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reddwarfslash2013-11-18 10:40 pm
janamelie.livejournal.com) wrote in reddwarfslash2013-11-18 10:40 pm
What Would Female Rimmer Be Like?
No, not Arlene, much though I enjoy her as a character. Someone posted a prompt in the Kink Meme about what Rimmer would be like if he'd been born female in the RD universe (but presumably with the same family background): http://starbuggers.livejournal.com/317.html?thread=78909#t78909
My instinctive reaction is that's a really difficult prompt because I find it really hard to imagine. So many of Rimmer's personality traits come from his family's expectations of what he's supposed to be and achieve as a "red-blooded heterosexual male" (heavy sarcasm). Would female!Rimmer even have joined the Space Corps or would she have been pressurised into marrying a "nice boy from a good family" and producing the next generation? Would she take refuge in meaningless affairs like her mother?
I'm working on the assumption that Io, as seen in "The Beginning", is basically the universe's 1950s throwback. Rimmer's classmate Wendy wears a similar outfit to his mother in "Dimension Jump" despite the difference in age. However, the fact that Rimmer's class is mixed does indicate that it perhaps wouldn't be impossible for female!Rimmer to divorce her parents like Arnold and strike out on her own. It would certainly make for a very different dynamic with Lister.
Whilst I've never read a female!Rimmer fic apart from those involving Arlene, I have read a few with female!Lister (not Deb), which I find much easier to imagine. I suppose it's because he exhibits quite a few qualities often stereotyped as female, for example his open sobbing at romantic films. (Although I'm female and have never done that.) :p
If you made it through my ramblings, have this link to Diminua's fic with a female Lister. The difference it makes to her dynamic with Rimmer is remarkable. Link to part 1; each chapter has a link to the next: http://diminua.livejournal.com/31604.html
My instinctive reaction is that's a really difficult prompt because I find it really hard to imagine. So many of Rimmer's personality traits come from his family's expectations of what he's supposed to be and achieve as a "red-blooded heterosexual male" (heavy sarcasm). Would female!Rimmer even have joined the Space Corps or would she have been pressurised into marrying a "nice boy from a good family" and producing the next generation? Would she take refuge in meaningless affairs like her mother?
I'm working on the assumption that Io, as seen in "The Beginning", is basically the universe's 1950s throwback. Rimmer's classmate Wendy wears a similar outfit to his mother in "Dimension Jump" despite the difference in age. However, the fact that Rimmer's class is mixed does indicate that it perhaps wouldn't be impossible for female!Rimmer to divorce her parents like Arnold and strike out on her own. It would certainly make for a very different dynamic with Lister.
Whilst I've never read a female!Rimmer fic apart from those involving Arlene, I have read a few with female!Lister (not Deb), which I find much easier to imagine. I suppose it's because he exhibits quite a few qualities often stereotyped as female, for example his open sobbing at romantic films. (Although I'm female and have never done that.) :p
If you made it through my ramblings, have this link to Diminua's fic with a female Lister. The difference it makes to her dynamic with Rimmer is remarkable. Link to part 1; each chapter has a link to the next: http://diminua.livejournal.com/31604.html
no subject
...that said, people are so much more than their gender. I honestly think it's absurd to think that any female Rimmer would be all that different from Arlene, give or take some modifications due to background. Then again, I'm very much a nature rather than nurture person. :p And keep in mind, if Rimmer is gay - we all agree Rimmer is gay yes? :p - or non-straight or non-neurotypical etc. etc., that'd obviously affect him or her too.
no subject
Yes, I couldn't help wondering if Doug had read your Io fics when I saw "The Beginning". ;)
I think the thing about Arlene is she's very deliberately set up as having a superiority complex based on gender to make a point about Rimmer. Not an entirely successful one, as we never see him behave as badly as she does in the disco scene. The implication is that she's gained a measure of confidence from being brought up to regard herself as superior to men and has probably found it easier to get into the Space Corps. (Yes, I realise that last bit could also apply to Arnold.)
Arlene / Arnold are special cases due to their bizarre upbringings. Whereas Deb is a female Lister in any circumstances.
I do agree that people are obviously more than their gender and a female Rimmer would have the same basic character. Just trying to figure out how she would behave with the added ingredient of sexism in the mix. And yes, I do agree that Rimmer is essentially gay (although not completely incapable of loving a woman - witness Nirvanah), so add repressed sexuality and self-hatred and a society which probably doesn't even bother to legislate against lesbianism because it's considered so unthinkable.
Oh God, I just imagined a scenario where a confused, desperate young Arnold stumbles into cruising on Io and gets caught by an undercover police officer. Male homosexuality is of course highly illegal. He's packed off to the JMC to escape charges.
If anyone wants that bunny, they're welcome. ;)