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Sexual role-play is abundant on many role-playing sites, no less true for our own on SF. But for every sexual role-play, there is one that is not sexual by nature. These role-plays, usually called "plot-based" role-plays because of their emphasis on story elements rather than the pornographic depiction of sexual intercourse, contrast very heavily with the former to the point where there's almost a cult of players who lean to one side or the other in the spectrum. They're so radically different a culture that there's barely any median between the two. Even for those who can do and are equally interested in both, they can't deny that there's a particularly sharp divide between the two types and cultures. Many think the two couldn't be mixed without it still being one or the other, and in that regard, they are right, as you can't just add loads of plot to a sexual role-play or some sex to a non-sexual role-play and say they've successfully mixed, because many will tell you that it just isn't that simple. It's a particularly hazardous to non-sexual role-play, since the tethers of its stability are actually quite fragile. Like a real story, plot-based role-plays can't have too much of one thing, or be imposed upon a whole lot, otherwise the whole systems basically will fail and fall apart in one false swoop. Attempting to introduce sex into it, much as same as serious plots into the other, does the exact same thing. The particular reasons why and the solutions I could think of are explained more in-depth in the following ways I think you can introduce sex into non-sexual role-play without destabilizing the whole thing. though mind you, my solutions are by no means foolproof. Let's all start with:

#1 Make sex or something related to sex a focal plot element of the scenario

The most common reason sex doesn't work in role-play scenarios is because the story those plots are set to do not otherwise have any particular emphasis on sex or the sexuality of any of the characters. This makes it so that this usually natural aspect of characters is never explored or fleshed out at almost any point during the story or plot, and makes a sex scene feel spontaneous and arbitrary. and While this isn't a problem for some, many others feel these scenes have no place in certain scenarios because of the very fact that they typically have nothing to do with the rest of the story that's being told, making it unnecessary and bordering on meaningless.

(Note: this is in neglect of the fact of people who do not participate in sexual role-play for other personal reasons besides what's best for the role-play scenario)

Surprisingly, one simple solution to this rather grand problem is to simply incorporate elements of sexuality into the plot's set of main themes, or even make it one of the focal elements of play. This is probably easier said than done, and the latter would bluntly shift an otherwise "plot-based" role-play (that is, role-plays where sex isn't a significant factor, if at all) into a sex-based one, which would, on paper, destroy the very foundation of meaningful plot in that very role-play. However, it's not so black and white as that, and there is merit to this solution.

All aspects of a story, including those in role-play are all dependent on how they are set up and/or portrayed in that very story. All elements of role-play and their plots have a reason to be there and typically have a significance to the progression, depth or scope of said role-play or story. Sex is that main element for sexual role-play, since the activity is already specified to be a quintessential factor, but also because of the endless possibilities that the activity can pave all on its own. Not all sex-based role-plays (surprise) are all about sex, but there's significance placed on it in the plot, which, when paired with the desire to engage in it, is why it happens so often and/or why it takes up the bulk of the scenario's narrative.

Even if just for the sake of this article, sex and pornography are considered their own distinct genre, and I think many others can just about agree with that. By that token I'll say that sex and pornography is the most versatile genre there is simply because, with enough grease and tweaks, it can fit into just about any setting and even into other genres, provided it has a reason to be there. The concept of _Chekov's Gun_probably comes to mind for you literature nuts out there, and for those of you who have no idea what that is, it's a renowned and valued storytelling concept that states that the writer or storyteller must remove any and all things that have no relevance to the story. In other words, everything in your plot or story must have a reason for being there besides the sake of just being there.

Getting back to sex and what _Chekov's Gun_has to do with anything, sex in otherwise non-sexual role-plays must have a purpose or reason for being in those types of scenarios , otherwise they are just unnecessary and irrelevant to anything else going on in those stories, and becomes nothing but filler and random erotica. For instance, if you are in a role-play that's this epic high-fantasy magical questventure with lots of action and beautiful events, and characters are having sex somewhere in this campaign, there absolutely must be a reason they are having sex, otherwise it's a completely worthless detail that does nothing for the narrative. So for example: rather than just making the characters have sex, flesh out, preferably gradually, whyor what is causing them to do this. Trust me, there is certainly more than one way you can tie these two things together.

So for some actual examples, maybe the characters wanted to have sex all this time, but the constant things they had to do were inhibiting them from gettin' it on because they had to focus on the task at hand. Or maybe sex and each character's sexuality is one of the things that brings them all together, and their having sex is just a method of re-inforcing their bonds to one another. Or more yet, what if sex could be or is used as a possible means to deal with certain situations? That's already three examples I gave just off the top of my head! Incorporating elements of sexuality into the setting can also help quite a bit as well when attempting to incorporate the those elements into your story or scenario. While tempting, it is very possible to incorporate sex into role-plays without it being the main focus of said role-play, just as long as you take the right steps in ensuring it fits what you're doing.

