I know you do a lot of work with fem!Stan and Ford, but what’s your opinion on fem!Ford and Stan?
I love genderbends so much, and I know I typically only do it with one of the pair (I’m sorry I ungayed them but here we are. I find it interesting especially with the Stans bc it turns one aspect of their relationship “””normal””” and how does that change how they see each other) and usually the one I pick to switch is my favorite of the two, hence all the fem Stan. And I did talk once about fem ford but it was more in the yuri stancest context. As for just Ford being fem, I still stand by it’s such a fantastic way to explore Ford’s anger. Bc of course anger is one of those emotions that men are allowed to express freely, but when it comes to women, especially girls in the 60s/70s, well that isn’t very ladylike.
I imagine that a girl Ford would have so much anger built up, just bubbling under the surface. She knows how smart she is, smarter than anyone else she’s ever met, but being a girl holds her back bc no one thinks that a girl should be able to do the things she dreams of. Caryn is dismissive of it bc women just need to worry about getting the right husband. Filbrick only allows anything bc he senses the possible money making opportunity, a chance for Ford to pay him back for the trouble of raising her. The only person who actually believes in her is Stan.
And Stan absolutely worships the ground his sister walks on. His sister is precious and perfect, but not in the way I think Ford considers Fem Stan. With Fem Stan, Ford has internalized that he needs to take care of her bc she isn’t capable of much of a life without him. She’s a burden, even if she’s a burden that he loves above everything else and is willing to shoulder, a loyal pet of sorts. But Fem Ford, she’s a treasure to Stan, something that needs to be protected so that she can do all the amazing things he knows she capable of. Because no one is as amazing, as smart, as pretty as Ford is. That is so fundamental for Stan with me. Above all, he thinks he exists to prop up Ford.
And Ford knows that her brother is wrapped completely around her little finger. She doesn’t even have to say jump before he’s already in the air. So imagine how betrayed she feels when the science fair incident happens. Just how angry she is that the one person she thought truly believed in her despite everything is the one who ruined her chance. And think how much more desperately she would cling to that anger than canon Ford did. I love a Ford who does mental gymnastics to come to the conclusions that he wants to, so I think here she would feel so justified in that anger, and that expressing that anger would actually feel so good to her bc as a woman, she isn’t supposed to be angry like that. it feels good, it feels justified, so she keeps telling herself over and over again that Stan was the bad guy, Stan ruined everything bc of course he did that’s all he’s capable of doing, and she’s right to feel this way. She’s right to think that he no longer deserves the right and privilege of her love and affection. And Ford has spent a lot of time in her life feeling weak bc she’s a girl and she was bullied. She doesn’t like feeling weak, so the moment she starts to think maybe Stan didn’t deserve all of that and she misses him, no no no he did, and she tells herself whatever she needs to in order to hold on tight to that anger that feels so damn good.
And also (bc it’s important to know ones self and i know i love to hurt my faves) can you imagine how much more terrible Stan would feel? How much lower his opinion of himself would be knowing that he did this to the sister he was put on this earth to take care of? Both with fem Stan and Ford, it’s important to me to remember that they grew up in the 50s/60s, and this would absolutely inform their understanding of gender roles. To them, it’s part of a man’s job to take care of the women in their lives, especially the ones they love. And what a double whammy when that person is both your sister and the love of your life. Can you imagine what a complete and utter failure Stan would consider himself to be, how worthless when he couldn’t do that one thing he was supposed to be good at, when he didnt just fail but actively was the one who harmed her? Because I really think that Stan, in all universes, no matter how much he might try to tell himself that the science fair was an accident—and it was!—he would still believe what Ford assumed, that he did it on purpose to sabotage Ford’s future and possible life without him. Stan will make himself out to be the bad guy bc that’s all anyone—other than Ford—ever allowed him to be.
