyed innocence intact. It is my feeling that 'manly' men come off as obnoxious and more experienced men come off as unrepentant whores, and neither characteristic appeals to me. I write male characters I would appreciate knowing unless he's a foil for a character I would appreciate knowing.

2. I can't comment further on the rape thing, I don't use it in my fanfiction and have no frame of reference.

3. I note your use of single quotes when referring to 'straight guy' and 'gay guy'. I disagree with the use of those labels. I see a man becoming involved in a relationship that is different from his usual relationships. For my money, just because a hetero male has an experience or a fling with another man does not necessarily make him gay. Of course, I am a woman so take my statements for what they are. When hetero women get it on with other women no one bats an eyelash. Oh, they had a thing, they had a fling, and it's over, and no one is pointing at either of those women and insisting they change their labels. I recognize it's different with men. I'm saying it shouldn't be.

I wrote a fic about a normal hetero man who became a cop and fell in love with his male partner. In the sequel the character does ask himself questions. Was he bi? Was he gay? In the end he decided that he was a man who loved another man. Call him what pleases you.

4. Yes, building tension is an art, but being a good tension artist means knowing when and how to have the characters finally give in. I think many writers miss that point because they know as long as they keep the tension going people will continue to read their fics. I draw the line at twelve chapters of unresolved sexual tension. Fucking do it, for crying out loud!

[yblue]

4. Yes, building tension is an art, but being a good tension artist means knowing when and how to have the characters finally give in. I think many writers miss that point because they know as long as they keep the tension going people will continue to read their fics. I draw the line at twelve chapters of unresolved sexual tension. Fucking do it, for crying out loud!

"Yea! Stop stalling! Get on with it! It's so fucking obvious they want each other it's not even credible anymore! You promised smut, now give me some!"

I agree UST can be smoking hot, but after a while it gets so frustrating, and it 'll have to be a damn good story if you want me to hold on for 12 chapters. Plus, if you stretch it really long, the audience will have higher expectations so you better make it worth the long wait. If the characters finally get it on and you can't deliver because it's poorly written or too short it's probably going to be disappointing.

[Shikubokubo]

1. There is a tendency in a lot of fiction for the uke to suddenly become a woman with a penis.

On a similar note, something I really hate when reading a yaoi fanfic is when one (or both) of the 'guys' (I use this term loosely because sometimes I wonder whether or not it is actually a guy), either after or during some hot, steamy mansex, will use dialogue that sounds like he is reciting his homemade wedding vows. Now I'm all for some romance, but guys do not talk like that.

[marley_station]

On a similar note, something I really hate when reading a yaoi fanfic is when one (or both) of the 'guys' (I use this term loosely because sometimes I wonder whether or not it is actually a guy), either after or during some hot, steamy mansex, will use dialogue that sounds like he is reciting his homemade wedding vows. Now I'm all for some romance, but guys do not talk like that.

*Raises hand in the air* GUILTY AS CHARGED.

Okay, so my male characters are not afraid of their emotions. Sue me! I find men who are willing to express that emotional aspect of themselves to be more manly in the end than men who will staunchly pretend they don't have those feelings (or will go out and kill something as a way of manifesting them instead). That's not to say I think being a sappy drama bitch is sexy, because I don't--not in either gender.

I don't know anything about homemade wedding vows, I've never been married. But I know I don't live in a world where one person can express him or herself to another that way unless it's a wedding without having someone throw it back in his or her face at some point in the future.

So I write fanfiction.

[JetKL]

I know that I have a problem with over-emotivesness in general. One person might say "fuck you" and another would say "fuck off" and the third would say "shove it". It's called character. Different people would say different things even if they all were put in the same situation. The issue I have with many of these sickeningly sweet scenes is the lack of realism.

