Changing themes in genres - Gender Bender

[TrismegistusShandy]

I don't know about "Old" and "New" stories ? Or if there is any such difference ?

Sure... The first GB stories I saw or read were anime, manga and japanese lightnovels... and they were mostly comedy... with guys being turned into girls against their will... effeminate guys insisting they were, or wanted to be manly men even as they were turned into cute girls... or something...

I think the dichotomy between "new" and "old" people are talking about here refers to English-language prose gender-bender/transgender fiction, not anime or manga or light novels. I can't speak to those genres, but the tradition of amateur prose gender-bender fiction going back to the mid-1990s (on the Transformations Stories Archive, Sapphire's Place, the Nifty archive, and Fictionmania) very rarely tackled trans issues. The first gender-bender story I read with an actual trans character was probably in the mid-2000s, but they didn't become really common, at least on the TG fiction sites I read, until just a few years ago. (I think trans characters and themes became common on BigCloset several years before they became common on TGStorytime, which happened a year or two the big exodus of trans authors to Scribblehub.)

 

[SternenklarenRitter]

I found a nice older manga that wonderfully expresses gender dysphoria, I think it was first published in 1997.

Blue Wars - MangaDex

Almost two years have passed since Ryousuke made his wish to become a beautiful girl. Although he continuously and faithfully tended the plant that was supposed to make this seemingly impossible transformation a reality, the miracle has yet to happen! To what lengths will Ryousuke go in order to...

mangadex.org

 

[foxoftheasterisk]

I prefer old, because the new ones aren't tackling transgender issues neither realistically nor seriously.

Ok, please explain, because I feel like it's exactly the opposite? (Not saying you're wrong just I don't see where you're coming from)

 

[SakeVision]

Ok, please explain, because I feel like it's exactly the opposite? (Not saying you're wrong just I don't see where you're coming from)

There is no dysphoria, and it's just wish fulfilment

 

[Emi_the_Fairy]

There is no dysphoria, and it's just wish fulfilment

That's not really true. Plenty of these stories deal with dysphoria and coming to terms with identity. Plus, gender euphoria is just even more important than the dysphoria IMO.

Plus there's more to trans issue than just dysphoria. There's the fear of coming out, facing one's family, rejection, transphobia, finding one's sense of style and identity, etc. And a lot of the trans focused stories here very much focus on the messy stuff before self-acceptance.

 

[SakeVision]

That's not really true. Plenty of these stories deal with dysphoria and coming to terms with identity. Plus, gender euphoria is just even more important than the dysphoria IMO.

Plus there's more to trans issue than just dysphoria. There's the fear of coming out, facing one's family, rejection, transphobia, finding one's sense of style and identity, etc. And a lot of the trans focused stories here very much focus on the messy stuff before self-acceptance.

Then, recommend me some of these stories.

 

[foxoftheasterisk]

Then, recommend me some of these stories.

Could've asked nicer, but sure. I even picked out ones with significant amounts of dysphoria for you, although as Emi said, dysphoria is far from the only or most important part of the trans experience.
Anyway:
Power Up! by OfficiallyZoe
Dissonant by LuminaMystere
A Family Of Witches by QuillRabbit
Plot Twist: It's Gay by Elamimax
Help! My Soulmate's a Lesbian?! by Rewq

These are all completed stories so have at them. If you want more recs feel free to look at my reading lists.

 

[SakeVision]

Could've asked nicer, but sure. I even picked out ones with significant amounts of dysphoria for you, although as Emi said, dysphoria is far from the only or most important part of the trans experience.
Anyway:
Power Up! by OfficiallyZoe
Dissonant by LuminaMystere
A Family Of Witches by QuillRabbit
Plot Twist: It's Gay by Elamimax
Help! My Soulmate's a Lesbian?! by Rewq

These are all completed stories so have at them. If you want more recs feel free to look at my reading lists.

How do you ask for recommendations nicley?

 

[Cipiteca396]

How do you ask for recommendations nicley?

With a question mark, usually. Maybe a please.

