phoenix240 Posted September 22, 2011 Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? The character might become quite judgmental of the sexual behavior of others even prudish as a way of externalizing her self loathing, doubts and confusion. If she has a religious background, she may cling to it more strongly, seeking comfort and solace in faith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Gillen Posted September 22, 2011 Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? Wasn't that Power Girl's working title for awhile? I think that was "Cleavage Lass." Power Girl might have had a heightened libido, but she didn't seem too disadvantaged or conflicted by it. JG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted September 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? I can't speak for Steve but when I say a more "masculine" sex drive I don't mean the strength but its more aggressive nature. She seems more active in her need for sex' date=' driven to be the pursurer instead of the pursued. Speaking in generalities that's a trait attributed to men. As is venting sexual frustration and stress with violence (stress tend to lessen female sex drive overall). Which isn't to say their aren't sexually aggressive women or sexually reactionary men. It makes sense if she has heightened testosterone levels or the serum acts as enhanced male hormones.[/quote'] This is pretty much my take on her sex drive as well. It's a more aggressive form, and I like the phrase "driven to be the pursuer and not the pursued" that you use. The serum in her body alters her drives in this area into a more "man-like" form. It is also one cause of her choosing violence as her way of venting her sexual frustrations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted September 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? "Libido Woman" might be a good superheroine theme for a sillier game. JG It actually sounds to me like it could be a Lucha fighter's name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaplayboy Posted September 22, 2011 Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? Well, for this to be at a "problematic" level, she'd have to have a sex drive greater than that of an average woman in her 30s, and possibly even greater than that of an average adolescent male in his teens. Since "horny teenage boy" is pretty much the gold standard for "high libido", being more sexually driven than the average guy in junior high/high school would be pretty evident and pretty problematic, particularly for someone trying to avoid having sex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister E Posted September 22, 2011 Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? If you are having her be the "good girl" while also having the heightened libido' date=' she is most likely going to be very confused by, if not outright ashamed of, her urges, and channel those into all sorts of other things, probably without any of those things actually alleviating the urges. I would probably model this as some sort of small OCD type Psych Lim, and possibly an "Accidental Change" if you want to take it that far. The "accidental change" would be that, in certain circumstances, she might be unable to resist her urges and do something, uh, "rash." Be that accidentally beat up a teammate, accidentally overdo a beating on a bad guy, or actually giving in to the urges in some fashion.[/quote'] I am imagining a "zone" around the PC were objects/people are constantly receiving rough treatment. "Supe'urban Renewal" (a.k.a.) "The Gauntlet": Change Environment (point of damage); Always On... [edit]: The Living Libido Loca... unwitting Harald of Entropy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodstone Posted September 22, 2011 Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? I think that was "Cleavage Lass." Power Girl might have had a heightened libido, but she didn't seem too disadvantaged or conflicted by it. JG Power Girl is mostly just considered a lewd exhibitionist. She-Hulk, by contrast, is considered a wildly promiscuous party girl. And I love them both so very much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted September 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? This might have been mentioned; I did not read the entire thread. If you are having her be the "good girl" while also having the heightened libido, she is most likely going to be very confused by, if not outright ashamed of, her urges, and channel those into all sorts of other things, probably without any of those things actually alleviating the urges. I would probably model this as some sort of small OCD type Psych Lim, and possibly an "Accidental Change" if you want to take it that far. The "accidental change" would be that, in certain circumstances, she might be unable to resist her urges and do something, uh, "rash." Be that accidentally beat up a teammate, accidentally overdo a beating on a bad guy, or actually giving in to the urges in some fashion. The points you award for it will depend on exactly how severe these urges are, and how frequently or how extremely she responds to them. If it is just a roleplay quirk; I would play her off as extremely edgy, frustrated, intense, competitive, driven, and emotional. Libido is highly hormonal; if her heightened libido comes from a super-serum that makes her perform at peak human capacity, it is likely her hormones are the cause of the problem, and thus it will manifest in her being extremely hormonal; constant PMS without the cramps. Her personality is definitely being affected by the competing urges in her brain. Feeling confused and ashamed is part of what she's feeling. On the one hand, her hormones are driving her to be the aggressor, to find a male partner and mate. It's not that she wants a baby. The desire for offspring isn't entering the equation. What she's dealing with is having the male form of the human sex drive filtered through the mind of a heterosexual female. Her body is craving sexual release like a man would, and it isn't monogamous desire either. She reacts to seeing a series of handsome men like a man would react to a series of attractive women passing him on the street. On the other hand, she was raised to believe that "good girls" controlled their sexual impulses. Someday she would meet a man who loved her, get married, and then she could enjoy a monogamous sexual relationship with him. Her mother was a kind, June Cleaver sort of stay at home mom, and her parents had a happy, loving relationship together. They were her role models. The combination is driving her a little nuts, but she's dealing with it by beating up bad guys. Fighting is a cathartic, not a sexual, release to her. It