One minute a sexy man is leanng up against the bar and sneering a smexy grin at his possible catch for the night. The bait is set, the chaming man seduces his catch and they hed off to a corner or to someone's flat. One minute, that same smexy bar-leaning man, who can't express a single honest emotion prior to sex, is climbing into bed for a nice healthy helping of fucking. The next minute that same man is professing unending amounts of soft sweet poetry and love bunnies.

Just doesn't cut it in my book. Now this doesn't happen necessarily at such a grand scale as my scene written above, but one fuck doesn't make an emotionally shut off person fall in love without damn good reason. People also don't go about spouting everything the feel. True deep emotions, people tend to keep to themselves until they can't any longer and somehow let them slip. I'm all for a cute and fluffy moment of honesty but there is something one of my writing professors told me. Everything you say in a conversation has to be earned. One person tells a story, the other persons natural impulse will be to tell a similar story of their own. It's a barter system.

Person a: Here is a mildly personal story.

Person b: I get that. I here is a mildly personal story

Person a: oh you get it. now i'm going to up the pot. here is a more personal story

Its a series of gives and takes. One partner has to d something to warrant that comment or that professed love not just spread their legs. Crass, I know, but you get my point.

Not all stories are this bad. I just exaggerate for demonstration. A big flaw in character believability is the difference between me reading the next chapter of the posted fic and just passing it by the next time the author posts.

Edited June 21, 2009 by JetKL

[Shikubokubo]

Don't get me wrong, a guy who is able to express his emotions isn't a bad thing. The problem is that guys tend to express their emotions in a more physical way, rather than verbal. It's like JetKL said, there's a complete lack of realism when a normally stoic character has sex and is then suddenly declaring his undying love in a way that no person ever would.

I will have you know that an Uchiha is never unfaithfull, if we are with someone, we are with that persone for life. I will never have sex with a person just for pleasure. I must love the person I'm going to make love to, and they will be only mine and I will be only their's

This is from a oneshot I read recently. The story was good, it gets to the lemony-goodness and then... BAM! Not only is it very OOC for this particular character but it's completely unrealistic and for me that's a huge turn-off. If it had been left at "Uchiha's are never unfaithful" it would have worked fine.

[marley_station]

Don't get me wrong, a guy who is able to express his emotions isn't a bad thing. The problem is that guys tend to express their emotions in a more physical way, rather than verbal. It's like JetKL said, there's a complete lack of realism when a normally stoic character has sex and is then suddenly declaring his undying love in a way that no person ever would.

This is from a oneshot I read recently. The story was good, it gets to the lemony-goodness and then... BAM! Not only is it very OOC for this particular character but it's completely unrealistic and for me that's a huge turn-off. If it had been left at "Uchiha's are never unfaithful" it would have worked fine.

LOL, that writer was trying to OOC an Uchiha, which, for my money, you pretty much have to do (If it's Sasuke, at least). The problem there wasn't the writing, the problem was that the person was trying to write Uchiha. Unless you're REALLY good, you shouldn't bother.

[Faymore]

Hey All,

I just wanted to consult with some oher authors about Yaoi standards in Original fiction and even in fanfiction.

1. There is a tendency in a lot of fiction for the uke to suddenly become a woman with a penis. (Example: over exaggerating of slenderness, long lashes etc.)

a) How do you combat this in your writing?

B) How do you deal with it in other people's writing?

2. The use of rape as a way to get a straight man to become gay.

a)what the hell is with the overuse and quick brush over with rape? It's a tramatic experience not a segway to gay sex.

b)what are your ways of easing 'non-gay' characters into homoerotic situations?

c)what do you think are some of the biggest problems with these scenarios?

Well, in order...

1a) I seldom write yaoi scenes, but when I do I keep in mind that, just because they are having a homoerotic moment there is NOTHING else different. Gay people are like everyone else, all shapes and sizes. Then I look over at my friends brother (who is gay) and realize that the 'skinny girly' yaoi is way overdone. However if they are trying to do a 'feminization' item then all that is good lol.

