on genderswap

[bedlamsbard]

So I'm writing this genderswap story, right, and there's no practical reason for it to be genderswap except that I want to play with the dynamics a little bit. It's an AU that is in no way absolutely dependant on Obi-Wan being a woman rather than a man, it doesn't change the character or her choices in any way, it probably doesn't change the outcome of the series at all because the AU part is dependant on a completely different character's choices. It's not genderswap because there is any practical reason for it to be; it is not even particularly lulzy. There is no romance, so it's not like I'm doing it because I find it hot. (Although...I kind of do, so. *shrug*)

So -- why am I doing it? It's not like genderswap is a particularly controversial AU, except it kind of is sometimes, it's that I feel like if I'm doing it, I should be doing it for a ~purpose. With the lady Jedi: lulz, and also, totally different decisions! If I were to do lady!Anakin again: hot and prolly also totally different decisions, and also this would probably actually result in porn. But lady!Obi-Wan doesn't change anything except dynamics, and the focus of the story isn't even on that, it's basically random plotty gen AU set during the Clone Wars. So I don't get it: why am I doing it? Why do I feel guilty about it? Why do I feel like I'm breaking some kind of fannish code here? (I mean, at least I haven't made any of them into girl scout cookies or penguins yet. Thank you, SGA, for giving us that benchmark.)

Relatedly: why is it that all I want to write in Star Wars genderswap? (Also the sequel to What is Lost, which is AU but not genderswap.) Is it because the canon is just so depressing that I'm convinced that if one or both of them was a woman, it would not go so horribly wrong? Or is it just because laaaaaaadies are awesome and Anakin's angst is less alarming and manpain-y that way? WHO KNOWS?

Comments

[sara]

I don't know why you're doing it; I know that if I were doing it, it would be because my daughter, in first and second grade, came home unhappy from school because in the regular canon there are no women Jedi characters with meaningful speaking parts.

And frankly, I think a universe in which Obi-Wan was a woman would have been a LOT more interesting.

uh, apparently I have Thoughts

[bedlamsbard]

You know, I was thinking about that the other day -- I mean, there are great female Jedi in the EU, but it's kind of sad you have to go to the EU to find them, even if they cameo in movie canon (like Aayla Secura, Shaak Ti, Jocasta Nu, et al., who show up but aren't really significant to the storyline at all). I mean, yeah, when Lucas made the PT he couldn't flip Anakin or Obi-Wan or Yoda, but there's no reason that Qui-Gon or Mace Windu had to be male. I've been making my way through the animated Clone Wars series, and despite the fact that I'm convinced it can only end in tragedy (because, well, Star Wars: everybody dies or goes evil at the end!) (also it doesn't quite work continuity-wise for me), I'm pleased and impressed that they made Anakin's Padawan a girl, because she's a lady! And a Jedi! And completely awesome! I try to stay away from the critics, who tend to be, "Well, she's a girl Jedi, she's just there to appeal to the tween crowd."

I like it when they're both women! I do think a 'verse where Anakin and Obi-Wan are both women and Padme is male would be really cool, but I also suspect that the chances of Anakin going Dark Side suddenly decrease drastically when you flip either or both of them. Because there is, like, twenty times less manpain. (Actually, that was something I found interesting in feedback: when it's Ani instead of Anakin, her angst is much less annoying, apparently.)

Re: uh, apparently I have Thoughts

[sara]

Any woman with twins under a year old generally doesn't have time to be emo!

(Although Padme seems to have managed it...*sigh*.)

Re: uh, apparently I have Thoughts

[bedlamsbard]

Well, I guess she wasn't actually a parent for very long...