I'd also recommend anything by these two. It's easy to forget sometimes, but there's a lot of heavy stuff mixed into the wish fulfillment. It might not be to your taste, but the realistic stuff does exist.

QuietValerie's Profile | Scribble Hub

www.scribblehub.com

Trashlyn's Profile | Scribble Hub

www.scribblehub.com

 

[CL]

I found a nice older manga that wonderfully expresses gender dysphoria, I think it was first published in 1997.

Blue Wars - MangaDex

Almost two years have passed since Ryousuke made his wish to become a beautiful girl. Although he continuously and faithfully tended the plant that was supposed to make this seemingly impossible transformation a reality, the miracle has yet to happen! To what lengths will Ryousuke go in order to...

mangadex.org

Is that manga at all related to "Blue Drop"?

There is no dysphoria, and it's just wish fulfilment

Honestly, I can say that I've come across a few stories that were nothing but that. I'm not going to bash it because I sort of understand why. I got the feeling the author didn't want to write anything that was going to upset them. Those stories were meant to be nice and fluffy. Which sounds reasonable. Some stories are like that that only cover the "fluff" and none of the pain or efforts they made to gain that cushy life (if any work at all when magic is involved).

 

[ModernGold7ne]

i agree with this. rather than 'new' and old', it's more like the GB genre diverged into two sub-genres. Those being:
- 'classic' GB where it's just a physical thing (basically the stereotype of GB stories)
and
- Trans GB which delves more into the psychology and real issues that affect trans people (though usually involving either magical or technological means for the actual transition).

I look at it as the 'classic' GB is like fast food, something you consume that's not great but can fill you, whereas Trans GB is more like a proper diverse meal.
One minor annoyance i have with some (only a minority really) of trans GB stories is when you can feel the author's more extreme(?) beliefs and biases injected sorta unorganically into the story which, in my view, upsets the overall tone and feel of the story. Most of the trans GB stories i've read do manage to explore and enlighten on issues organically without coming off as an , for lack of a more fitting description, ideological propaganda piece.

Not every gb story delving into psychology is about the issues of transgenders, for example, the curses type, guy that pisses off who he shouldn't is genderbended out of spite, what I'm saying is just because a character has been gender bended doesn't mean the character wanted to be gender bended, depending on perspective, such a thing could be seen as an, annoyance, blessing or curse, and not necessarily relating to rl transgenders.
I mean I wouldn't want to be genderbended, I am used to how I am, like who I am and acceptance of my faults, so from my perspective if I was ever genderbended I would view it as a curse, and try my best to break said curse.

 

[Cipiteca396]

perspective if I was ever genderbended I would view it as a curse, and try my best to break said curse.

rl transgenders.

That's sort of the point.

You weren't trans to start with, but by being cursed, you would become trans. You would want to go back to yourself.

A lot of those curse-type genderbender are ironically transfriendly, even when they're really, really not. A sort of broken aesop, I guess.

 

[ModernGold7ne]

That's sort of the point.

You weren't trans to start with, but by being cursed, you would become trans. You would want to go back to yourself.

A lot of those curse-type genderbender are ironically transfriendly, even when they're really, really not. A sort of broken aesop, I guess.

Didn't say nothing about being transfriendly, only said not all gb with the phycological tag deals with the issues of transgenders.

 

[aattss]

I learned from the smut I've read that not all non-binary or trans characters are meant to be representations of real non-binary/trans people and experiences. I don't have a problem with that inherently, but one thing I've noticed is that I don't like when gender change is this external force that opposes and overcomes a character's own feelings on the matter. If a character wants to live as the gender that they were rather than the gender the author transformed them into, then I find it annoying when other characters or the narrative itself is dismissive of them for being "wrong" about their own gender, even if it is within the author's power to later decide the character's gender by making them suddenly be fine with their new biological gender. So, I would prefer that people (at least those not intended to be assholes) respect the character's autonomy in how they decide to represent themselves regardless of what choice they make, such that any non-physical aspect of the gender change comes from the character themself.

 

[bigbear51]

It's just the same as any other modern writing. Treating the old as outdated, intolerant, etc, to uplift the current as supposedly more relevant and tolerant to views held.