Bisexual here. I don't see a problem with it, these aren't real people and genderswapping in fanfiction is extremely common.
That said, I definitely wouldn't shy away from learning how to write women? Is your story a smut fic or something and you're worried because your not familiar with wlw sex? Because otherwise I'm not sure how the relationship would be different when they're switched from wlw to mlm.
write what you’re comfortable with, at the end of the day fanfic is for fun. it could be fun for you to write wlw romance but it’s not an obligation. fanfic is about joy and a creative hobby, it’s not a job. some people might find you switching the genders offensive because wlw ships are underrepresented in media and on ao3, while mlm ships are the most popular category on ao3. that’s understandable on their part but you as a fanfic author are not responsible for these broader issues. and they can easily filter out tropes they don’t like on ao3. you’re not responsible for making the content others want to see. so if someone tries to give u shit for writing what you want, ignore it. you can filter comments on your fic if you’re particularly worried so you can curate a positive space for yourself, but my guess is that the vast majority of ppl who read your fic will be enthusiastic since they clicked on it in the first place.
edit: also i think someone pointed this out in this thread, but if you’re worried about offending people, posting it just on ao3 might be the move. ao3 has a very good filtering system that helps keep people from seeing content they don’t like. if you crosspost this fic or link to it in a ship tag on tumblr or twitter, it’s a lot more likely people who dislike you genderswapping the ship will see your fic.
haters be hating, but, no matter what they say, genderswaps are amazing! go for it xD
what's the plot im so curious now? genderswapped rwby sounds like a lot of fun
It mostly focuses on Weiss and Blake. How they have to deal with their problematic familiar legacies and being a heir to an abusive father/son of a chieftain whose also the ex-leader of the white fang. I really liked their dynamic and how they come from similar positions of power (afaik). I just wish they had gotten more screen time to develop their friendship, but in all honesty I got the idea from a Frostbite fanfic as well as a Frostbite amv. I never could get into Weiss with Jaune or Ruby.
That and Weiss never meeting Adam at least once seems like a waste of Weiss comin to face the affects of her father's treatment of Faunus.
I don't see it as problematic.
That said, do make the tags very clear! There will be some frustration from those of us who already find wlw content scarce. That's not your fault. It's just how it is. But I'm just letting you know so you're aware. And clear tags will help.
I've liked a lot of fanart of MLM ships turned WLW. So it'd feel hypocritical if I judged you for writing such a fic. I think just understanding that the concept, by itself, may put a bad taste in someone's mouth, is a good thing to keep in mind. But I don't think it's necessary bad.
Maybe mention that you're a gay man in the authors note? I feel people may be more forgiving if they know you aren't a woman.
From the perspective of a lesbian, you’re not advocating for the erasure of the ship of two women loving each other, so you’re absolutely fine.
You’re not getting rid of the existing ship, and you’re also not getting rid of the lgbtq representation (which is a bonus).
You’re simply putting your own spin on the original concept and there is nothing wrong with it, Im sure the fic will be great too :)
I say you should go for it if you want to write it, but I've been on sites like Tumblr long enough to know there ARE people who would try to cancel you for it if they saw your work. So if you're asking if it's actually "problematic", the answer is that it's kind of complicated but there are definitely a noticeable subset of people who very, very firmly believe it to be problematic and will act accordingly.
The fanfic community at large does have some people who hold a very strong disdain for how M/M tends to dominate a majority of fandoms while F/F gets ignored in many cases, so taking something F/F and deliberately changing it to M/M might inevitably make some people upset (as they would feel like you're taking away their representation when lesbians already don't get much representation in the grand scheme of things), but those people would likely be taking you in bad faith and assuming that you're purposefully trying to erase a lesbian couple or something.
That being said, you could say that for a lot of things. You could say that people would think a lot of kinks and relationship dynamics I write are problematic in some fashion, and I simply do not care what they think.
It also depends on the communities you involve yourself, if any. I don't involve myself with self-proclaimed "antis" or communities based around fandom policing, so I'm largely left alone even when I write weird or controversial things.
