heeeeeeey, people!

[lirazel]

There's been a sudden explosion of discussions about gender role-reverals in the Buffy/Spike relationship on my flist. Which obviously I love. It has given me feelings about other pairings, too, and I am working on a picspammy post about favorite pairings that do a lot with gender reversals.

But I am so sure I'm going to forget something I love, so y'all should tell me what your favorite examples of this are. From anything: books, even. Movies. TV. Whatever. Just tell me! You might have a favorite that is also my favorite!

Comments

[snickfic]

Gen/Attolia? Because she's the one in the relationship with the most political power, and also she's the emotionally unavailable one?

I confess, this isn't a frame through which I generally think to look at ships. I look forward to your picspam!

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

That's on my list! Though how I'm going to work it into a picspam, we shall have to see!

Honestly, Buffy and Spike created this for me. I never, ever thought of it before I got into Spuffy fandom. And now it's one of the ways I look at couples. Not the primary way, but it does add an extra level of enjoyment.

Is that baby!Sam in your icon? LOLZ.

[upupa-epops.livejournal.com]

Damon/Elena and Damon/Katherine, which is painfully predictable of me ;).

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I already have ~words~ written about Damon/Katherine! I didn't realize how hard I shipped them until pretty recently and now it's like ENDGAME OKAY??????

[gryfndor-godess.livejournal.com]

I'm guessing you already have this one: Katniss/Peeta, of course!

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I had thought of them! I'm not sure I'm going to include them because I ship them more in theory than in execution? But I'm definitely considering them and probably most of what I like about them is the gender stuff, let's be honest.

[muneca-brava.livejournal.com]

First thing I thought about was Zoe/Wash.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Yes yes yes! And not just in emotional ways, as in some of the pairings on my list: in very physical, concrete he-stays-at-home-and-she-goes-out-and-fights-the-badguys-and-brings-home-the-bacon kind of ways, too.

[next_to_normal]

I can't remember if you watched Farscape, but John/Aeryn for sure.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I have only watched the first season and a half I think? So while I did LOVE them, I haven't seen enough of it to write about them in any way, unfortunately.

Also, green_maia has verbalized my issue with that show: I really love the characters just loads, but I'm often bored by the show itself. I don't feel the driving need to watch it once I turn it off, which is why it's probably been over a year since I've seen an episode.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Let The Right One In. Which doesn't so much reverse gender (and age) roles so much as throw them all up into the air, wave a sharp blade about, and then piece the bits together as they happen to fall.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

OH MAN I LOVE THAT MOVIE. Though I haven't seen that one since it came out on DVD here. I might be due for a rewatch....

[snickfic]

I really, really have to watch that movie. I keep meaning to, and just haven't gotten around to it yet.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Other than Spuffy?

John/Aeryn on Farscape. She's the military soldier who wants no romantic relationships of commitment. He's 'wears his heart on his sleeve' guy.



Katniss/Peeta in The Hunger Games trilogy also works as a gender reversal (especially in the novels).

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

See above for my thoughts on those!

[elisi]

Doctor/River.


DOCTOR:
Don't let them build to full power!!

RIVER:
I know. There's a reason why I'm shooting, honey! What are you doing?

DOCTOR:
Helping.

RIVER:
You've got a screwdriver. Go build a cabinet!

DOCTOR:
That's really rude!

RIVER:
Shut up and drive!


(Also see all my comments to Shadowkat67... *g*)

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I love them so much it's a little ridiculous.

[zombie_boogie.livejournal.com]

I see people have already mentioned Katniss/Peeta, which does do some interesting stuff especially with regards to their skill sets. I would also argue for Leslie/Ben, in particular relating to their break-up/reunion - how the writers allowed Ben to be shown to be more emotionally vulnerable than is generally seen in male characters, the fallout with their jobs, etc. I don't watch Up All Night regularly but there is a gender reversal there with the husband, Chris, acting as a stay at home dad and his wife Reagan going back to work.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I actually feel like Ben and Leslie are one of those couples to whom gender roles are of supreme indifference. Like, most of the time instead of really feeling reversals for them, I feel like they (and the writers) just don't care about gender at all. If that makes sense?

[laeria.livejournal.com]

FAVOURITE NARRATIVE KINK but I have surprisingly few straightforward examples. There's zillions of ships where I love certain gender-bendy aspects, but cannot say they are entirely gender-bent ships, you know? Like sex-obsessed Anya and feelings-Xander, or, you know, sex-obsessed Kaylee and bashful Simon... Also, I love that Rose saves the Doctor and finds the Doctor and is basically the proactive half on their ship while the Doctor pines and waits and cries over Harry Potter. But that's more like... stereotypically gendered feelings switched about, not, you know, a straight-up role reversal.

Probably my favourite example of 100% flipped ships are Briony and Eldric from Franny Billingsley's Chime! He's Beauty, cooking all the breakfasts and giving warmth and support, and she's the Beast.

[Also there's Gwen and Rhys from Torchwood, definitely. The only aspect of that show that I liked.]

Alsoalso, there's Jaime and Brienne in ASoIaF, but I can't remember if you've read the books, so I don't wanna spoil you.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

zillions of ships where I love certain gender-bendy aspects, but cannot say they are entirely gender-bent ships, you know?

Absolutely!

OH I LOVED CHIME. Suuuuch a good book.

