Sell/Unsell me on Genderbender Stories

[TheMangaGod]

Agreed. Why write a succubus if you aren't going to write sex in it?

Definitely seems counterintuitive. Might as well not have a succubus if there isn't any sex. It's pretty much the defining characteristic of one...

 

[AryaX]

Definitely seems counterintuitive. Might as well not have a succubus if there isn't any sex. It's pretty much the defining characteristic of one...

Problem is How?

There have been many stories that have Succubi as characters, but almost every time I end up wishing they would act the part a bit more... And yet every time a story has sex, its always boring, and I end up wishing the story would move on... Now... Maybe its just that none of the novels *I* have read had good sex scenes, or maybe its me? Maybe *I* am inherently unable to appreciate written sex scenes for some reason, but whatever it is, it is a *Fact* that every single time there is a sex scene in some novel, I *Always* end up wishing the scene would end already and the actual story would continue...

So... How? How do you make it Interesting?

 

[Localforeigner]

Problem is How?

There have been many stories that have Succubi as characters, but almost every time I end up wishing they would act the part a bit more... And yet every time a story has sex, its always boring, and I end up wishing the story would move on... Now... Maybe its just that none of the novels *I* have read had good sex scenes, or maybe its me? Maybe *I* am inherently unable to appreciate written sex scenes for some reason, but whatever it is, it is a *Fact* that every single time there is a sex scene in some novel, I *Always* end up wishing the scene would end already and the actual story would continue...

So... How? How do you make it Interesting?

I hear what you are saying. I find that there are stories I read for good plots and stories I read for...well, not the plot. And yeah, sex scenes can certainly get in the way of a good plot, I definitely won't disagree! As to how to do it, unfortunately that's going to be a matter for everyone's individual taste. But if I pick up a story featuring a Succubus as a main character, and it doesn't have sex scenes, it is a fact that I will be greatly disappointed and probably put said story down. Like, if you aren't planning on writing sex in it, just make the character a generic demoness with no specificity. Then it isn't setting expectations.

 

[AryaX]

There have been some nice hentai one-shot manga involving succubi, but... I've been wondering if, perhaps a succubus is a type of character that is just inherently incapable of carrying a longer story due to it simply being what it is?

 

[Localforeigner]

There have been some nice hentai one-shot manga involving succubi, but... I've been wondering if, perhaps a succubus is a type of character that is just inherently incapable of carrying a longer story due to it simply being what it is?

That's probably a fair assessment. I definitely think it would be difficult.

 

[TheMangaGod]

There have been some nice hentai one-shot manga involving succubi, but... I've been wondering if, perhaps a succubus is a type of character that is just inherently incapable of carrying a longer story due to it simply being what it is?

Maybe make the sex scene's extra chapters that aren't required for the plot but are there so you at least know that it's happening?

 

[OvidLemma]

There have been some nice hentai one-shot manga involving succubi, but... I've been wondering if, perhaps a succubus is a type of character that is just inherently incapable of carrying a longer story due to it simply being what it is?

I dunno, I've written two novels (not here on SH) with a succubus (well... technically a 'sex daemon') main character. They're definitely a bit smutty but have plenty of plot to them. If a succubus is *only* a succubus and not a well-realized character, then this will necessarily limit what you can do with them in the story. My succubus is a classics professor and budding witch, deeply in love with her sex daemon husband (though, unsurprisingly, they are poly), fiercely protective of her niece, and determined to protect the world from transdimensional evil. But if the story was just "I'm a sex demon OMG", then it would be a stretch to make it a good story, let alone a series.

 

[OvidLemma]

I frequently write Genderbender stories - roughly half of my stories are GB - and for me it's part of a broader theme exploring physical and psychological transformations and what makes us unique as people. Also, I sometimes just write fun smut. Often a bit of both, if I'm being honest. But, really, this is a theme that many other story tropes tap into. Look at all of the stories that are 'Weak to Strong', 'Strong to Stronger', 'Cultivation', etc. Look at virtually every LitRPG story out there. In these stories, we start with a central character who's essentially unmolded clay, transformed into something greater across the progression of the story. In any decent bildungsroman (coming of age) story, we have a young character developing and coming to realize who they are. Many of these same qualities are embedded in Genderbender stories, as are many aspects of coming to terms with and understanding aspects of your psychological and/or sexual identity. Obviously, there are quite a few stories out there about OMG I'm a boy/girl now LOL!, but if you look at the most ham-fisted examples of any genre, you're going to be disappointed. At its best, the GB theme/genre can explore characters and their development in deep and satisfying ways that are only rarely seen in other genres. And, when done well, the author can offer up a good damn story to boot.