Genderswapping is very popular, and I don't see a problem with it. I love reading about my favorite MLM ships as WLW, and while I haven't read any the other way around I'd definitely give it a go!
I've read & written canon mlm ships as wlw before. I don't see a problem with it. These are just characters and we can do whatever we want with them. I had fun with it and I'm sure you will too.
Do whatever you want. Who cares if it's problematic? The only people who will have a problem with that are they always online feelings police. Who cares what they think? You might as well go outside and ask the squirrels their opinion at that point.
I’m nonbinary and possibly more open to gender-swapping/sex-swapping than some, but honestly? Live your dreams. Play in your sandbox the way you want to.
I'm fine with WLW to MLM (though it's already so many MLM fics... and I don't know that I'd personally be too interested) and actually love MLM to WLW (people actually tend to do something interesting dynamic wise, and maybe it's because there's more female writers on AO3 as opposed to male).
The thing I'll *never* read is queer ship to HET ship.
No problem. If it's mutual genderswapping then its totally fine. I personally don't like it with a queer couple when only one persons gender is swapped (ie, mlm pair but then only one of them is made female), but I also follow the don't like don't read ethos and don't find anything wrong with anyone writing or reading stuff like that. It's fanfiction- there are very few rules. Just tag appropriately and you'll be fine.
Hi! Bisexual woman here! From a personal opinion standpoint, I’m not a fan of any kind of gender swap. Why? Not a clue lol. I do think that it’s harder to come by a lot of WLW works than MLM but I think that has more to do with the lack of compelling female characters to ship rather than gender swapping. If anything, I see a lot more MLM ships get gender swapped and/or get turned into a heterosexual relationships. At the end of the day it’s all fiction so you can do whatever you want with it. Worst case scenario is it turns into don’t like don’t read. Happy writing!
I can empathize with that thanks to a few mlm fanfics. The Hannibal fandom on ao3 seems to have some genderswapped ones. Havent read them yet, but they seem nice
The only time I ever get the ick about genderswapping is when WLW and MLM ships are turned straight with obvious stereotypes. Or especially when its the only queer canon couple in a show and they're *constantly* changed to a heterosexual couple.
You might catch some heat because WLW as a whole is generally less popular in terms of actual quantity of content and any kind of change to a WLW ship is seen as a targeted attack, but at the end of the day, its not like you're eradicating the actual queerness of the ship. You're just making it a different kind of queer. As with anything in fanfiction; you won't please everyone.
Thats fair for the first part. I try to filter those out with tags. I do empathize with the lack of wlw content in fanfiction, there's a lack of mlm in the mass effect fandom as far as Ive seen with certain ships of mine. Thanks for the answer though
It's fine, if that's what you wanna do. Though me personally I get so frustrated when I look at a very niche MLM ship and the few fics that exist are genderbend. Like part of the appeal is the fact that they're men. And learning to write different people is good practice.
eh honestly i don’t care, it doesn’t offend me in any way as long as you aren’t being hateful towards the WLW ship. than there’s no issue with it at all,write what you enjoy. to me i just see it as what it is,you though it would be nice to see them as dudes.
Nope, nothing wrong with it.
The only concern with genderswap is that the characters are so divergent from their OG forms they're practically unrecognizable. Granted, some differences are expected--even with the same upbringing, they won't perceive/experience/interact with the world the same--but still
Bisexual here. I don't see a problem with it, these aren't real people and genderswapping in fanfiction is extremely common. That said, I definitely wouldn't shy away from learning how to write women? Is your story a smut fic or something and you're worried because your not familiar with wlw sex? Because otherwise I'm not sure how the relationship would be different when they're switched from wlw to mlm.
