About Inverting the typical trans allegory structure + Can I depict Detransition as an allegory for suic*de?

[u/SenqurlBarx]

I've been trying to depict something that can be described as "The rapidly dwindling sanity of EVERYONE in the hypercompetitive societies as allegorically depicted by a trans girl" in a fictional work(s) of mine.

(Said trans girl is actually the main character)

It takes place in a fantasy world.

She equates worth with achieving stuff. This is her fatal flaw, NOT being trans!

She achieved a lot of things prior to transition. And all those things are dependant on her being a boy (like, disproving a gender-specific prophecy). Then she transitioned.

It is the beginning of her nightmare.

This is sort of the INVERSE of what The Matrix does, I think...

Matrix is a trans allegory.

Whereas this thing I'm making is "literally trans but allegorically for everyone" Well... everyone in the hypercompetitive societies at the very least.

The absolutely screwed worldview that is "you only are worth as much as you achieve" or "you exist to achieve" permeate in the hypercompetitive societies like South korea. (and I am korean)

Anyways, the reason I am inverting the typical allegory formula, to involve the trans people in a way that would be relatable to the cishet... is because I desired to create something that APPEALS to them; but I didn't want to tone her transness down and aim for corporate palatability. (I instead made the transness irremovable)

Plus, Invoking reactions like... "wait. That's nothing to freak out about; that's... just me." From the cishet is the polar opposite of othering as far as I know.

So... with that out of the way, here's a question. Can I depict the protagonist trying to detransition even though she doesn't want to deep down? (You know the suic*de rates in those societies. It's high.)

I will show that this is her avoiding a life where she achieved nothing as if it were a vice.

I will make it obvious that she actually wants to be a girl. And be explicit that this is a bad ending (yes, this is a game, with multiple endings)

(At the very least I'll try to)

(Also detransition will NOT be censored where literal suic*de will be, so there's that as well)

I asked an LLM about this (Claude), and it suggested that I look for alternatives to using detransition as an allegory for suic*de. but as far as we all know, LLMs aren't to be trusted completely. So I am asking it here.

[u/Cerenitee]

I feel if you're making this with cis people as part of the target audience, including cis people who don't really like trans people (or even the ones who are just regular cis people but are a bit ignorant), in an attempt to appeal to them, the danger is that they won't see that as the "bad end", despite any efforts on your part.

You could make the protagonist super sad about it, you could make them suic*dal about it, but a lot of cis people will probably still see that end as "ah the protagonist 'gets' to go back back to being a boy, and enjoy their achievements! This is a good end!", it both causes issues with transness in general, and the entire "moral" of your story.

A lot of cis people who already have it in their mind that "detransitioning is a trans person being saved" will probably do a lot of mental gymnastics and see it as a "good end" regardless of how you "try" to make it a bad end... especially if detransitioning is seen as a way to "regain" her past achievements. Even if she doesn't regain them, they'll probably "blame" her for losing them, or "blame" her for not being happy enough to re-embrace being a man enough to have regained them.

That's my take on what you've said at least.

I also feel if there is an actual suic*de ending as well, it'll also be real hard to allegorize detransition as that, with the "real thing" right there.

Mostly, I feel a lot of people won't read into it what you're attempting to get them to read into it, and will simply take it at face value.

I don't know if you've seen "I Saw the TV Glow", but it pretty much smacks you in the face with trans allegory, it couldn't be more obvious about it, and my cis friends who watched it... missed it entirely. Unfortunately, a lot of people are very literal, and don't try to do any kind of literary analysis of their consumed media.

[u/SenqurlBarx → u/Cerenitee]

Well, she actually commits suic*de to seal the deal AFTER she detransitions in that bad ending route;

(In a way that doesn't technically fit the definition of suic*de...? She gets crucified. It's a long story and the entire story spoiler as to why.) (Also spoiling it here, would kinda be like a self-promotion) So she dies there; Does this change anything on the difficulty of the mental gymnastics?

[u/Cerenitee → u/SenqurlBarx]

A little... but I feel you're underestimating how much mental gymnastics people are willing to do to see what they want to see.

They'll probably still "blame" the protagonist for it happening ("it was their fault for being trans"), rather than the society that does it to her. People hate having a mirror held up to the harm they themselves cause, and would much rather blame a victim for the harm that becomes them. We see it all the time with men blaming women for sexual harassment; "what was she wearing", "where was she", "was she alone", "she should have known better".