relieves her tensions enough to give her some peace. My thinking still is that her libido is a form of physical complication. She can't stop it, can't stop thinking about doing sexual things with men, can't stop feeling the desires for sweaty intimacy. What she can do is channel it, try and sublimate it into other forms of release that are more acceptable to her personal moral code. It is this Physical Complication that I see as frequent (maybe even very frequent). It's the engine, the personality power core driving other things. With that as a central part of her nature, the rest of her personality is dominated by fighting against her own male-style libido and trying to be a "good girl" superheroine. She uses fighting as her main cathartic release for her pent up sexual frustrations, and while she enjoys the cathartic release intense fighting gives her, it isn't a sexual pleasure for her. In addition, as KK mentioned, I could see her moods tending to alternate among being edgy, frustrated, intense and aggressive, competitive, driven and emotional. How can I boil these sentences down into descriptions for psychological complications? I currently have one of her psychological complications as "Obsessed with crimefighting" but that isn't quite right based on what I've said here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted September 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? The character might become quite judgmental of the sexual behavior of others even prudish as a way of externalizing her self loathing' date=' doubts and confusion. If she has a religious background, she may cling to it more strongly, seeking comfort and solace in faith.[/quote'] This is a possibility. She is struggling with a certain amount of self-loathing and confusion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted September 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? I am imagining a "zone" around the PC were objects/people are constantly receiving rough treatment. "Supe'urban Renewal" (a.k.a.) "The Gauntlet": Change Environment (point of damage); Always On... [edit]: The Living Libido Loca... unwitting Harald of Entropy. Like a House Beater, punched walls, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted September 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? Well' date=' for this to be at a "problematic" level, she'd have to have a sex drive greater than that of an average woman in her 30s, and possibly even greater than that of an average adolescent male in his teens. Since "horny teenage boy" is pretty much the gold standard for "high libido", being more sexually driven than the average guy in junior high/high school would be pretty evident and pretty problematic, particularly for someone trying to avoid having sex.[/quote'] It's definitely up there in level. An earlier poster suggested "Mind In The Gutter" to show how her thoughts are colored by sexual desires, and I'm leaning towards including it. It's part of her secret self, and she fears her lustful nature becoming known. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kraven Kor Posted September 22, 2011 Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? Whatever she does to "channel" her urges or whatever, just remember this: No human can truly win in a battle against their libido. The more she resists it, the worse it will get. Again, within the levels you feel appropriate. If it is a PC, I would definitely have an EGO roll as part of the limitation, and the penalties to that EGO roll would get higher and higher the more often she succeeded on the roll (but would never be "impossible to resist.") Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodstone Posted September 22, 2011 Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? How can I boil these sentences down into descriptions for psychological complications? I currently have one of her psychological complications as "Obsessed with crimefighting" but that isn't quite right based on what I've said here. Physical Complication: Raging Hormones Psychological Complication: Prudish Psychological Complication: Exercise Addict Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister E Posted September 22, 2011 Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? It's definitely up there in level. An earlier poster suggested "Mind In The Gutter" to show how her thoughts are colored by sexual desires' date=' and I'm leaning towards including it. It's part of her secret self, and she fears her lustful nature becoming known.[/quote'] "Gutter" Class of Minds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vondy Posted September 22, 2011 Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? Power Girl is mostly just considered a lewd exhibitionist. She-Hulk, by contrast, is considered a wildly promiscuous party girl. Live Green, Vote Green. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted September 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? Whatever she does to "channel" her urges or whatever, just remember this: No human can truly win in a battle against their libido. The more she resists it, the worse it will get. Again, within the levels you feel appropriate. If it is a PC, I would definitely have an EGO roll as part of the limitation, and the penalties to that EGO roll would get higher and higher the more often she succeeded on the roll (but would never be "impossible to resist.") I suspect that after a single particularly intense fight or even a rapidfire series of less intense ones, she would appear more at ease and her mood would come across as much less edgy. I imagine she will realize after a while that she's only delaying the inevitable, but in my mind she's just too stubborn to stop trying. It could be like a cycle. She shows up a bit edgy to the latest mission, growls a bit under her breath a bit at any sexist comments her teammates make, gives off her "caged tigress" vibe to anyone paying attention, goes out with the team and kicks the you-know-what out of any unfortunate supervillain who attracts her ire. When she gets back to the HQ, she's calmer and more at ease, probably joking back. However, the tigress deep inside her has not been truly appeased, only had her tensions eased by catharsis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted September 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? Physical Complication: Raging Hormones Psychological Complication: Prudish Psychological Complication: Exercise Addict What kind of levels would you estimate these would be, based on the postings I've made? I like the Prudish one. It might be one way to describe how she comes across as wrapped a bit too tight. She's under constant stress from holding her lustful passions in check. Fighting would let her relieve the tension between the two through catharsis and sublimation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister E Posted September 22, 2011 Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? I am imagining a "zone" around the PC were objects/people are constantly receiving rough treatment. "Supe'urban Renewal" (a.k.a.) "The Gauntlet": Change Environment (point of damage); Always On... Life Support... Safe Environment: "The Quickening". