So, kind of a parallel -- I was doing research for an English paper on Ursula K. Le Guin, and I stumbled across letters that had been published between Le Guin and Allison Sheldon. Sheldon posed as a man named James Tiptree Jr. for the majority of their correspondence. A fan figured out who Sheldon was, which prompted her confession to Le Guin at the end of the published correspondence. Some of what Le Guin said in her followup letter to the confession was, I thought, much apropos to this discussion:
Which mirrors much how I feel about rp, myself, and the gender of the players -- so long as it is played well, screw the haters, yo.
(The correspondence itself is a hoot to read, if anyone is interested it was published under the title "Dear Starbear: Letters between Ursula K. Le Guin and James Tiptree Jr." and edited by Julie Phillips)
Quote:I don’t know about people’s reactions, I suppose there are some who resent being put on, but it would take an extraordinarily small soul to resent so immense, so funny, so effective & fantastic & ETHICAL a put-on. Why should anybody mind? Why shouldn’t they be delighted? I can’t imagine, honestly. […] Again I think all your friends will be as childishly pleased with you as I am — and as for what the Sf world says, my God, Allitree, who cares? what does it matter? I hope their little eyes widen & their little mouths fall open.
Which mirrors much how I feel about rp, myself, and the gender of the players -- so long as it is played well, screw the haters, yo.
(The correspondence itself is a hoot to read, if anyone is interested it was published under the title "Dear Starbear: Letters between Ursula K. Le Guin and James Tiptree Jr." and edited by Julie Phillips)