1b) I usually ignore it in others writings. Their styles and thoughts are their own. If I had a problem with it, I'd simply stop reading and leave a review telling them why I stopped reading.

2a) A lot of writers see it in anime and other movies and don't realize how traumatic these scenarios can be. However, with some writers they take that into account and make the person go made later in a story.

2b) I ease my char's into the homoerotic situations as I would with a straight situation: passion, embarrassment and pure curiosity.

2c) I don't see to much wrong with these scenarios, as I said to each their own and if they don't want to read about it, they wouldn't be or would just stop reading.

[Guest DemonGoddess]

Hey All,

I just wanted to consult with some oher authors about Yaoi standards in Original fiction and even in fanfiction.

1. There is a tendency in a lot of fiction for the uke to suddenly become a woman with a penis. (Example: over exaggerating of slenderness, long lashes etc.)

a) How do you combat this in your writing?

How do you deal with it in other people's writing?

2. The use of rape as a way to get a straight man to become gay.

a)what the hell is with the overuse and quick brush over with rape? It's a tramatic experience not a segway to gay sex.

b)what are your ways of easing 'non-gay' characters into homoerotic situations?

c)what do you think are some of the biggest problems with these scenarios?

This might sound strange, but I've had a way with writing Yaoi for some years, lol. To me, a uke is the one that prefers penetration.

Usually, when I do m/m, I'd like to describe characters who have make, I do like long lashes, and girlyness, but at the same time, they have to do things gay and masculine.

When I write, I try to picture and start to plan the character before I do any writing (which is why my brain's so cluttered).

As for the second point, I rarely do rape.

It's like, hellooo, sex is supposed to be fun, not damaging. For me, straight characters are usually ones who just enjoy pleasure either way, so sex is just an act. sometimes having them enjoy the feeling, and not so much who it is, is a great way to end.

Most of the scenarios are just like, random sex with a straight-ish guy and a full on, effeminate sissy. I hate sterotypes, and I love when the rules are challenged.

[jlori10]

On a similar note, something I really hate when reading a yaoi fanfic is when one (or both) of the 'guys' (I use this term loosely because sometimes I wonder whether or not it is actually a guy), either after or during some hot, steamy mansex, will use dialogue that sounds like he is reciting his homemade wedding vows. Now I'm all for some romance, but guys do not talk like that.

I have to disagree strongly with this statement. (Nothing personal to you Shikubokubo. It's just that I've heard this so so so often and find it stereotypical at best.) As someone who's been married twice and who has been in several serious relationships, I'd have to say that, in private moments, a lot of guys actually do talk like that. It's a given that most won't be lining up in the isles to publicly shout their emotions to the world. However, in my experience, most men don't have an issue with spouting poetic and romantic things to someone that they have deep emotions for. Not to say that I haven't known many men who were incapable of this feat.

In those cases, it is generally a case of insecurity covered by a front of 'macho man attitude'. They're like 'Look at me. I'm a man. A manly man. I have no emotions because I'm so incredibly manly that I make robots look like emotionally driven pussies. Now bow down and admire me in all of my manly glory!' Okay. You get my point. Men are human. Period. They have all of the same emotions as females do. They get angry, sad, happy, whiny, lovesick, angsty, and sappy. It's part of the human condition.

How they show these emotions tends be to a reflection of their upbringing. If they are raised in a home where the people are demonstrative and outgoing with their emotions, then they tend to do that as well. If they are raised to believe that 'real men' don't show emotions, then the likelihood that they will be the type to shower their partner with pretty words is less likely unless something dramatic happens. People who have experienced a lot of loss in their lives also tend to be more demonstrative (or less depending on whether or not they decide to protect themselves from future loss) than most.

I think that whether a character is the type that spouts flowery, poetic love declarations or goes into long, dramatic explanations of their feelings shouldn't be determined by what sex they are. Because, in real life, it just doesn't always work that way. Case in point, I find that I'm not the type to spout my undying love for my partner. It makes me feel queasy. Hugging people (even close relations) makes me feel awkward and uncomfortable. Does that make me a man? Not particularly, and I have the equipment and a couple of kids to prove it.