#2 Numb the detail of the sex scene being depicted in the scenario

If a scenario doesn't hold sex or character sexuality in high regard or in a reasonable amount of significance, but sex would seem to be where something was headed, another solution would be to numb the details expressed to the players about the amorous moment the characters have. By this, I do not mean detract the quality of the detail, but rather the quantity of details expressed in any particular moment. What this attempts to do is limit the amount of emphasis and thus focus placed in a scene. How much detail a player or author puts into a scene ultimately determines how relevant or focal the scene is in the long run, provided it had a purpose to be there to begin with (Go back to section 1: paragraph 4 for a recap).

Since there isn't as much detail being conveyed, the emphasis of that particular scene isn't as prominent and thus doesn't feel as important to the reader or player. With a sex scene this is no less true, with the lesser amounts of specific details conveying a lesser importance to the narrative. Since sex is often a negligible event in many role-plays of the non-sexual variety, it can be a nifty trick to perform to keep the proverbial ball(s) rolling. Ideally, this is done by stating only the most essential details of the moment with only few other secondary details documented and shouldn't last more than a few paragraphs. Details should highlight the sensuality of the moment and get the reader/players feeling something with the moment, but not drag out too long so as to lengthen and draw unneeded attention to this one moment.

If done well-enough, this method can both sate the interested while keeping the non-interested still invested slightly in the story by getting back to it much sooner, and depending on the context, can even skip the whole scene altogether without having to scroll through as much text or, in the case of real-time role-play, give as much effort to try and play along. However, since the scene is more brief and subtle, those who seek more depth will find themselves somewhat lacking the moment they desire and if they are active in the role-play will be more of a compromise than a solution.

#3 Create an open-ended scenario that allows players the option to hold sexual relationships with other characters, PC or NPC

Open-ended plots are those in which there is no pre-defined plot direction beyond the setting, some of characters, and the conflict of the scenario. This type of plot gives the reader or player in a role-play scenario choice in how the story progresses and concludes. In the context of role-play, this can leave the players choice as to what they do, what kind of character they are going to portray in much greater freedom, and what conflicts they want to face (as well as at what point they face them). This gives players a great amount of freedom about how they want to go about playing through the scenario and just what type of character and actions they want to be/do.

In terms of sex in role-plays, open-ended role-plays provide support for it not by making it a focal element so to say (though, as with above, it would help tons with the incorporation of it), but rather by giving interested players the mere option to act and/or portray their character in such a manner. Those not interested can play a different kind of character, probably for a different kind of conflict within the same role-play. If it ever crosses a player's mind that they would want to partake in the other/another conflict, they can, depending on the situation and character, easily throw themselves into it by a simple introductory action. Characters have a very wide array of choices they almost always have available to them, and it's which ones they make, and how they go through with them that determines their fate in the role-play.

On paper, it provides the best of both worlds, should it be set-up with both parties in mind, so by that logic, it's perfect. But, it's actually not, and there's particularly one reason why. Regardless of what path you generally want to take, open-ended role-plays have generally always had the fundamental problem of not providing enough direction for a lot of people to follow through smoothly. Because the open-ended plot style leaves the progression and conclusion almost entirely up to the players involved, they are the ones who are actually telling the story, introducing the other conflicts, and contributing characters and plot elements. Since the predefined plot never specifies any one particular end-goal, this can often lead to a loss of direction for a lot of players. From this fact alone, the most typical result is a dead role-play after a while because no one has any idea what to do, which leaves their interest to wane and eventually die off. If there's more than one conflict, this can also prove rather hectic, especially if there's a fairly wide bias for one type of conflict over another, even more so if neither/ none of the groups of players have interest in the other's conflicts (though this pertains more to the player's error rather than the role-play's).

And because of this, open-ended role-plays have never been particularly popular, often because people prefer structure and like to know what they are doing before executing their in-character actions, as well as an end-goal to strive for.

Well, those were the three methods, or rather just brute explanations I have for this unique issue that I elaborated on. The topic arouse from something a friend of mine brought up in a conversation we had once, and I thought I'd elaborate my exact thoughts on the topic to rest of you. I hope it was a helpful, worthwhile read for those of you who read this thing the whole way through, and I assume those of you who are reading this have read at least part of this article up to this point. As I welcome, leave a comment if you wish, like it if you liked, dislike it if this offends you (which I can't imagine this really does >_>), and I hope your time wasn't wasted reading this. As always, feedback insight and suggestions are are welcome!

Sincerely,

-Miss "Madam" Poodle-