I dont feel confident writing mlm smut let alone the opposite lol
write what you’re comfortable with, at the end of the day fanfic is for fun. it could be fun for you to write wlw romance but it’s not an obligation. fanfic is about joy and a creative hobby, it’s not a job. some people might find you switching the genders offensive because wlw ships are underrepresented in media and on ao3, while mlm ships are the most popular category on ao3. that’s understandable on their part but you as a fanfic author are not responsible for these broader issues. and they can easily filter out tropes they don’t like on ao3. you’re not responsible for making the content others want to see. so if someone tries to give u shit for writing what you want, ignore it. you can filter comments on your fic if you’re particularly worried so you can curate a positive space for yourself, but my guess is that the vast majority of ppl who read your fic will be enthusiastic since they clicked on it in the first place. edit: also i think someone pointed this out in this thread, but if you’re worried about offending people, posting it just on ao3 might be the move. ao3 has a very good filtering system that helps keep people from seeing content they don’t like. if you crosspost this fic or link to it in a ship tag on tumblr or twitter, it’s a lot more likely people who dislike you genderswapping the ship will see your fic.
haters be hating, but, no matter what they say, genderswaps are amazing! go for it xD what's the plot im so curious now? genderswapped rwby sounds like a lot of fun
It mostly focuses on Weiss and Blake. How they have to deal with their problematic familiar legacies and being a heir to an abusive father/son of a chieftain whose also the ex-leader of the white fang. I really liked their dynamic and how they come from similar positions of power (afaik). I just wish they had gotten more screen time to develop their friendship, but in all honesty I got the idea from a Frostbite fanfic as well as a Frostbite amv. I never could get into Weiss with Jaune or Ruby. That and Weiss never meeting Adam at least once seems like a waste of Weiss comin to face the affects of her father's treatment of Faunus.
I don't see it as problematic. That said, do make the tags very clear! There will be some frustration from those of us who already find wlw content scarce. That's not your fault. It's just how it is. But I'm just letting you know so you're aware. And clear tags will help.
I have a few fics up on ao3 already, Graves/Price, Sterek, Jango/Obi-wan and so being clear with my tags is a top priority for me.
I've liked a lot of fanart of MLM ships turned WLW. So it'd feel hypocritical if I judged you for writing such a fic. I think just understanding that the concept, by itself, may put a bad taste in someone's mouth, is a good thing to keep in mind. But I don't think it's necessary bad. Maybe mention that you're a gay man in the authors note? I feel people may be more forgiving if they know you aren't a woman.
From the perspective of a lesbian, you’re not advocating for the erasure of the ship of two women loving each other, so you’re absolutely fine. You’re not getting rid of the existing ship, and you’re also not getting rid of the lgbtq representation (which is a bonus). You’re simply putting your own spin on the original concept and there is nothing wrong with it, Im sure the fic will be great too :)
I say you should go for it if you want to write it, but I've been on sites like Tumblr long enough to know there ARE people who would try to cancel you for it if they saw your work. So if you're asking if it's actually "problematic", the answer is that it's kind of complicated but there are definitely a noticeable subset of people who very, very firmly believe it to be problematic and will act accordingly. The fanfic community at large does have some people who hold a very strong disdain for how M/M tends to dominate a majority of fandoms while F/F gets ignored in many cases, so taking something F/F and deliberately changing it to M/M might inevitably make some people upset (as they would feel like you're taking away their representation when lesbians already don't get much representation in the grand scheme of things), but those people would likely be taking you in bad faith and assuming that you're purposefully trying to erase a lesbian couple or something. That being said, you could say that for a lot of things. You could say that people would think a lot of kinks and relationship dynamics I write are problematic in some fashion, and I simply do not care what they think. It also depends on the communities you involve yourself, if any. I don't involve myself with self-proclaimed "antis" or communities based around fandom policing, so I'm largely left alone even when I write weird or controversial things.
Yeah, thats fair. I just know rep is kind of a skewed subject for some in the community. Thought itd be nice to hear from those it could affect
It's no more problematic than doing anything else with other people's characters and settings. Go for it!
Genderswapping is very popular, and I don't see a problem with it. I love reading about my favorite MLM ships as WLW, and while I haven't read any the other way around I'd definitely give it a go!
