OLN: Daybreak on Hyperion

[Himeko Inaba]

If I had a surprise sex change, I'd freak out then. If a man turns into a woman and starts menstruating, he'll probably think..."That actually works? It's the genuine article?"

[Aorii]

Unfortunately not everything come with prescription labels: your reaction may vary, depending on a multitude of factors.

All I can say is that certain sections took a lot of research on intergender knowledge and opinion gathering to write XD

[BitterSugar]

] opinion gathering to write XD

LOL, did you go up to people asking "How would you react if your gender changed suddenly?"

[Aorii]

No, but I did ask my friends with the topic of "I'm writing a genderbender novel"... oh, and reading a lot of LGBT web material.

The conversations weren't nearly as dramatic xP

[Himeko Inaba]

Soul transplants are the sort of thing you can't get an expert opinion on, so don't sweat it.

[ldvtho]

Soul transplants are the sort of thing you can't get an expert opinion on, so don't sweat it.

LOL. And I was just about to ask about the methodology, sample size and sample composition.

[caparo]

Soul transplants are the sort of thing you can't get an expert opinion on, so don't sweat it.

LOL. And I was just about to ask about her methodology, sample size and sample composition.

Imagine if this sort of question was asked in a proper survey. Imagine the reaction on people's faces.

[Aorii]

@Idvtho : Not quite as varied or diverse as I would like. But in addition to the usual, I know people with Gender Identity Disorder whose seriously researched the implications of changing gender, and one of my beta-readers is a Ph.D. in psychology/education specializing in youth development. That count? ^^

@Caparo : As you walk down the aisle, someone hands you a survey, beginning with: "Assume your gender is suddenly reversed, what would you..."
(o_O )

[Himeko Inaba]

I still think you're in uncharted territory here. Not often does a regular man decide to take on the role of a woman, and never once because his body had a genuine sex change with all the physical and mental differences. Kaede doesn't strike me as someone who could make such a decision for any other reason. This idea of -deciding- which role you take, instead of accepting what feelings you were born with, might sound distasteful to modern gender theorists, but it has been as natural to me as it is to Kaede. To answer your question more seriously, my reaction to the sudden sex change would depend on my stats - strength, attractiveness, etc - but I would probably accept my new gender and enjoy it provided the new body was a good one. In short, I'd rather 'match.' If I can retain my old memories it's cool.

[Kadi]

Hmm... I think as long as they don't feel like they got the short end of the stick, many people would learn to deal with it, in time. However, when you're suddenly going from good-looking to ugly or from fit to fat without compensation, I think there will be some grudging for quite some time. Or if a lover is involved. Or extreme chauvinism. Come to think of it, aren't there movies that deal with chauvinists soul-swapping into a woman's body? I know those are more comedic, but there might be an idea or two to be found...


And gender theorists, huh... the matter of "deciding what gender to be" should only be discussed once it's really a free decision. As amazing as our technology has become, you still lose too much with nothing to gain for it by going through sex change operations. Unless you're mentally of the other sex already and suffer in your current body, you're WAY better off remaining what you are. Unless that is changed, the decision isn't free. And once perfect sex changes are possible... well, then I think everyone who can afford it and has been briefed on what's ahead of him/her should be free to go through with it, gender theorists and religious nuts be damned. Well, gender theorists may still research gender psychology/psychological development and maybe help substantiate that "briefing", but I have the feeling many of those current "gender theorists" wouldn't leave it at that...

[Aorii]

It's gathering information on facts and views, not decision making in any way. No one can make one's decision except for oneself. Especially since the entire modern argument on gender and sexuality revolves around individuality. Furthermore, no decision will hold firm unless it's nailed down by both preference and circumstance -- all opinions and views are variable to change with the passing of time.

This is part of why I state it's entirely too early to say male or female. Bodies differ. Lifestyles differ. Societies differ. Kaede hasn't spent nearly long enough time to make an informed decision. ^^"


@Kadi
Actually, people always feel like they got the short end of the stick unless they see obvious advantages. Hence why the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

One of the most interesting gender discussions I've had resulted in the conclusion: "When too much testosterone gather, people get idiotic. When too much estrogen gather, people get bitchy." People merely idealizes what they don't know as well.

<sarcasm>Sinner! You dare trend upon the realm of god!?</sarcasm>
=P

[Kadi]

YES I DO! I'M A GENIUS!

*coughcough*


Anyway. If too much testosterone makes you stupid and too much estrogen makes you bitchy... the middle way is the way to go? Both-ways functional hermaphrodite? ... I never thought the Japanese were on to something with that fetish of theirs.


And no, I don't think I got the short end of the stick. Being a girl has so many bothersome aspects to it... I'd have to be real cute for me to not Mikuru (lol) about suddenly waking up perfectly girl. ...Kaede-cute.... <3

[Himeko Inaba]

People merely idealizes what they don't know as well.

The implication here is that people expect members of the other gender to exemplify their associated ideals more than members of their own?

Dunno, man.

[E] At least for the past few decades, social pressure to be more manly or more womanly comes from members of the same sex and not the opposite. Big example: Guys, especially in America and Western Europe, would like women to be more feminine, but they also just want women. If almost all the women become less attractive or less feminine for some reason - an obesity epidemic, for example - it's not like they're going to be celibate. Normaldude's less likely to find his dream girl, but he'll settle. Most of the remaining social pressure comes from other women, but even these have to put in less effort to be the more attractive choice to the majority of dudes when the overall trend, for both sexes, is towards androgyny. The effect strengthens with each generation.

In Japan, the herbivore men have created a contrary effect. When more women than men want to marry, competition among females intensifies while the carnivore men relax.

That's for cultures where women can support themselves. In an actual patriarchy it's different. Look at the beards on Saudi Arabian dudes - no one dares tell them to shave.

[Aorii]

Volume 2 chapter 8 finally posted...
http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index ... _Chapter_8
That chapter took a long time to edit. Also maps, because this fight is complicated.
So tired of writing combat. Done with that for a while. R&R (aka Slice of Life with politics) time XD

@Kadi: I don't even... =P

@Himeko: Well yes, cultural/social expectations is what defines both gender roles and expectations. Trends like Japan's "herbivore men" certainly do shift the paradigm as we know it -- which is interesting since Japanese culture is still very conservative and thus the female partner is still considered the lesser of the family structure.

I often wonder what the marriage culture in Soviet Union after WWII was like. Since (1) communism believes very strongly in gender equality for its time but (2) the gender ratio was massively skewed (more than any other modern period) due to the heavy losses in men during the war.

[Kadi]

I thought the classic Japanese family had the husband holding the reigns outside their own four walls and the wife holding the reigns within...?