Showing posts with label gender-bending. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gender-bending. Show all posts

Monday, November 2, 2009

Y chromosomes? Y not?


Hey! I still post on this blog, too! Where have I been, you ask? Well, I could tell you a story of international intrigue and mortal danger, but then I'd have to kill you. Plus I'd totally be lying.

Anyway, if you've spent any time in the Creative Writing forum at the PPMB lately, you've probably noticed a recent explosion in gender-bender fan-fiction. John Lane has been around for awhile, but now we've got Finn, Dean, and Duncan Morgendorffer joining the party. Honestly, you can hardly breathe in there for the testosterone!

What's the reason for this trend, you ask? (You're just full of questions today, aren't you?) One explanation may be the shortage of decent male characters on the show. Creating a male character from a female one gives authors more options not only in terms of plot development and character traits, but also relationships, be they romantic, platonic, or antagonistic. For example, Daria doesn't have to worry about failing Ms. Barch's science class, but Dean and Duncan might. Quinn has to fend off veiled insults and passive-aggressive jabs from Sandi, but Finn may have to fend off her romantic overtures.

Another reason may be that there are simply more male fanfic writers than female at the moment. After awhile, I would imagine guys get tired of writing from a female perspective and want to try writing from a male point of view. In the wise words of Jake Morgendorffer, "This place could do with a little scratching and sweating now and then."

Of course, HolyGrail2007 has already written excellent first-person fanfics about Tom Sloane and Jeffy, but as mentioned previously, options are more limited for canon males than for canon females. Sometimes, to get a good story, you've just gotta play God with people's DNA.

So, who's next? Joe Landon? Alexander Griffin? Or how about that goth dude, Andrew what's-his-name?