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Ambiguous Name: Everybody Wants The Hermaphrodite

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To-do list:

  • It was decided to redefine Everybody Wants the Hermaphrodite by narrowing the definition to be about intersex characters being considered intrinsically attractive rather than intersex + androgynous people in general (since most the examples are about intersex people already), as well as rename the trope to Intersex Allure, and send the 'androgyny is attractive regardless of gender' idea to the Trope Idea Salvage Yard or TLP.

    Original post 
Note: This thread was proposed by Orbiting.

Everybody Wants the Hermaphrodite's description says that it's "When a hermaphrodite, intersex, or otherwise androgynous character is so attractive that they inspire worship and desire in both males and females ... The idea is that no matter what gender you like, this person has some characteristics of that". Both the on-page and off-page examples show a wide range of usage, though, and the name has come up before on the Trope names with outdated and/or offensive language thread, as 'hermaphrodite' is today considered an outdated and offensive way to refer to intersex people.

Wick check results:

  • Intersex character is lusted after for being intersex: 22%
  • Intersex character is lusted after for being androgynous: 4%
  • Non-intersex character is lusted after for being androgynous: 8%
  • Intersex character is portrayed as the most attractive person in the work: 8%
  • Intersex or transgender character happens to be attractive/have a love interest: 10%
  • People who can shapeshift are attractive: 2%
  • ZCEs and potholes: 24%
  • JFF, sandboxes, etc.: 14%
  • Other misuse: 8%

So, there's 3 tropeworthy ways this is being used: Androgyny is portrayed as attractive, regardless of the gender or intersex status of the androgynous person (12%), intersex people are portrayed as attractive due to either being naturally androgynous or from fetishized by other characters (26%), or an intersex person is the most attractive person within a work (as considered by other characters), sometimes supernaturally so (8%). Interestingly, none of the examples I found talked about the characters being nonbinary, apart from Transgender Tropes entry that implied being androgynous and being nonbinary were the same thing.

I suggest narrowing the defintion to be about works portraying intersex people in paticular as intrinsically attractive rather than intersex + androgynous people in general (since most the examples are about intersex people already), rename, and send the 'androgyny is attractive regardless of gender' idea to the Salvage Yard.

Wick check:

Everybody Wants the Hermaphrodite's on-page examples seem to be split between characters that are actual hermaphodites (rather than being intersex or nonbinary), characters who are adrogenyous in an attractive way, and characters who are nonbinary. This wick check is to see how it's being used on the rest of the wiki.


     A character is lusted after because they're intersex (including the pop-culture idea of a hermaphrodite); 22% 
  1. Hermaphrodite: If said character is highly sought after, see Everybody Wants the Hermaphrodite.
  2. Even the Guys Want Him: Defines Everybody Wants the Hermaphrodite as being the intersex counterpart to Even the Girls Want Her and Even the Guys Want Him(?)
  3. Even the Girls Want Her: If the character is intersex, then it becomes Everybody Wants the Hermaphrodite.
  4. TabletopGame.Black Crusade: The Hermaphrodite Gift of Slaanesh doubles the degrees of success for interaction tests.
  5. Attraction to Outliers: Intersex people are portrayed as inherently attractive due to their Ambiguous Gender.
  6. No Biological Sex: If Everybody Wants the Hermaphrodite is in effect, they may, in fact, have a very active sex life.
  7. Characters.Total War Warhammer The Daemons Of Chaos: Slaanesh in general embodies this trope and N'kari, with a body and voice that are arrestingly both male and female, is one of the god's greater personifications.
  8. Characters.Shinshaku Hokuo Shinwa: Is liked by men and women alike in Asgard. This is also something that has put him in danger when he was younger when adults would desire his child body. I guess?
  9. Literature.Phryne Fisher: Deconstructed in Blood and Circuses. Mr. Christopher the intersex circus performer attracts a wide range of admirers, but it does not end well. In the "murdered by his Abhorrent Admirer who considered Christopher his "perfect woman" even though Christopher lived as a man when he wasn't performing and already had a a fiancee" sense of "not ending well."
  10. Literature.Jacobs Ladder Trilogy: Mallory, the self-chosen hermaphrodite necromancer, invokes this when trying to talk Rien into having sex by insinuating that it's more interesting with a partner who is both male and female in one. It works on Rien, though whether this trope holds true for everyone else on their Small, Secluded World Colony Ship or Mallory is just starved for attention remains unclear.
  11. Bisexuality Tropes: Hermaphrodites have something to offer to any gender preference.

