Impossibly Delightful Flesh
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Impossibly Delightful Flesh |
| Author(s): | Sadbhyl |
| Date(s): | 2004 |
| Length: | 57950 |
| Genre: | Genderswap |
| Fandom: | Buffy the Vampire Slayer |
| External Links: | Ao3 Link, Sinister-Attraction Link (archived link), Sadbhyl.com Link (archived link) |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Impossibly Delightful Flesh is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfic by Sadbhyl. It was a widely recced genderswap fic and has even been called the gold standard of genderswap fics.[1]
Although the author tagged their work as mostly porn on Ao3, this fic is often praised for its in-character depiction of the trope with a focus on gender dynamics and gender identity.
Sadbhyl was heavily influenced by a Star Trek:TOS fic, The Procrustean Petard by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath.[2][3]
- In which the Scoobies have a small accident that leads to some major changes in their lives and has them questioning the deeper issues of sexuality, gender, and the heart.
- Set early Season 5, shortly after Family but before Shadow.
Reviews and Reception
Impossibly Delightful Flesh does an unusually wonderful, plausible, and especially *in character* job of handling an unusually large number of swapped genders in one fic. While out on patrol Buffy, Spike, Tara, Anya, and Xander slay a strange demon - which releases a magical charge causing sex/gender reversal to everyone in the immediate vicinity.The author does an excellent job of making the gender swap plausible by contextualizing it within the mythology of the Buffyverse, and of creating very individual, in character reactions for each gender-swapped scoobie. Xander and Anya enjoy new sexual experimentation, but deal with some unforeseen consequences, Willow helps Tara through her fears and concerns when she suddenly looks like her abusive brother, and Buffy and Spike do what they always do - perhaps in bodies even more suited to their usual roles. Fantastic emotional and character continuity. Come for the zany sexual exploits, stay for Spike's girly T-Shirts :)[4]
If you cut out the main Buffy and Spike magically change genders will they won’t they it would still be a cracking good read but what really elevates this into a superb story is the authors decision to have Tara Xander and Anya caught in the magical transformation too. Sme characters react well. It really makes you think when you consider people are much more accepting of Anya’s frank sex talk when she’s suddenly a guy. You’d never think the line I like breasts too much could be invested with that degree of emotional intensity. Tara, on the other hand, has to go through this in the immediate aftermath of the episode family and all the issues that brought up. Her father and brother were hardly good examples of how men should behave and seeing her find her own way and find a new balance with Willow is very moving.[5]
References
- ^ Comment on '(Meta) Thoughts on genderswap fanfic' by stormwreath,2008.
- ^ The Concept: I got the basic premise for this from a very old Star Trek fan fiction (read twenty years ago. yes, I've been a fan girl that long), titled The Procrustean Petard by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath. Of course, they didn't have sex in their version, and oh yes, children, this is definitely an NC17
- ^ Filters and Inpiration, a LJ post by Sadbhyl, 2004.
- ^ Impossibly Delightful Flesh (NC17), fic rec at the crackvan, 2004.
- ^ Fic rec by vaguepositivity, 2015.