Gay Shifters - Why?

[MythOfHappiness]

So. Not sure if this question has been asked before (Probably. Nothing new under the sun and all that.) but what's the deal with the gay shifter genre? I'm not really sure why this is a thing and for the life of me I can't seem to find any sort of explanation online. This is, of course, not to say there's anything wrong with the shifter genre - I've read some very engrossing (and sexy) shifter novels and have nothing against them. I'm just not really sure why it's such a big thing in the gay writing community. Is it the parallels between how werewolves/bears/badgers/ducks/etc are made and how the general (that is to say homophobic) public thinks gays are "made"? You know, you meet one then you get bitten by the gay bug or whatever, and the genre is sort of our way of highlighting the utter ridiculousness of this idea? Or is it just a weird thing that caught on at some point and now, for no particular reason, makes up roughly half of all gay ebooks on amazon? Is there an explanation, and if there isn't one do you all have any ideas or opinions on the matter?

Thank you for your input on this truly vital topic and have a nice day.

 

 

-MOH

[Headstall]

Hey, MOH. You could ask the same question about the popularity of vampires. Or aliens... fantasy creatures like elves, warlocks, etc. The answer may be as simple as... the appeal is that they are something different. A place to escape to. I'm writing my first shifter story, something I never thought I'd do, but I admit I've been fascinated with reading about shifters since I ran across the first one. Shifters and vampire legends have been around for centuries, and if you look at what is on TV and at the movies nowadays, the majority of it is sci-fi and fantasy. The comic book franchises are all goldmines, and the love of fantastic fairy tales is built into us from childhood. I don't believe it is a gay thing. It's a cultural thing, and not restricted to any one audience. Go to a bookstore and check out how many different vampire stories there are for the straight audience. I know that I'm writing Morningstar because it is challenging and different, and it's fun, and I get to make stuff up . Cheers... Gary....

Edited January 17, 2017 by Headstall

[PrivateTim]

The what genre?

[MythOfHappiness]

@PrivateTim The shifter genre, Aka the people turn into animals genre. Examples include werewolves, werebears, werecats, ect.

Edited January 17, 2017 by MythOfHappiness

[Ron]

Anything beyond your average werewolf (is there such a thing?) is merely reaching and extrapolation of a genre which itself is a known fiction. But why not? If we agree that writing about paranormal events or paranormal creatures can be entertainment—scary, and even titilating—then why can't these same subjects include a gay element? Sure, you might say, and why not? If that isn't a stretch then why can't being gay be the main determining factor in these paranormal stories? There is no reason 'why not.'

 

There is a definite reason 'why for' and it has a lot to do with power dynamics. It doesn't require a stretch of the imagination to know that a large population of both females and males are attracted to dominate male figures—if only in a peripheral sense. We look up to a person displaying a dominant persona, follow them and even idolize those who exhibit such, and sometime we do that without realizing that we're doing any of those things in a conscious manner. So if we are to agree that paranormal creatures are something "other" and powerful—dominant, if you will—is it any wonder that quite a few gay men and not a few straight women are attracted to 'were-' stories. That's my take on the subject.

 

But... what if your werewolf has a form of dyslexia? You'll have to go read Sasha Distan's Born Wolf to find out. I highly recommend the story.

[Kitt]

Non-human stories have been around for centuries. Why? Who the hell knows, but I read them for pure escapism. Just as homosexuality occurs naturally in all "real"populations, including animals, why would it NOT occur in shifter/elves/any non human population?

Edited January 17, 2017 by Kitt

[Puppilull]

I might be way off here, but the whole having a secret no 'human' is allowed to find out... Couldn't that also be connected to a feeling of being on the outside as a gay person in regular society? Many shifter stories focus on the lonely outsider human, lost on the world until they find their 'pack'.

 

Then again, feeling like an oddity at times and not having somewhere to belong is quite universal. We are more or less herd animals...

[AC Benus]

...I thought my next project might be on the subject of were-mosquitos....

 

JK, lol  

[AC Benus]

In all seriousness, the question is a good one. To broaden it out a bit, the real nut-to-crack seems to be why the general and intense interest in Gothic and escapist themes? Teenage vampire, comic book heroes, and yes - shifters; these are the subjects that bring in billions of dollars for the movie studios.

 

I don't have an answer when thinking specifically why the LGBT community is drawn to shifter fiction right now, but a while back I was confronted with a work of art that spoke clearly to me. The writer used a Gothic theme so brilliantly, it still brings goose bumps to me. I wrote a blog entry about it as a means of therapy, for it took weeks for the TV series' impact to leave me alone a bit, but not until after I had written this.

 

I hope you have a chance to check it out because it relates directly to your theme

 

https://www.gayauthors.org/forums/blog/513/entry-13701-in-the-flesh-homophobia-and-the-zombie-menace/

Edited January 17, 2017 by AC Benus

[JamesSavik]

I've enjoyed "shifter" fiction. It doesn't even have to be gay.

 

In one series of books I'm following, there is a character I love that's a werewolf. His name is Bobbie and he became a werewolf when he was 17. He's older now but lycanthropy slows the aging process. Bobby enjoys surfing and is a huge pop culture nerd.

 

Bobby has teamed up with a monster hunter that saved his life. The Hunter has decided that Monsters are things that act monstrous and Bobby is a silly pup either way.

