Ethical Slut/Playing With

Basic Trope: A character (usually speaking for a work) who believes that sleeping around is good as long as everyone involved is responsible and honest.
 * Straight: The character is presented as honorable, empathic, and pretty much uninhibited as far as sex is concerned.
 * Exaggerated: The character is presented as a morally perfect man or woman, exemplified in their frequent praise of (and acting on) Free Love.
 * Justified: The character knows people whose lives were ruined by sexual repression or was one.
 * Inverted:
 * The character considers any sexuality outside of a firm relationship cheating/immoral.
 * Heteronormative Crusader
 * Subverted: A promiscuous character pretends to care about his sex partners, but he's really a selfish Jerkass.
 * Double Subverted: ... but he's actually a Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
 * Parodied: A character that will have sex with anyone or anything, but is appalled at the idea that anyone he screws on sight might be in a monogamous relationship.
 * Deconstructed:
 * The character has had many relationships broken due to cheating and decided that the right choice was to have sex with anyone as long as it didn't hurt anyone in any other way.
 * Alternatively, STD Immunity is not in play. Venereal disease ensues.
 * Reconstructed:
 * A character understands all the flaws in human relationships and has decided that free sexuality doesn't necessarily harm relationships.
 * Alternatively, he heard about condoms, and it is a Serious Business for him.
 * Zig Zagged: ???
 * Averted: Whatever the characters' sex lives, a character's beliefs about it and their overall morality aren't closely linked.
 * Enforced:
 * The work is an Author Tract, and the author really enjoyed the Sixties.
 * Or the work is from the 60's or about sexuality in the 60's.
 * Lampshaded: "She's such a nice girl... but not a big fan of monogamy. Just warning ya."
 * Invoked: ???
 * Defied: ???
 * Discussed: "As long as she knows, they know and you aren't uncomfortable, nothing's wrong with an orgy!"
 * Conversed: "You know, treating sex as something you only do with one other person doesn't make any sense."

Back to Ethical Slut