Gender-bent Lothere?

Submitted by Van on Mon, 11/16/2009 - 23:02.

So I was bored today, and started playing around in CAS for no apparent reason. Eventually, I ended up gender-bending some of the sims I had exported more recently, and I found myself thinking back to that Verso post with some of the Lothere sims as the opposite gender. And then after that, I got to thinking... how would the story have been different if all the sims -- or at least, the founders, because they set the stage for everything -- had been of the opposite gender? Like, female Sigefrith wouldn't have been able to become king, but s/he probably could have gone all stalkery on male Maud, and eventually won him through some bribery/trickery/politics. Meanwhile, I doubt Maud would have wanted to become king -- maybe it would have been King Matilda and Queen Alred? And how might have male Gunnie and female Alwy gotten together in the first place? Any thoughts?

General Discussion

I don't think female

Submitted by Lothere on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 06:00.

I don't think female Sigefrith would have cared much about male Maud. Female Sigefrith would have looked for a man in a position of power. Female Sigefrith would have been the sort of Anglo-Saxon earl's widow who became ruler of a principality. Sigefrith is usually too busy to think about pursuing women, so I would imagine the female Sigefrith would be even less interested in pursuing men for aesthetic reasons.

Matilda would have been a great nobleman in Wessex and probably died during the Conquest. Alred would have made her (him) a lovely wife while he lasted, if perhaps a little clingy and dependent.

Assuming Matilda had lived, she would have made such a great duke that Sigefrith probably would have been a little nervous.

Colburga and Cenwulf probably would have been just fine!

Gunnilda and Alwy also would have been great together. A housewifely Alwy -- none too clever, but loving and loyal and capable and hardworking. What more could a practical man/woman like Gunnilda want? Man-Gunnilda probably would have been less dissatisfied with her sort, too.

Man-Githa would have inherited her father's estate. She might have been allowed to marry Girl-Theobald, and then they would have lived in relative obscurity until the Barons were killed. I am not sure who would have inherited Thorhold if that happened and Theobald had been a girl. It might have gone to someone else.

Man-Gytha and Girl-Ethelmund would have been so-so I think. Man-Gytha probably would have beaten her lazy wife on occasion.

Man-Eadgith and Woman-Leof? That's a hard role-reversal to imagine. Because I can see Man-Eadgith, all testosterone-charged, being a womanizer. And Woman-Leof turning into an "outta my way, useless baggages!" Eadgith-clone. Like Cenwulf and Colburga, there are just some couples that compliment each other so well that they would form something like the same unit if the genders were reversed.

Egelric as a woman? Heheh, I know just what that would be like, since she's sitting here typing this. Girl-Alred would have amused herself by meddling in Girl-Egelric's love life, probably, after Man-Elfleda died. (A tough task, since Girl-Egelric is ugly as sin.)

And now I'm out of time and have to get to work, but this was fun!

Now those are some great

Submitted by maruutsu on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 08:14.

Now those are some great observations on the characters (not to mention it's so fun! )!

I think Female!Egelric would have been just as unhappy as Male!Egelric. She wouldn't have been allowed to pursue her education, for a start. Instead of men choosing him for a position of power, it would have been men choosing her fate by sending her off to be married with whomever they pleased or become a house maid

For some reason, I imagine Alred would also have had a great impact on Egelric's life, even with their genders reversed. Their unhealthy co-dependent relationship would have remained intact, which really goes to show how even dysfunctional pairs complement each other.

To continue on the fun, let's play gender-reversal with the original Founders' kids! (Oh, and while I'm at it, a grammar question: do I add an extra S after the apostrophe? As in Founders's? )

Female!Caedwulf and Male!Ogive would have been so much like Maud and SIgefrith respectively, that it hurts. Except Male!Ogive would have been a lot less confident than Sigefrith, and I'm not sure if he would have allowed himself to even love Caedwulf, or to recover immediately. He would have suffered in silence and then married to form an alliance, I think

Male!Brit and Female!Dunstan would also have been great, albeit a lot like Dunstan's gender-reversed parents.

And now for my favorite pair (no surprises here): Gwynn and Finn! Can you imagine a female Finn teasing sensitive, pompous, romantic male!Gwynn? I'm trying to think how the "Gwynn gets an advice" chapter would have worked out in a gender reversed universe... Hmm...

Egelric wasn't high-born

Submitted by Lothere on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 08:42.

Egelric wasn't high-born enough for his marriage to be organized for him originally. Man-Elfleda might have chosen him herself, though his ugliness might have posed a problem there.

If Girl-Egelric had survived his first marriage, then I can see Girl-Alred getting very involved in his life. Perhaps taking him as a maid or companion of some sort. And from that point on it would be Girl-Alred trying to push Egelric into situations he does not desire (in gender-change world, though, this would look more like Girl-Alred making him dance and flirt and go to parties), and Egelric rebelling by having illicit relationships with highly-inappropriate men.

I think a male Gwynn would have been a lot like Dunstan at that age. All emo and self-absorbedly poetic and just unbearable. (It's more unbearable in a boy than a girl, I say.) And girl-Finn would have been snotty and sassy with him, until he cried, and then she would have felt bad. But I still think it would have been destiny.

Yes, but I think her mean Ma

Submitted by maruutsu on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 09:45.

Yes, but I think her mean Ma (or rather her Da) would force her to marry or something. Then, after Alred makes Egelric her handmaid, everything would play out just as you said. Alred would keep going to Egelric every time King Matilda was fighting alongside her men, but Egelric would be all cynical and offer her little comfort. I think Egelric would also fall for men she could never have, such as Male!Sela and Male!Lili. They would never marry him, of course.

On the other hand, maybe he could have married Male!Gunnie in that scenario. But it's hard to imagine Egelric as a happy man... err, woman.

Oh, Fwynn would be destiny alright. But I don't think Gwynn would be shy like Dunstan; she is so extravagant and vivacious! She would most likely be that pompous gentleman who tries to imitate her father (Alred is not genderbent in this scenario) by reading her awful romantic poetry about a woman with violet eyes to their guests. Everyone would cough politely. Lady Cedric would feel an ache of compassion for poor Male!Gwynn, and fall for him. Male!Margaret and Male!Emmie would tease him mercilessly, of course. And Gwynn would think Female!Cearball was in love with him after she kissed him because of the mistletoe, until Female!Finn burst his bubble. They would have a heated discussion and their relationship would be much like it is now, until one day all the unresolved sexual tension would come out and Gwynn would marry him.

For some reason I keep thinking that Finn would be very hesitant and deny it at first... Kind of like Gwynn is in the real Lothere.

Edit: ach, double post!

Submitted by maruutsu on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 09:48.

Edit: ach, double post! Sorry.

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