I have posted 68 stories on Big Closet Top Shelf.
This week Laika said of my collection: "Such variety in your stories ... It's like some crazy anthology show that while some variation on a transgender theme is always there, it otherwise doesn't stick to any one genre. One day it's twilight zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents the next, then Love American Style or Death Valley Days."
Thank you Laika. As I said to her, that is just what I am trying to do.
But it did prompt me to look at what the readers on this site really like.
I am looking at kudos posted for various stories.
I confess that I don't have the time to go back to the start of a story which is now Chapter 22 of Book 4, but I do get that serials get the likes.
That seems right when you get caught up in something, and if every week or so it does not disappoint, the kudos calls for more.
I do not write novels as a general rule. My stories are stand alone, in my crazy anthology.
Just looking at my stories with high kudos levels, I am looking for clues ...
I posted a footballer/cheerleader story today because that seemed popular, but I wonder if "Quarterback" was more about the voluntary element?
Stories based on voluntary change rated highly: "Pretty", "New Plumbing", "Second Life" and "Searching".
Others over 150 kudos were "Specialist Nanny", "Wartime Romance", "Voice" and "Technology Malfunction".
None of my stories have cracked 200 kudos yet, so I guess I will just have to keep trying.
Maryanne
What Do Our Readers Like
A word from our sponsor:
Comments
Personally.......
I am much more likely to enjoy a story in which any change is voluntary, or even due to some outside force.
I do not like forced fem stories - especially those where someone claims they truly love the person they are humiliating and forcing to be someone they are not, usually “for their own good” or some such nonsense. I know that is a popular genre, but those stories bother me A LOT (to borrow Trump’s favorite phrase). If you love someone, you don’t humiliate them, you don’t hurt them, and you don’t force them to do things they don’t agree to - and coercing them or blackmailing them does not count as their choice.
Like most people, I like serials or longer stories - mostly because when I find a good story I don’t want it to end! But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy short stories, and there plenty of yours I love!
D. Eden
Dum Vivimus, Vivamus
Much like you,
I do not care for any of the forced fem stories. But, that being said, there is one that I found to be great: D.O.A. by Breanna Ramsey at https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/2872/doa . It has all the earmarks of a classic whodunnit, as well as emotion and action. I would highly recommend it!
Forced is Nasty
As a rule I do not write about forced feminization.
The exceptions are "Sporus" and "Indian Red" which are historical, "The Surgeon" which is a psychological thriller, and "Mermaid" which is ... well it is what it is.
My stories are "compelled by circumstance" rather than physical or mental abuse.
Thank you for for your comments.
Maryanne
Thank you
Thank you D. Eden I totally agree with you on all accounts of what I like in a story>
opinor ergo sum
Charlotte Van Goethem
I'm not sure that I'm typical in what I like.
I'm a bit of a prude and nearly any caution will cause me to give a story a pass. High on the list is a sex caution, followed closely by language and abuse (physical or emotional). Conversely a tissue caution will nearly always get me to give the story a read.
I particularly don't like any hint that men wearing women's clothes is related to a sexual fetish. Mind you I do realize that sex is a great part of human nature and we all have a sex drive. That allows me, in my stories, to include the idea that married couples seem to enjoy sex better when the male cross-dresses. But usually that is limited to the male being more attentive to the female's needs or the woman enjoying a softer, gentler partner, if perhaps more response.
As others stated, voluntary is a big issue for me. I tend to avoid stories that contain magic, because often the magic is a form of forced change where in the poor sap is changed because he ran afoul of a witch/wizard/leprechaun etc. and is zapped as a result. In spite of that, I've enjoyed SRU stories and the early Bikini Beach stories,
Likewise, hypnotism is often used to put the idea into a persons head where it didn't previously exist. Just another form of forced.
My particular bent in writing tends toward young boys discovering their feminine side in one way or another and coming to grips with it. However my story list does include three stories that depict a situation where protagonist first dresses as result of outside influences, as well as a smattering adults.
Those stories seem to have the greatest number of hits and kudos. "Dumb Bet", a story that revolves around a kid losing a bet and being required to dress as a girl for a week, has 45,983 hits and 376 kudos.
That's why I say that I'm not sure that I'm typical in what I like.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin eine Mann
Reason over Superstition
Hi Patricia,
Yes, transgender is not about fetishes. In some cases a transvestite adventure may compromise the transformee, but my girls are always girls at heart.
No magic for me. I am a person who believes in reason. So I am very skeptical about hypnosis. However, there is "Paralyzed" and possibly "The Bedsit" and "Devotee" but I prefer to think not.
For reasons I have just commented on, I tend towards older subjects in my stories. It does not suit my personal fantasy, I suppose
I am not looking for a formula, but now you have told me what it is, maybe it is time for my own dumb bet?
Maryanne
no force; but no 'so much better than the real girls'
I hardly read in Fictionmania any more because of their general style - femdom; sissies, force etc
But BC does have one category of story I find unsatisfying (even though I often read them *just once) where the new girl suddenly and thoroughly becomes nicer, cleverer, and often better looking and more skilled than the better-practised real-girls who have become her friends. It just exaggerates and makes the story unlikely.
Wot does anyone else think?