Oh, you can spoil me for AsoIaF. I've given up on actually reading the books because I think the show tells the same story so much better, but I know most of what happens in the books at this point.

[ruuger]

I know this isn't a fandom that we share, but I can't pass this post by without mentioning The Mentalist, because one of the main reasons why I love the show so much is that they do genderbending a lot. I mean, the show's lead guy is even called Jane... ;)

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

That sounds really awesome! I'm not into procedurals, but if I was, that would be up my alley!

[pocochina.livejournal.com]

ummm, do you watch Castle? Castle/Beckett is pretty fantastically gender-bent. Beckett's the tough, armed one who plays her feelings close to her chest; Castle is a writer who ~processes all his ~feelings by way of chats with his daughter and mother. Same, to a lesser extent, with Sean/Juliet on Psych.

BSG fails hard, I know, but I think Kara/Sam plays with gender roles in a really interesting way, and (to a lesser extent) Kara/Lee.

EDIT: Toby/Andie from The West Wing are kind of great? Especially when she's obviously pregnant, so it looks very traditional, and he's all trying to be protective and risk-adverse and traditional and she's like, I HOPE HATERS GIVE ME HALF A REASON, COME AT ME, MORONS.

[boot-the-grime.livejournal.com]

BSG fails hard, I know, but I think Kara/Sam plays with gender roles in a really interesting way, and (to a lesser extent) Kara/Lee.

What about Gaius/Six? Or even more, Gaius/D'Anna?

Adama/Roslin as well.

I wrote explanations, but LJ ate them and I don't have the time to write them again.

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

GIRL THIS IS MY FAVOURITE SUBJECT

+ Angel/Darla. Darla wields her femininity as a weapon and shapes Angel into the monster he becomes. The writers eventually made this ship more conventional with Darla's pregnancy and maternal sacrifice blah blah, but it really was awesomely gender-bending in the beginning.

+ I think all of Buffy's canon het ships play with gender at least a little. Angel/Buffy is the most heteronormative, but even that narrative has a fair amount of Angel as damsel-in-distress and Buffy-the-hero coming to his rescue and making possessive statements like "Nobody messes with my boyfriend!" Buffy/Riley involves a reversal where Buffy is the physically strong hero and Riley, who is otherwise the traditionally masculine ~soldier, is feminised by sheer virtue of being in a relationship with a Slayer ("he's all weak and kittenish", anyone?). Of course, this is a situation that Riley ultimately couldn't tolerate, so you'll probably want to criticise that. *g* As for Buffy/Spike, you know how I feel about them.

+ Cersei/Jaime? There's Jaime being ~emasculated by losing his fighting hand and Cersei making declarations such as "I am the only true son he ever had". It's Cersei who has the lust for power, who uses sex as a weapon to get what she wants, while Jaime shudders at the thought of sleeping with any other woman (because it wouldn't be out of love?).

+ The Damon/(Elena)/Katherine/Stefan trio/quad, generally. More on the Damon/whoever sides because he crosses gender lines in many various obscene ways, but Katherine/Stefan also fucks with gender a fair bit insofar as she's usually the sexual predator. Also, DAMON/KATHERINE FOREVER NATCH. "I AM SPOKEN FOR"!!!! #your favourites wish they could. I could spew essays on this, obviously, but I'll leave that to you. ;) (Damon/Elena is pleasing me in this regard too this season, what with such events as Elena telling him that his emotions are a nuisance and Damon being the one having big!epic!romantic fantasies of being the damsel-in-distress and being saved by his true love. Oy.)

+ Anything involving Kara Thrace involves much excellent gender-fuckery. I know you're not big on Kara/Lee, but their whole showdown in the boxing ring is a fabulous example.

+ Ditto for Faith Lehane. Faith/Xander is a pretty clear example, with Faith throwing Xander out on his ass immediately after their hook-up, and Xander believing that their having sex meant they had a ~connection. Later she sexually assaults and nearly murders him, and Xander is the silenced sexual abuse victim. There are similar overtones with Faith/Wesley, when she tortures him and administers "shallow cuts" with her phallic knife while straddling him. :)

+ I think Gaius/Six might qualify? While Gaius is a ~womaniser, he is NOT remotely the epitome of traditional masculinity, and spends most of the series being screwed around and taking orders from the domineering Six in his head. He worships her like a deity, basically.

+ Any ship that involves the woman being a commitment-phobe and the man being the dreamy romantic is pleasing to me. I'm sure you feel me.

[madcap-shiny.livejournal.com]

I'mma just be predictable and petition my loves featured in this icon for consideration. She's an emotion-challenged fighter/protector who's constantly rescuing him from various types of danger and/or death by killer robots! He's a compassionate feelingsy teenager who cries a lot and frequently defends her despite her being a threat to his own safety! It's like they're a gender-flipped acknowledged-as-dysfunctional-and-actually-skillfully-written version of Bella and Edward. (No, no, it's not like that at all.) (My one defense: I haven't been getting much sleep lately.)

[redsilverchains.livejournal.com]

Seconding Gen/Attolia! You could always hunt for fanart? And I looove the KoA cover: her elegant hand on his scruffy shoulder.

I can't remember if you've read the Leviathan trilogy, but the main OTP is basically all about genderflipping. She's the swashbuckling airman and he's the damsel prince who likes to talk about ~his feelings. Has pretty illustrations too!

Lynda/Spike! She so wears the pants. Took them off him and tailored them to fit, even. :D