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Assuming sufficiently advanced medical technology, what might people want changed to become what they consider themselves to really be?
Body changes, to begin with.
Transgender surgery. Better and safer than what's now available; including genetic change. There would still be social difficulties, of course.
People who feel they belong to some nonstandard gender would have more problems.
Otherkin: Changing to a Neanderthal body would be relatively simple. Other changes would not. If your true form is able to fly, it might not be possible to give you a body capable of flight. The largest flying creature known to science, Quetzalcoatlus, weighed 100 kg (slightly over 220 lb); but that shape wouldn't be suited to an angel or a dragon.
And getting a human-intelligent brain into that head would be a problem.
Some people would only need minor changes: a metabolism which makes it harder to gain weight, muscles capable of being stronger, better-looking genitalia, etc.
People who want these so they can have the bodies right for them might be hard to distinguish from, for example, those looking for competitive advantages.
Brain and nervous system changes, without obvious body change. Note that I'm talking about what people would want, rather than what doctors might recommend.
Whatever your usual mental state, in our time there are probably people taking illegal drugs to achieve it. (This might not apply if you're depressed, bipolar, or have Borderline Personality Disorder. But some people want very strange things.) When brain surgery advances to the point where it can replace such drugs, some people will want it.
There will be people who'll break any laws against medically unnecessary brain tweaking. Want to become more intelligent? Increase creativity by becoming bipolar or acquiring ADD? Glad to do it; cash in advance, or our friendly loan shark will arrange payments. Some of these change doctors will be competent.
Body changes, to begin with.
Transgender surgery. Better and safer than what's now available; including genetic change. There would still be social difficulties, of course.
People who feel they belong to some nonstandard gender would have more problems.
Otherkin: Changing to a Neanderthal body would be relatively simple. Other changes would not. If your true form is able to fly, it might not be possible to give you a body capable of flight. The largest flying creature known to science, Quetzalcoatlus, weighed 100 kg (slightly over 220 lb); but that shape wouldn't be suited to an angel or a dragon.
And getting a human-intelligent brain into that head would be a problem.
Some people would only need minor changes: a metabolism which makes it harder to gain weight, muscles capable of being stronger, better-looking genitalia, etc.
People who want these so they can have the bodies right for them might be hard to distinguish from, for example, those looking for competitive advantages.
Brain and nervous system changes, without obvious body change. Note that I'm talking about what people would want, rather than what doctors might recommend.
Whatever your usual mental state, in our time there are probably people taking illegal drugs to achieve it. (This might not apply if you're depressed, bipolar, or have Borderline Personality Disorder. But some people want very strange things.) When brain surgery advances to the point where it can replace such drugs, some people will want it.
There will be people who'll break any laws against medically unnecessary brain tweaking. Want to become more intelligent? Increase creativity by becoming bipolar or acquiring ADD? Glad to do it; cash in advance, or our friendly loan shark will arrange payments. Some of these change doctors will be competent.