reddwarfslash | Head Canons And Lister's Sexuality

We all have them, but some are more deeply entrenched than others. The recent plethora of BDSM fic (thank you, Kronette and Felineranger) made me realise that I have problems imagining Lister as a natural, dyed in the wool submissive, which *spoiler* is a major aspect of "Lessons In Heroics", even though it's an alternate version of him.

(Kronette, this is not a criticism of your fic in any way. You can write whatever the hell you like and I'm finding the story riveting regardless.) :)

Those who are following this story will know that, on the list of disquieting aspects, an alternate version of Lister being an enthusiastic sub is so far down it shouldn't even register, but somehow it does for me. I think it's because his usual character is so anti rules and regulations that it's hard to imagine BDSM being a fundamental part of his sexuality. Which isn't to say I can't see him enjoying it (as in "FSOS") but enjoying and needing are different.

I apologise in advance if my ramblings offend anyone. I don't mean to imply that there's anything wrong with being a natural sub or Dom, just that it's not how I interpret his character. I can imagine either of Rimmer though.

Does anyone else have head canons which you thought were casual until you read a fic which contradicted them?

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I think for me, Lister is very adaptable to whoever he's with but also someone that strays very far from extremes. He pings my "switch" button hard, so I can see him (and have written him) subbing in a D/s situation, but not exclusively and not all the time. I don't think he's the type of person who would thrive in a 24/7 or total power exchange situation either as a Dom or a sub.

As for having my headcanon fucked with -- well, the big example I have comes from Doug Naylor. Before Duct Soup, I always saw Lister as having a "whatever" attitude towards gender and just being attracted to whoever he was attracted to. I still don't see him as having or even considering a monosexual identity but his attitude about it is probably not as conscious or as nuanced as I, the viewer (who is also writer, who is also a queer woman), would like it to be. I don't think he would see himself as being "romantically attracted to multiple genders," so much as just Romantic.

He's got this wonderful nurturing instinct that he turns on just about everyone apart from Kochanski, coupled with an odd insecurity around people he's apparently infatuated with (Kochanski). The infatuations themselves appear to have little staying power when matched against caring for someone he likes (I know they're bunked in different cell blocks, but look how quickly the fixation on Kochanski stalls when he has a Rimmer to irritate in series VIII) and, instead, thrive in a vacuum such as the one created by the physical absence of that person (for that matter, he dreams about kissing Rimmer after Rimmer's gone).

Your first paragraph is precisely what I meant to say but didn't quite know enough about D/s to have the right words. Lister does indeed strike me as a switch, happy to experiment and please a partner but not rigid in his sexual preferences. I love that fic of yours, btw. :)

Ah, "Duct Soup". On the one hand it gave us Lister in those longjohns; on the other it fucked with a lot of people's interpretation of his character. (Not just slashers; I've read comments on TOS about how OOC some posters find it.)

The good news is we can write fics to get around it, I suppose. "Nurturing" is a good word to describe him and one of the reasons why m-preg rather suits him. ;)

Nurturing is a perfect word for Lister. I've yet to write any fics about Lister's pregnancy, but I vow to one day.

Kms_726 has written a lot of fic about Lister being a parent to Jim and Bexley as she loves the idea of it. She's on hiatus for several more months but when she returns I shall recommend "50 More Shades Of Smeg" to her. ;)

Is her stuff on AO3? I don't know that I've read any of it, I'm not recognizing the username.

That'll be because she's been more into "Supernatural" lately and by the looks of it hasn't got around to uploading her RD fics there, apart from this one. Officially it's gen, but it does involve Rimmer and Lister being forced to share a grotty hotel room. It's funny. :) http://archiveofourown.org/works/162879

And here's one of her Jim and Bexley fics. You can find more on the RD Fanfic comm which is for gen and het: http://reddwarffanfic.livejournal.com/24463.html

Just started reading Planet Leave, thanks for recommending it. It's very funny! :)

Glad to be of service. :)

Edited 2014-10-17 23:12 (UTC)

Yes, Lister's being uncomfortable with the idea of an alternate version of himself being gay didn't seem to really jibe with the Lister we'd grown to love. Also his fawning over Kochanski never sat well with me. He's far too charismatic, confident and cocky to realistically believe he'd be so fixated on a woman he only dated for WEEKS who wound up dumping him.

I just pretend that a lot of things in series VII didn't happen. Apart from Lister's long johns.

I suppose you could argue his fixation on KK is rooted in his unsettled childhood. Although it was a loving one until the age of 13 when his Gran died, the thought of (we're told in this ep) chubby teenage Lister being uprooted for the second or third time after the deaths of his adoptive parents and plunged into the environment of social care is poignant. It explains his longing for stability IMO.

This may be a case of the actor's natural confidence and charisma clashing with the writing of his character. You could say the same about the fact that we're expected to believe someone who looks like Chris has only encountered one person in 31 years prepared to overlook his personality long enough for a quickie. ;)

(Looking back at that, I'm not suggesting that conventionally attractive people must inevitably have sexual experience, just that Chris's legion of rl fans makes Rimmer's "loser" persona a bit hard to swallow sometimes.) :p

"This may be a case of the actor's natural confidence and charisma clashing with the writing of his character."

This exactly. I think as the show progressed they allowed Craig's natural charisma to mold the character of Lister a bit more. He started off being so much more of a bum, but became quite cool as the show progressed.

Chris is gorgeous in my eyes, but I can see where people who go for the more typical type of a "heartthrob" ie: Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Channing Tatum sorts, wouldn't get what we see in him. Chris is good-looking, but not in a conventional way. Plus he was quite skinny at the start of the series which didn't really jibe with the stereotypical "hunky" thing that was considered attractive in the late 80s early 90s. Not everyone who looks at those flaring nostrils goes weak in the knees. ;-)

I sure do though.

Head Canons And Lister's Sexuality

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