post #342129
The Harkness Test is a 2013 meme which outlines ethical guidelines for interspecial seduction, named for the Doctor Who and Torchwood character, Jack Harkness and his flirtatious behavior towards a wide range of characters, regardless of gender or species. The guidelines as outlined in the original meme are as follows:

SO YOU WANT TO FUCK A FICTIONAL CREATURE?

[portrait of John Barrowman as Harkness] Give it the Harkness test first!
☐ Does it have human intelligence (or greater)?
☐ Can it talk or otherwise communicate with language?
☐ Is it of sexual maturity for its species?
If the answer to all three is "yes" then you can fuck it! It's a nonhuman creature with sentience and all you need to have consentual^[sic] sex with.
If you answered "no" to one or more, watch out! That's bestiality or possibly pedophilia! Don't fuck it!

Here is an illustrated guide:

[image of a reptilian creature with ear fins, making a threat display] Are you an adult? HISS! Do you want to fuck? GRONK! DO NOT FUCK THIS

[image of the same creature, blushing with a toothy smile] Are you an adult? Certainly. Do you want to fuck? Of course~! It's OK to fuck this!

*Body language is a dangerous road. As always, err on the side of caution. Only rely on body language if both parties have attempted communication through different means and failed due to language barriers and other special situations.

Later iterations on the meme would depict other characters being judged under a similar light, with a rare few altering the text to suggest different guidelines, and some characters such as Plagueofgripes's Professor Harkness were specifically designed or named for the meme.

This tag should only be applied to posts which reference the Harkness Test by name, or reference some element of the original 2013 meme.

See also:

• Harkness Test