Plus I read in New Scientist last week that apparently tears are a physical turn-off due to their chemical composition. Men, apparently, really just do not LIKE women's tears!
Hey, I read that too! Isn't it weird? (and really depressing)
As to how men like their Scullys and Mulders, I think it would be nearly impossible to say, because the men who write fanfic are such a small (and probably atypical) percentage of the gender.
My theory is that the primary difference between how men experience stories and how women do is that most men aren't nearly so interested in the characters in the first place. So long as the characters are functional - they move a good plot along without tripping it up - they're sufficient.
A woman might say: "Mulder's sister was taken when he was a kid. He thinks she was abducted by aliens. He's trying to find her." (the emphasis is on Mulder, his life, his thoughts, and the fact that he's trying) A man might say: "Mulder's sister was abducted by aliens so now he's trying to find her." (less personal, more story oriented)
(I'm just generalizing, obviously. And yes, if you can't tell, I think the majority of men are pretty poor at appreciating fiction. But they don't seem to know what they're missing, so it works out well. And I'm pretty poor at appreciating sports. *shrugs*)
no subject
Hey, I read that too! Isn't it weird? (and really depressing)
As to how men like their Scullys and Mulders, I think it would be nearly impossible to say, because the men who write fanfic are such a small (and probably atypical) percentage of the gender.
My theory is that the primary difference between how men experience stories and how women do is that most men aren't nearly so interested in the characters in the first place. So long as the characters are functional - they move a good plot along without tripping it up - they're sufficient.
A woman might say: "Mulder's sister was taken when he was a kid. He thinks she was abducted by aliens. He's trying to find her." (the emphasis is on Mulder, his life, his thoughts, and the fact that he's trying)
A man might say: "Mulder's sister was abducted by aliens so now he's trying to find her." (less personal, more story oriented)
(I'm just generalizing, obviously. And yes, if you can't tell, I think the majority of men are pretty poor at appreciating fiction. But they don't seem to know what they're missing, so it works out well. And I'm pretty poor at appreciating sports. *shrugs*)