Whether a character is emotionally/physically demonstrative should be determined by the how the author interprets the character based on the background, upbringing, and personality that the author has developed for that particular character. If a character is lonely or alone in the world, and desperate for some close connection to another, it would be perfectly acceptable (in my humble opinion) if that character started declaring their undying love for the one who'd made their life complete. On the other hand, if the character is a bad ass biker who lives his life on the edge and avoids emotions at all costs, even if this person did find the one they want to devote themselves to, they're not very likely to go into a long, detailed diatribe about their feelings on the subject. I guess my point is that this is an individual thing and should be determined by the individual character.

Bear in mind that I'm referring to mature, adult men here. This will most likely not apply to a teenage boy who has made it his life's mission to prove his manliness and who turns the practice of machismo into a true art form. Just thought I'd throw that out there for clarity's sake.

[Guest WallFlower]

1. There is a tendency in a lot of fiction for the uke to suddenly become a woman with a penis. (Example: over exaggerating of slenderness, long lashes etc.)

a) How do you combat this in your writing?; How do you deal with it in other peoples writing?

Urgh over femme Uke's BOTHER me. I like reading about people with QUIRKS and PROBLEMS! Sure, go ahead, let them have doe eyes and be slender and stuff. But ,Jesus Christ on Stilettos, let them be MEN! Men have a hard time(hehe >.<) expressing feelings. It's hormones. So make your uke introverted. Make them quirky, or violent or crazy. Make them homicidal killers who attack the un-suspecting seme. Eyelashes? Jesum, most guys have longer eyelashes than women. Look at them. They're just straighter. ANYWAY, your uke can cry. Just make him be crying in frustration. Give him problems and pet peeves and deeper feelings than just 'lust' and 'adoration'. Pshaw.

Deal with it? I just kind of wait for them to get better. If they don't, I read something else.

2. The use of rape as a way to get a straight man to become gay.

a)what the hell is with the overuse and quick brush over with rape? It's a tramatic experience not a segway to gay sex.

It's fiction. Live with it. People are going to be unrealistic. For Fugs sake, THESE PEOPLE HAVE TAILS!

b)what are your ways of easing 'non-gay' characters into homoerotic situations?

Male's are sexual beings. Give them enough stimulation and it doesn't matter if they're 'straight'. If there's a nice warm hole, they're going to crawl in. It's 'wrong' and all, but that's life =0

c)what do you think are some of the biggest problems with these scenarios

Problems? Bad spelling. If it's a well written, enjoyable story, if unbelievable, I'm still going to read it. Obviously, it's fiction. So I should treat it like I treat magical elves with wings... 'oh dear, that was interesting.'

[WarlordEnfilade]

1. I establish my characters as *people* first. A rebellious warrior is not going to cry in his cheerios because the guy he likes (his commanding officer) isn't paying attention to him--he's going to go out and be a pain in his commander's ass to get attention any way he can! So, unless the character is effeminate and girly to begin with, they aren't going to suddenly "turn" that way because they like someone of the same gender.

2. I hate that "rape can make a straight guy gay" idea. Rape tends to squick me--I'm a dominant personality, and the utter degradation and violation of real rape makes it a very unappealing thought for me. I think the "rape" in these situations is often supposed to be a metaphor for the fact that the guy *likes* guys and doesn't want to admit his curiosity until the "rape" proves it to him. Instead of using rape, I prefer to go a seduction route, so that by the time the two characters are about to have sex, the reluctant one wants it too much to care about his reservations until after it's done. And, usually, I don't have those reservations being that the character is "straight" or thinks he is. I've used being a recent widower, being an ascetic priest, and having relationship problems as reasons for reservations that are much more plausibly overcome than being straight.