 

His partner calls him "Teenwolf" and Bobby tells his partner that having super sniffing capability isn't all its cracked up to be in a world where there are tons of zombies and everybody needs a long bath.

 

M. D. Massey

Them

Scratch Sullivan Paranormal Post-Apocalyptic Action Novel

 

http://mdmassey.com

Edited April 28, 2018 by jamessavik

[MythOfHappiness]

@AC Benus Two things - one you make some amazing points both here and in your zombie article, and two weremosquitoes is a great idea. It combines all the best parts of vampire novels and shifter novels. Imagine, a teen tortured with both the intense craving for human blood and the possibility of being squished at a moments notice, all while being angsty AF. I'd read it.

[PrivateTim]

The where wolf (there wolf), vampire genre never appealed and I found/find the furry thing.....  uh different.

 

I get the native American tradition of shape shifters, but each nation has its own tradition and beliefs.

 

I always wanted to be able to shape shift in high school into a hot chick to get with the few straight boys I wasn't able to nail.

[LJCC]

I'm literally necromancing some old posts here. I think the whole werewolf genre appeals to the younger market, much like the vampire trend.

 

But if ever I were to write about werewolves, it would be set in the early 1900's for a bit of history, timejump to present day, with adults (the saturated teenage angst is too droll for me) who has real life dramas. It would probably be like a romantic comedy:

 

"Steve! How many times do I have to tell you, your fur is clogging the sink!"

 

"Babe, I'm sorry...I tried cleaning myself last night, but you forgot to unlock the dog kennel so I got out," explained Jason, mystified by the smell of Alpo on his breath as he exhaled. "Feck! I think I ate Mrs. Tootsie's chihuahua."

 

Steve turned around with a blowdry and a pair of shears, and said, "You should've added Mr. Landon's annoying Labrador who keeps on sh*tting on the porch. So how was dinner? With the number of dogs you ate last night...Do you know now how to roll over? Sit Jason. Bad boy Jason! Bad boy. Now fetch! Now spread your legs and open wide...Daddy's gonna do some grooming baby, cause that carpet has to go."

 

 

[KJames]

On 1/17/2017 at 4:25 AM, Puppilull said:

We are more or less herd animals..

And you'll be able to verify this next time you're at an event where they have 'serve yourself' appetizers.  People stand next to that table and keep others from approaching...that herd grazes...

 

[CassieQ]

On 1/8/2018 at 1:06 AM, LJCC said:

I'm literally necromancing some old posts here. I think the whole werewolf genre appeals to the younger market, much like the vampire trend.

 

But if ever I were to write about werewolves, it would be set in the early 1900's for a bit of history, timejump to present day, with adults (the saturated teenage angst is too droll for me) who has real life dramas. It would probably be like a romantic comedy:

 

"Steve! How many times do I have to tell you, your fur is clogging the sink!"

 

"Babe, I'm sorry...I tried cleaning myself last night, but you forgot to unlock the dog kennel so I got out," explained Jason, mystified by the smell of Alpo on his breath as he exhaled. "Feck! I think I ate Mrs. Tootsie's chihuahua."

 

Steve turned around with a blowdry and a pair of shears, and said, "You should've added Mr. Landon's annoying Labrador who keeps on sh*tting on the porch. So how was dinner? With the number of dogs you ate last night...Do you know now how to roll over? Sit Jason. Bad boy Jason! Bad boy. Now fetch! Now spread your legs and open wide...Daddy's gonna do some grooming baby, cause that carpet has to go."

 

 

I don't think I have ever heard someone use the word necromancing like you just did here.  That's impressive.

[William King]

2 hours ago, CassieQ said:

I don't think I have ever heard someone use the word necromancing like you just did here.  That's impressive.

 

2 hours ago, CassieQ said:

I'm literally necromancing some old posts here

 

A renascence which we might have left serenely interred with our teenage years, but exquisite twists of language are always a joy. The only vampires and zombies I knew, except for Dracula, died with Michael Jackson, that was a thriller!

[W_L]

You know, werewolves are just the beginning

 

Ancient Eastern Mythology has foxes who turn into beautiful maidens that destroy nations (China, Korea, and Japan have loads of stories), deer turning into well endowed young men (it's the horn thing) luring young hunters into their dens (I've always wondered what happens after those guys get captured, the stories usually stop there and assume they are brutally massacred by their prey, maybe they had other intentions),  spiders taking human form as a well- dressed (transparent silk) young person, and of course one of the most famous is the White snake that take human form in order to be with the man she loved, only to be submitted to prejudice by Buddhist/Taoist monks who consider their relationship to be amoral. and locking human man away in a temple to keep them apart, possibly a little mystical conversion therapy too (I've been toying with the idea of updating this tale for LGBT audiences, anyone  interested)

 

For me, I identify with the White Snake story, her only real crime was falling in love with a human man. It is not conventional love and against natural law, but if the story is told literally true as it was, the Gods/Immortals made this romance in the first place due to their actions, so its consequences should not be faulted on those who fall into the relationship. It's like being gay in the modern world.

Edited April 16, 2018 by W_L

[Reader1810]

My question is: why not? I've read many gay shifter stories. Some done well, some not, but I do find the genre enjoyable, overall.