just as I am seeing the dev being very active in this thread I'll post my musings on one of the characters that confuses me. I suppose that is the point of having that character in the first place. I am talking about Mason. If I understand correctly Mason is a boy that looks like a girl, simple enough. You can choose to acknowledge the choice that they are a boy or ignore it with I suppose different outcomes. Mason dresses like a boy but still has a thing for lacy lingerie. From the looks of it MC is just as confused by this behaviour as I am. In his thoughts, MC oscillates between he/she all the time. Is that an expression of MC's confusion? Is it a certain lack of consistency (I mean no offense, I suppose it is difficult to keep this kind of detail straight with an ambiguous character)? MC is - at least in my game - a good guy helping people but also boinking anything and everything that comes with a pussy. Is Mason just suppressing his feelings out of gratitude when it comes to intimacy? Is he gay? Does it matter whether you address Mason as a woman if - as it looks she gets off as well?
I am not trying to start a fundamental discussion about trans people, just generally confused.
First, thanks for approaching this in a respectful and open-minded way. Your main question as to what the 'point' of Mason is, is pretty simple -- because I think that character type is hot. I've dated a non-binary person who kind of floated between being girly and masculine, and I was really into that whole dichotomy. I always had a thing for tomboys, and then over time that morphed into an interest in the whole gender non-conforming part of the spectrum. Also,
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from an unfinished Twine/CYOA game really intrigued me, and they were on my mind when I first created Mason.
As to why Mason presents as he does, behaves as he does, etc. it's pretty explicitly spelled out in one of the paths, when you take Mason shopping. To wit: sexuality and gender exist on a spectrum. Masculinity, femininity, and their accompanying expectations and associated traits, aren't always straightforward. Moreover, they're constantly changing. This has nothing to do with trans people, mind you. This is just the nature of culture, and gender expectations. When I was a kid, I copped an enormous amount of shit for not fitting into the normal boy 'box.' I wasn't competitive, I didn't like sports, and I wasn't loud, brash, etc. I was a quiet, bookish little nerd who spent his days drawing and reading stories about superheroes and wizards, and went home to play videogames. For that, I was called a bitch, gay, a pussy, etc. These days, I do cardio and weights every day, I have a
"manly" job, and I've had more good sex with beautiful women than I ever expected to. But, I don't listen to Joe Rogan, smoke cigars, or eat elk, so I once again find myself outside the man 'box.'
Mason is an expression of this, and of the reality that there are trans men who use masculine pronouns, and present in a way that is masculine/androgynous.. But, they still keep their tits and dress up in cute little outfits while they get fucked. I'd link you to some OnlyFans or Instagram figures, but I kind of hate to pull real people into my pervy little business. Go find the appropriate tags and scroll through some Instagram reels, if you're curious about what that might look like.
It's also worth pointing out that there are other characters in the game, which
also don't really present in a way that fits into the standard gender box. Nicki never wears makeup (unless it's for a very special occassion), and Alex is jacked as all Hell. Go find any body builder girl's Instagram, and scroll through the comments. Once you get past the muscle mommy simps (and I say that with love, as a muscle mommy simp) you'll find a bunch of guys (and even women) calling her a freak, a tranny, looking for her Adam's apple, etc. "wE cAn aLwAyS TeLL!" etc. and so on.
But, nobody really questions why I've included these similarly divisive love intersts in my jerk-off game -- and I think that's interesting. And I honestly don't even attribute this to any overt transphobia, or anything like that (mostly). I think it's just because, within this genre, Mason
is an aberration. If I'd made Mason a 'futa' people would get that. Hot girl with a big dick? Those have been a hentai and AVN staple for years, so people get it, even if it's not their cup of tea. If I'd made Mason a regular tomboy, or a girl who'd only been presenting as a boy to survive on the streets? People would get that, too. These are tropes of the genre. But, because Mason
is kind of messy, not really fitting into a convenient genre tag, people don't really know what to do with him.
Finally, just to break down Mason's whole
deal: Born a girl (sex), but prefers to be referred to and treated as a man (gender). Physical presentation (grooming, clothes, etc.) typically skew masculine during normal life, but during sex can assume a more submissive/twink role. Regarding his relationship with the player, Mason is most happy/open when you refer to him as a male, all the time. But, he's understanding when you treat him like a boy in the streets, and a girl in the sheets. He's least happy when you refer to him as a girl all the time, but you're still helping him, so he keeps quiet.
If you're noticing a constant oscillation between the player referring to Mason as he/she, it's because you've done something to enable the 'tempgirl' variable, where you refer to Mason as a girl in bed, and a guy outside of it. That doesn't always have a clear line, but it usually starts when everyone's clothes come off. It's also possible that I just goofed on a line of code.
I hope that answered most of your questions. I know it's a big long and rambling.