     Intersex person (including the pop-culture idea of a hermaphrodite) is lusted after for being androgynous, 4% 
  1. Characters.Terra Ignota: Sniper is an androgynous celebrity who is able to pose as both a man and a woman and deliberately keeps their gender secret, selling sex dolls of themself of either sex. It goes so far that Sniper gets kidnapped occasionally by fans wanting more than just the doll. One character who does that during the story finds out that Sniper actually has both sexual organs and wonders if they were born like that or had had surgery to prevent disappointing fans, seeing as Sniper is not above engaging in the oldest profession for fun.
  2. Literature.Raptor: Thorn (and his alter ego Veleda) is extremely attractive to both men and women. A monk and a nun both sexually pursue him while he is still a child. In his teenage years, Thorn begins taking lovers of both genders, starting with Gudinand. As an adult, Thorn constantly beds female slaves and prostitutes, free men and women, and another hermaphrodite. Thor/Genovefa is even more promiscuous.

    A non-intersex person is lusted after for being androgynous, 8% 
  1. Characters.Codex Equus Equestrian Pantheon: Though androgynous, they're stunningly beautiful. They managed to get Stoltur completely smitten to the point of expressing his desire to "bang" them, though this might be because one of their components is Stoltur's husband, Caerulus Melodia. For their part, they know this and has returned Stoltur's affections, but never moves past flirting out of respect for Winter Opera. That being said, they don't like being objectified for their beauty.
  2. Ambiguous Gender: Can be one of the attractive things that leads to Everybody Wants the Hermaphrodite.
  3. Transgender Tropes: Androgynous/nonbinary characters are attractive to people of a variety of genders and sexual orientations.
  4. Manga.Welcome Back Alice: Kei’s androgynous appearance gets them admiration and attention from boys and girls.

     Intersex person is portrayed as the most/one of the most attractive people in the work, 8% 
  1. Literature.The Cornelius Chronicles: Everyone who see C. Brunner follows it (see below), culminating in a mass exodus of European population centers that ends when they all march lemming-like into the ocean.
  2. Gender and Sexuality Tropes: An intersex character has the most admirers.
  3. Characters.Pathfinder Empyreal Lords: They canonically "combine the most attractive traits of femininity and masculinity" and their portfolio includes beauty and sexuality.
  4. Manga.Kimera: Osamu falls for Kimera straight away, Jay says he's going crazy when he first sees him, then later the men who end up raping him, Kianu is also revealed to have been in love with Kimera.

     A character who is transgender or intersex has a love interest or happens to be attractive, 10% 
  1. Characters.Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Crew Of The Ptolemios: She clearly have huge crush with Tieria Erde. Mileina finally confess her feeling to him before Setsuna departure to ELS Wars, saying that no matter how he is now, she will always love him.
  2. Literature.Chakona Space: Numerous examples of supposedly straight or even bigoted characters falling for Chakats. Other herms aren't always so lucky.
  3. Haiku.Hermaphrodite: She has a penis
    She's proud of her uniqueness
    So is her boyfriend.
  4. WebAnimation.Overly Sarcastic Productions: Asu-shu-namir, an intersex person created by Ea, is able to rescue Ishtar by seducing Ereshkigal. Subverted in that Ereshkigal cursed gender non-binary people to be outcasts in retaliation, and double subverted in that Ishtar gave them the gifts of healing and prophecy to counterbalance this and Ereshkigal still wants them.
  5. Literature.Misfortune: Rose is frequently hit on by people of all genders. Potholed as 'Everybody Wants The Trans Girl'

     Person who can shapeshift/change genders at will is lusted after for that, 2% 

     Zero-context examples and potholes, 24% 
  1. Literature.Halfway Human: Tedla, constantly.
  2. Sliding Scale of Beauty: Steven Universe has Stevonnie as Divine Beauty, as they effortlessly attract both female and male characters.
  3. Theatre.Hedwig And The Angry Inch: Hedwig becomes a sex symbol.
  4. Characters.The Sandman 1989 The Endless: They milk this for all it's worth to that end.
  5. Informed Attractiveness: Slaaneshi troops are supposedly entrancing to look at, with Slaanesh hirself being a walking Charm Person spell. Presumably, Everybody Wants the Hermaphrodite in 40K.
  6. DarthWiki.Cardians Rural: Has a reputation for causing this, as a result.
  7. Characters.Voyage Of The Eldritch: Just the trope name
  8. Recap.Sailor Moon S Ep 19 Usagi Dancing To The Waltz: Haruka proves to be so popular for her waltz skills that she gets a crowd of ladies and gentlemen asking her to be their next partner.
  9. Characters.Grown Ups: Joked about by both male and female characters on Beefcake and her relationship with Marcus.
  10. Clueless Chick-Magnet: Being made out of two children, Stevonnie is never aware why people seem to be so interested in them. Of BOTH genders no less!
  11. StevenUniverse.Tropes A To D: It also seems that the more stable and kind a fusion is, the better they'll appear. Stevonnie looks like a perfectly normal (and attractive, judging by the other character's reactions) teenager.
  12. Radio.Opie And Anthony: Well, Jim Norton would be fascinated, anyway.

