Just curious, does anyone on Vizzed read any gender-swapping or gender-bending books or series? Recently, Stephanie Meyer released a book called Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined, in which most of the characters have been gender-swapped. Would a series like this appeal to you? Why or why not?

Yuna1000 :

Well, if anything, this merely reinforces just how much the fanfiction and Twilight community are connected. Ugh, and I used to have to sort through a bunch of Vampire fanfics about Sonic just to find stories that weren't absolutely terrible and cheesy. I have never seen Twilight, but given the fanfics I breezed over and their apparent focus on romance I can't say that series leaves me with a desiring impression.

At any rate. . . no, gender swapping does not appeal to me. I am never comfortable when I see people do it in writings or comics. In fact, I see much of it take place for. . . err. . . less appropriate reasons.

I will not throw the trope completely out, for I'm sure it could be done well. . . but I have no desire to try it myself, and I have to wonder what good would come of it. Perhaps a man who get's to experience the world from a woman's point of view and expected duties? That might be interesting- so long they remember that female brains are wired differently, and as a result the mindset will not be 1:1 with that of a male's. For some reason, people like to get offended when I say things like that. I have no idea why, it's a beautiful thing which Yahovah has made. It certainly does not mean to say that one gender is inferior!

It could be interesting! But I do not like where many people go with it, or the underlying reasons for such an experience. Thus I prefer to stay away. Someone could do it right though, I'm just not sure who, and I doubt that this pioneer would end up being me.

I never head, however I do really want to read the twighlight one. Never read the original nor like it, but I'm very curious as to how it plays out.

I can't say I've ever read any (knowingly at least) but I find the concept interesting after hearing about it. Seems like something that would go to show the difference in how we perceive the different gender roles which I think is a good thing. We shouldn't be limited by the expectations society place on us.

I don't think I have any books like this but they do sound interesting.

Wow, I'm glad some people are actually interested in trying out books like these. XD

I'm not against stuff like this, but this is just a stupid idea. It sounds like it's just copying the original story and switching the characters and calling it a story they made. I have no interest in reading stuff like this, since it just sounds like one big scam of sorts.

I sometimes read gender-swapped fan-fictions, which aren't far removed from books, and sometimes, they surprise me.

To me, the test of a good book is one that you can swap the genders, and the interactions carry a different tone and meaning, but the overall story isn't changed. Because in real life, it's basically the same.

I read books all the time. I enjoy fiction and I like the development of stories.

I have never read a book where the main focus or even a large element was that of gender-swapping. I read Harry Potter and some other books where people swap out their characteristics and look like different characters, some female, some male, but the main element wasn't, "Hey, look at me now!"

I don't actively look for anything like that but I wouldn't shy away either. I laugh at people who take gender constructs as overly serious. We're all humans first and then whatever we want to be called second. That doesn't matter to me so it's not a story-telling element I find overly desirable to read about.

I don't read physical books, but I DO tend to read transformation stories, mainly the type of stories where people get turned into video game characters.

That.. is an odd concept..

I don't think I could see Sherlock Holmes as a woman, doing what holmes did. It's not very ladylike to inject a cocaine mixture into your arm, or smoke a lot. I suppose at that point, I'd have to check something like that out simply because I can't imagine how it would work.

If the genderswapping changes something relevant in the story, then I'm all for it, if it is just a retelling of a story that wasn't much fun and barren, to begin with, then I'll pass.

In general, this story genre just surprises me. It doesn't typically change the plot, nor the cast of characters within it. I feel that it gives more of an unethical approach.

Also to be cold-hearted, I know I shouldn't say this: but stereotypes present in books don't work once swapped to the opposite gender. That's not to say at all that girls aren't strong or clever, but the fact is that books on this scale generally deal with realism and breaking that relatability just doesn't sit well with me.

It's an interesting concept. If the gender-swapping element of the book offers something new to the story, then it might be of interest to me, otherwise, there isn't much point to it.

As of right now, I've never actually read anything like this before, fanfiction or not. I think the only way I'd pick up something like this is if the book is a genre I like (romance is out of the question), and if it offers an interesting plot, then I might consider it. I'm open-minded, so it's entirely possible that it could appeal to me, who knows.