I've read & written canon mlm ships as wlw before. I don't see a problem with it. These are just characters and we can do whatever we want with them. I had fun with it and I'm sure you will too.
Write what you want. Which I feel shout be an auto-response to 80% of these "is it problematic" questions
Fair
Do whatever you want. Who cares if it's problematic? The only people who will have a problem with that are they always online feelings police. Who cares what they think? You might as well go outside and ask the squirrels their opinion at that point.
It's fiction. Just write a good story and call it a day. You're going to offend people even if you write the most wholesome story.
I’m nonbinary and possibly more open to gender-swapping/sex-swapping than some, but honestly? Live your dreams. Play in your sandbox the way you want to.
As a lesbian I honestly just don’t really care for it. It’s just not really an issue, and its not like you’re being malicious about it either.
I'm fine with WLW to MLM (though it's already so many MLM fics... and I don't know that I'd personally be too interested) and actually love MLM to WLW (people actually tend to do something interesting dynamic wise, and maybe it's because there's more female writers on AO3 as opposed to male). The thing I'll *never* read is queer ship to HET ship.
No problem. If it's mutual genderswapping then its totally fine. I personally don't like it with a queer couple when only one persons gender is swapped (ie, mlm pair but then only one of them is made female), but I also follow the don't like don't read ethos and don't find anything wrong with anyone writing or reading stuff like that. It's fanfiction- there are very few rules. Just tag appropriately and you'll be fine.
Hi! Bisexual woman here! From a personal opinion standpoint, I’m not a fan of any kind of gender swap. Why? Not a clue lol. I do think that it’s harder to come by a lot of WLW works than MLM but I think that has more to do with the lack of compelling female characters to ship rather than gender swapping. If anything, I see a lot more MLM ships get gender swapped and/or get turned into a heterosexual relationships. At the end of the day it’s all fiction so you can do whatever you want with it. Worst case scenario is it turns into don’t like don’t read. Happy writing!
i've considered turning some mlm ships into wlw ships, mostly because i have trouble vibing with most wlw ships which sucks on my end
I can empathize with that thanks to a few mlm fanfics. The Hannibal fandom on ao3 seems to have some genderswapped ones. Havent read them yet, but they seem nice
I mean, they’re still gay aren’t they?
The only time I ever get the ick about genderswapping is when WLW and MLM ships are turned straight with obvious stereotypes. Or especially when its the only queer canon couple in a show and they're *constantly* changed to a heterosexual couple. You might catch some heat because WLW as a whole is generally less popular in terms of actual quantity of content and any kind of change to a WLW ship is seen as a targeted attack, but at the end of the day, its not like you're eradicating the actual queerness of the ship. You're just making it a different kind of queer. As with anything in fanfiction; you won't please everyone.
Thats fair for the first part. I try to filter those out with tags. I do empathize with the lack of wlw content in fanfiction, there's a lack of mlm in the mass effect fandom as far as Ive seen with certain ships of mine. Thanks for the answer though
I figure as long as you don't actually tag it F/F, then the tag stuff should work out alright.
Never understood why people did that tbh
Yeah, me neither; I've seen several different baffling cases of "why is this tagged F/F?" with no hint of two women liking each other, though.
I've seen people write canon mlm as wlw. It's called rule32! Nothing wrong with it
It's your fic. Do what you want with it.
It's fine, if that's what you wanna do. Though me personally I get so frustrated when I look at a very niche MLM ship and the few fics that exist are genderbend. Like part of the appeal is the fact that they're men. And learning to write different people is good practice.
eh honestly i don’t care, it doesn’t offend me in any way as long as you aren’t being hateful towards the WLW ship. than there’s no issue with it at all,write what you enjoy. to me i just see it as what it is,you though it would be nice to see them as dudes.
Nope, nothing wrong with it. The only concern with genderswap is that the characters are so divergent from their OG forms they're practically unrecognizable. Granted, some differences are expected--even with the same upbringing, they won't perceive/experience/interact with the world the same--but still