     JFF, sandboxes, etc., 14% 

     Other misuse, 8% 
  1. Fanfic.A Dream: Averted. No one wants to be around Colombia and her massive package. Aversions are not notable.
  2. Characters.The Secret World Tokyo NP Cs: Subverted. Kaoru has been forced to endure a great deal of prejudice and cruelty from people who have learned her secret. So far, the only person who's displayed any sort of sexual interest after learning the truth is Ricky Pagan, but thanks to their disastrous breakup, Kaoru refuses to believe him. This is Intersex Tribulations
  3. Characters.Fullmetal Alchemist Envy: Envy's default form is attractive, androgynous, and they wear a revealing outfit that shows off their muscles and curves. This is a fan reaction; no one in-universe thinks Envy is attractive
  4. Characters.Dungeons And Dragons Races: Subverted; the hermaphroditic lizardfolk are regarded as holy, being made in Semuanya's image, but their intelligence alienates them from their mono-gendered kinsfolk, who regard intelligence as an unnatural and undesirable trait. Furthermore, they're sterile, so they can't have children anyway. Not sure what trope this is, but I don't think this is a subversion

Edited by GastonRabbit on Dec 22nd 2023 at 3:16:24 AM

AudioSpeaks2 He/Him (Greenhorn) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
He/Him
GastonRabbit Sounds good on paper (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
Admiralakbar1 Admiral Ackbar from none of your business Since: Dec, 2013
Admiral Ackbar
#53: Dec 4th 2023 at 1:52:50 PM

[up] agreed, 10/10 punnery.

In that same vein, thoughts on Everybody Wants the Hermaphrodite being renamed to something like "Intersex Fanservice", or would that get too close to the line between thematic naming and snowcloning?

GastonRabbit MOD Sounds good on paper (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#54: Dec 18th 2023 at 1:34:20 PM

Clocking due to a lack of activity.

Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
GastonRabbit Sounds good on paper (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#56: Dec 19th 2023 at 4:18:26 AM

Neglected to mention earlier that if someone could post a list of crowner options, I could hook a crowner and shut off the clock.

Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
Admiralakbar1 Admiral Ackbar from none of your business Since: Dec, 2013
Admiral Ackbar
#57: Dec 19th 2023 at 7:13:58 AM

There was already a crowner to narrow the scope to just "intersex is attractive/alluring" instead of androgyny, and handle the idea of "androgyny is alluring" separately—either working on something within this thread, or by sending it to the TLP or Trope Salvage Yard.

There was also talk of renaming the current trope. Here are the suggestions:

  • Intersex Magnetism

  • Intersex Allurement

  • Intersex Fetishization

  • Intersex Fanservice

  • (Keep the current name)

GastonRabbit MOD Sounds good on paper (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#58: Dec 19th 2023 at 2:06:41 PM

Hooked a crowner for what the new name should be (based on the above post) because I looked back and saw we already decided to rename when we decided to redefine. I also shut off the clock.

Edited by GastonRabbit on Dec 19th 2023 at 4:07:24 AM

Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
shadowblack Since: Jun, 2010
#59: Dec 19th 2023 at 2:31:02 PM

How about Intersex Allure instead of Intersex Allurement? Shorter and easier to remember, at least for me.

Intersex Magnetism sounds to me like a trait of a character who attracts intersex characters.

GastonRabbit Sounds good on paper (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#60: Dec 19th 2023 at 3:45:48 PM

[up]Both of those sound like good points, so I added Intersex Allure and downvoted Intersex Magnetism.

Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
wingedcatgirl I'm helping! from lurking (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
I'm helping!
#61: Dec 20th 2023 at 6:25:18 AM

Posting to make public that we upvoted Intersex Allure and did not vote either way on any other option.

Trouble Cube continues to be a general-purpose forum for those who desire such a thing.
MyFinalEdits Officially intimidated from Parts Unknown (Ten years in the joint) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Officially intimidated
#62: Dec 20th 2023 at 6:28:43 AM

I voted in favor of Intersex Allure as well.

135 - 161 - 273 - 191 - 188 - 230 - 300
GastonRabbit MOD Sounds good on paper (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#63: Dec 22nd 2023 at 1:14:07 AM

Calling in favor of Intersex Allure. Get a sandbox ready.

Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
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19th Dec '23 2:04:42 PM

Crown Description:

It was decided to redefine Everybody Wants The Hermaphrodite by narrowing the definition to be about intersex characters being considered intrinsically attractive rather than intersex + androgynous people in general (since most the examples are about intersex people already), and send the 'androgyny is attractive regardless of gender' idea to the Trope Idea Salvage Yard or TLP. In addition, it was decided to rename the trope. What should the trope's new name be?

Total posts: 63
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