Yeah. "Trans-ness" in fantasy needs to be a completely different animal, often at allegory-level only, and they treat it like some dystopian version of the real world.
Everything in a fantasy or sci-fi setting inherently comes with a "why?" question. Why is this? Why isn't that?
While every aspect of a character isn't necessarily meant to move the story along, it should still explain the world and setting in some way. A person has a metal arm? Either explain how they got it, or how the tech is important, or otherwise, it isn't important to note. A guy wants to have sex as a female version of himself but is unable to? Why is this plot point relevent? Does it imply some key limitations of the setting's magi/tech? Is it a serious personal character flaw that the immediate solution is readily accessible, but he doesn't want to use it?
It's never about the presence of these characters, it's about the why they exist, narrative-wise. If a wave of a wand and a "Phallus phantasmus" resolves the problem, then why is there a problem? If they DID solve the problem that way ages ago, then why is it still a problem now? Why is a prior issue brought up? Prior issues are brought up as Chekov's Guns. How does long-prior gential dismorphia map onto future critical plot devices and developments? I've yet to see a show that answers these things.
Yeah. "Trans-ness" in fantasy needs to be a completely different animal, often at allegory-level only, and they treat it like some dystopian version of the real world.
Everything in a fantasy or sci-fi setting inherently comes with a "why?" question. Why is this? Why isn't that?
While every aspect of a character isn't necessarily meant to move the story along, it should still explain the world and setting in some way. A person has a metal arm? Either explain how they got it, or how the tech is important, or otherwise, it isn't important to note. A guy wants to have sex as a female version of himself but is unable to? Why is this plot point relevent? Does it imply some key limitations of the setting's magi/tech? Is it a serious personal character flaw that the immediate solution is readily accessible, but he doesn't want to use it?
It's never about the presence of these characters, it's about the why they exist, narrative-wise. If a wave of a wand and a "Phallus phantasmus" resolves the problem, then why is there a problem? If they DID solve the problem that way ages ago, then why is it still a problem now? Why is a prior issue brought up? Prior issues are brought up as Chekov's Guns. How does long-prior gential dismorphia map onto future critical plot devices and developments? I've yet to see a show that answers these things.