I Think You Should Read Sky
Available on Amazon through Doppler Press.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
I agree
I also find it bizarre that so many stories also promote such a stereotype of how to act like a girl. Dresses, makeup, nails, breasts etc. I know so many flat chested girls, tomboys, athletes etc but do many books seem to ignore this and seem to want to make their characters into the perfect sterotype of the most popular girl in the school
The forced fem question.
I always thought I would only like stories where the transformation was totally voluntary, but I've found that's not always the case. There are plenty of stories out there where the initial reason for the change of clothing/appearance was due to seduction (Laurenina), or for the sake of a job, or to hide from the mob or the law for example. So many on this site have done wonderful stories using those premises; other than MP, those authors include Stacyinlove (currently her stories are in self-imposed exile), Nina Adams, Janet Stickney, Karen Elizabeth L., Melanie Brown, Czolgolz, and a whole host of others. In the majority of these stories the transition is meant to be temporary and often is undertaken begrudgingly, but by the end is embraced more or less.
There are even stories that involve F4 (full-fledged forced fem) that have interesting and redeeming qualities to them, such as how the protagonist overcomes the abuse and eventually comes to live an acceptable life in spite of it. Many of the same above-named authors have these stories, as do I (Sacrificial Alter). What I don't like is abuse and violence magnified to starring roles, seemingly written as a turn-on for sadists. I much prefer when redemption and recovery are emphasized.
For me, some of my attraction to those stories may have subliminal underpinnings. In my life and position, voluntarily choosing to transition would be seen as insane, disgusting, sinful and depraved. I doubt I could pull it off and be happy, especially with my body type and family makeup. Yet, if I transitioned because I had to - either by being misled, or forced to accomodate my job or a witness protection program - that would make it not all my "fault" and more acceptable maybe? I'm not trying to justify my attraction here, rather just explain it.
As it comes to MP's stories, I think that roughly 50% are fantastically good, 30% very good, 12% pretty good, and 8% "meh" (most of the latter fall into the 'based on a caption' stories at FM; and really, only those that are F4).
Having said all of that, Erin's rules for authors and commenters here are listed in one of the right-hand columns, and none of them say to eschew forced fem. I do enjoy the quality and type of stories here more, as I'm not a BDSM fan (Some other sites seem to be waaaay dominated by that genre). Now with apologies to REM: Oh no I've said too much; I haven't said enough; I think that I hear you laughing. Bye.
Hugz! - **Sigh**
Sighs are the natural language of the heart.
-Thomas Shadwell
I always thought forced fem was a turn-on for masochists
More than it is for sadists. Which explains how a story that is mostly about degradation, cruelty and pain can get comments like "What a wonderfully abusive story... I wish I was her!!"
Those responses are mostly at FM; and here at BCTS the comments say things like, "Why is she doing this to him?" or "I hope he gets his revenge by the end of this series!!" Because people who aren't wired that way totally don't get masochism or the humiliating thrill of sissydom; while people that are probably find tales about voluntary transitions or about reluctant princesses who discover that they really like being a girl corny and boring. And I guess the difference is rooted in how we perceive and feel about ourselves. Those who like the latter type of story say things like "No one would have to force me, it's all I've ever wanted!" or they're actually doing something about it by transitioning. It's hard for someone like this to understand stories that speak of being 'reduced' to femininity or 'less than a man', when we see going from M to F as salvation, a correction of some grave cosmic mistake or at least a vast improvement. I like that there's both a Fictionmania and a Big CLoset Top Shelf, each geared (with some overlap) to a different audience, so everyone can have the stories they like...
I actually am something of a masochist and submissive myself, but it's not connect to my sense of gender/ Or at least not in the same way that forced fem is. My darker fantasies aren't about becoming feminized, but start with my already being female, which is why when I'm in a kinky mood I don't read forced fem but regular women's erotica geared toward bad girls who need a spanking.
~hugs, Naughty Lady Zoot
.
And I like your designation F4 for full-fledged forced fem- It makes me think of sirens going off and men running to their basements to escape violently whirling pink tornadoes that grab them up and deposit them miles away turned into sissy slut bimbos.
Well shit, I guess it really CAN happen here..,
.
The Lady Doth Protest Too Much
I have over 100 stories posted here. While there has always been a general outcry against forced fem the reality is this.:
Those stories of mine that involved some element of forced fem receive about twice as many hits as those that don't. Strangely the forced fem stories usually receive about half as many comments.
So we apparently have a closet within the Closet.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Sighing with a smile.
Thank you Sigh,
You have just listed some of my favorite writers.
You also echo my dilemma it would be some much easier for me if I were caught up in some situation which meant that I had to transition (as I tried once before). The decision is taken out of my hands so who could judge or criticize me?
I suppose that my writing is to offer people like us that hope, no matter how unlikely.
Maryanne
Hyper Femininity
Just another thought arising out of a couple of comments...
The stories where the new girl outdoes the "real-girls" may be unlikely, but I think that is the fantasy that many of us have.
Does this mean that we are projecting stereotypes?
If you read "The Transsexual Empire" by Janice Raymond then the answer is definitely yes. That is a book that argues that Transgender people like us would not exist but for the gender stereotypes imposed by men for their own benefit.
Is that right? Kez worries that we are perpetuating these stereotypes, perhaps as witless pawns.
Perhaps the author's most famous quote is: ""All transsexuals rape women's bodies by reducing the real female form to an artifact, appropriating this body for themselves".
What do we think about that?
Maryanne