Rule 63 and Something Fun!
Last week, Stephenie Meyer announced a new Twilight book, which proved to be the gender-bent version of her own universe. Gender bending—changing the genders of your characters so they were always male, always female, or just not what they were beforehand—is a rite of passage among fanfic writers. I mean, how many times have I read a good Toni Stark story? (Favorite casting for that is still Lena Headey) Fem!Bilbo is a huge thing in The Hobbit fandom. It’s so not new, it has a rule named for it: Rule 63. Stephenie Meyer* has written a Rule 63 version of her own book.
And sure, there’s lots of interesting things to explore. I’m writing this ahead of time, so maybe in the intervening days between when I wrote this and when it was posted, people have come to their senses and realized that Edward’s behavior is creepily predatory to Bella. Granted, it depresses me that it would take turning Edward into Edythe for this to happen. But yeah, Beau and Edythe. Plenty of room to explore all the gender politics there.
It made me think about my own work and how the Rule 63 would apply to the Supes Anon world. Obviously here are the new character breakdowns (spoilers to the end of Supervillains, FYI):
• Gail Godwin becomes Grant Godwin, general dogsbody and pushover at Mirror Reality. He’s powerless until Christa Mobius escapes from Davenport and hits him with Mobium.
• Gaia Bookman wanted to be a chef until her older sister Sam and her older brother Peter were involved in a cement factory explosion with her
• Angél Rocha always won races in his neighborhood in Rio
• Victor Donald Burroughs is the top-paid male model in the world with cheekbones that could cut glass
• Jaime Collins stayed with her boyfriend because she felt bad for him, but when the opportunity to get out of that cycle arose, she took it and spent her days in Miami flirting with a model and playing video games on her couch
• Norman Gunn has the Harvard education and student loans to prove it, but he’d rather chase superheroes around than get a real job like his parents want
• Kirk Detmer carries around the onus of his mother Maria’s Villain Syndrome every day. He goes by his mother’s maiden name for reasons.
• Edythe Detmer* is still an asshole. She just happens to run the largest company in the world, Detmer Industries.
• Jesse Detmer stepped into his mother’s shoes too young, but he’s trying despite the bad knees and everything. His father Rick Detmer wallows in Davenport, the prison Kelly Davenport named after herself and her own shame after she wasn’t able to stop her husband from killing thousands
Best part? I wouldn’t change the heights at all. And looking at it, it’s not a book I would really be all that enthused to read anymore. Too many dudes.
What do you think? What would be your favorite part of a Rule 63 Supes Anon verse?
Stay sexy!
Lexie
* I typed Stephenie Twilight at first, which sounds like a MLP thing.
** C’mon, I couldn’t resist.
I still can't believe "Life and Death" is an actual, physical thing that people are buying. I saw a stat saying "Edith" was something like the 90th most popular name in 1902, while Edythe? The 777th. *nopes out*
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of fascinating in its own way, though, you know? Like, she literally wrote fanfiction of her own work and people are gobbling it up. And there could be some INTERESTING gender politics at play depending on the author.
DeleteI just really want to know when we're going to get domme!Ana from EL James now, though. We're waaaaaaiting.
I am definitely amused, but I've gotta agree with you re: too many dudes... ;-)
ReplyDeleteI mean, I'd be okay leaving Gail a girl and putting her in a romance with Gaia! ...I should probably not admit that on a blog I know my mother and my editor read.
DeleteI would read that, I'm not even going to lie. Of course, if you write it, I'll pretty much read anything, so...
DeleteAw, you. *blush* I think I'd want Jeremy to be a guy, though, so I could make Gail full on bi.
Deleteso... Gail and Gaia eh? - ME
ReplyDeleteOr Grant and Guy! I'm all about equal opportunity gender-bending! :-P
Delete