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeropoint Posted September 23, 2011 Report Share Posted September 23, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? You know, I don't think there's really as much biological difference between the male and female sex drive as some people here seem to be assuming. In ancient Greece, everyone "knew" that women were the horny gender, always trying to drag men away from important things off to the bedroom. In Victorian England, everyone "knew" that women had no sex drive at all and derived no pleasure from sex. The "men pursue, women hold back" thing is cultural. I can see how having a HIGH sex drive would be a problem for a girl of her upbringing, but I raise an eyebrow at the idea that a MALE sex drive is not only inherently stronger, but qualitatively different. No human can truly win in a battle against their libido. The more she resists it, the worse it will get. What about someone who'd like to have sex but can't get any? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSgt Baloo Posted September 23, 2011 Report Share Posted September 23, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? What about someone who'd like to have sex but can't get any? ...But we're not talking about your problem! (Please forgive me -- I just can't help myself!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix240 Posted September 23, 2011 Report Share Posted September 23, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? You know' date=' I don't think there's really as much [i']biological[/i] difference between the male and female sex drive as some people here seem to be assuming. Male and female sexuality does manifest differently but the degree to which those differences are innate or socialized is still highly debated.I've been trying to avoid any "nature vs nurture" type discussion. Particularly when it comes to gender issues, its a thorny contentious issue that could easily send the thread careening off track. I used "masculine" as short hand. Aggressive sex drive is generally associated with men in Western society and thats the perspective I assume Steve wants to approach this character from. As I said, there are sexually aggressive, active women and sexually reactive, passive men but they're seen as the exception,IME. I'm not addressing intensity of sex drive as its a different issue. tl;dr version: Men and women can be horndogs but how they'll show it will generally be different. This may be something innate, it might be social but for the purposes of this character and thread I don't think that's too important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted September 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? You know' date=' I don't think there's really as much [i']biological[/i] difference between the male and female sex drive as some people here seem to be assuming. In ancient Greece, everyone "knew" that women were the horny gender, always trying to drag men away from important things off to the bedroom. In Victorian England, everyone "knew" that women had no sex drive at all and derived no pleasure from sex. The "men pursue, women hold back" thing is cultural. I can see how having a HIGH sex drive would be a problem for a girl of her upbringing, but I raise an eyebrow at the idea that a MALE sex drive is not only inherently stronger, but qualitatively different. I agree that both men and women can have strong or weak sex drives, and how it manifests does have certain social expectations. Modern humans usually have men socialized to be the pursuer and women to be the pursued. There are exceptions to that general social convention, but there are negative social reactions. In this case, she's gained the abilities and subconscious drives of a male superhuman due to the costume transferring those things from the previous person. Combining that with the super-soldier serum increasing her testosterone levels and other brain-affecting chemicals is giving her more "masculine" subconscious motivators. Her problem, and where the drama lies in the character, is that those subconscious motivators are slamming headlong into her upbringing. She's not easy, and she was brought up with traditional, small town American mores. She's struggling to restrain her lusts, and the resulting stress needs an outlet she can accept. So she puts on her costume and goes out to beat up criminals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister E Posted September 23, 2011 Report Share Posted September 23, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? Sex = chromosomes & reproduction = taught in Biology class. Gender = sexual orientation & roles = taught in Women/Gender Studies class. Though we are all more alike than different, the distinctions are important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSgt Baloo Posted September 23, 2011 Report Share Posted September 23, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? Remembering my own teenaged years, I remember more than a few times where I was so distracted by a Fetching Female Form© that I tripped, walked into a wall, or nearly had an automobile accident when the higher functions of my brain shut down while the rest of it was going "Wow!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaplayboy Posted September 23, 2011 Report Share Posted September 23, 2011 Re: Effects of "Heightened Libido"? Remembering my own teenaged years' date=' I remember more than a few times where I was so distracted by a Fetching Female Form© that I tripped, walked into a wall, or nearly had an automobile accident when the higher functions of my brain shut down while the rest of it was going "Wow!"[/quote'] I tripped, walked into a pillar, a door, a stop sign, and bumped into a few people while similarly distracted. Thank goodness I was never walking in the vicinity of an open manhole cover or a train crossing at the time. Facial flushing would likely be a problem for her--it's largely involuntary(in response to heightened arousal), and impossible to conceal. Her voice suddenly getting husky might be another giveaway "tell". Absent-mindedly fondling, squeezing, or stroking a nearby object might happen, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.