#2 trans 2 furious

[victusinveritas]

[lgbtqreads]

Spotlight on: 2024 Lammy Finalists for Best Anthology

Today on the site we’re shining the spotlight on the 2024 finalists for the Lambda Literary Award for Best Anthology! Anthologies are pretty near and dear to my heart, having edited five of them, and I’m thrilled to help showcase these editors, contributors, and volumes before the Lammy Awards take place on June 11th! 2 Trans 2 Furious: An Extremely Serious Journal of Transgender Street Racing…

[unproduciblesmackdown]

and 2 trans 2 furious physical reprinting available for preorder

[nothingunrealistic]

:)

[sailororpheus]

That cover is sending me.

[severussnapedamagedlove]

Johnny Tran 🏁Chapter 2

Where She Belongs [johnny tran/f&f fic]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62854615/chapters/161380939

[mariacallous]

Ashley Poprik has never been the model for a video game character. As a writer on projects like Spider-Man 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, they work on games, not as characters within them. In 2023, however, a cabal of angry gamers was convinced otherwise. They were furious over how Spider-Man 2’s Mary Jane looked; more specifically, they complained, she simply wasn’t hot enough.

The problem, these gamers falsely claimed, was that Poprik—then a writing intern with no ability to change a character’s face, let alone one based on a real-life model—had inserted themself into the game. Gamers concocted this conspiracy based on a photo of the writer, placed side-by-side with Mary Jane; in the photo, Poprik and MJ both sport long hair with a middle part, are smiling, and have a similar face shape.

Poprik, who identifies as gender-fluid, describes themself as having androgynous features. “A big narrative spun up that I was a trans woman, and so I was getting hate from any alt-right winger,” they say.

“I was getting so many death threats, pictures of decapitated women, and YouTube videos about me that were just straight made-up information,” Poprik says. “It forever changed the way I feel about video games.”

Eventually, things got so bad that Poprik had to wipe personal information from the internet out of fear for their safety.

Poprik has faced months of ongoing online harassment as well as in-person accusations of making things “woke”—especially for features within the games they had no involvement in. Yet in each case, Poprik says, they received no support or security resources from the companies they worked for.

“When a marginalized dev is harassed, they’re on their own,” Poprik says.

Today, being anything other than a cisgender game developer in the United States is more dangerous than ever. Online, transgender and gender-nonconforming developers become harassment targets at the whims of reactionary grifters railing against anything socially progressive or the result of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. Offline, President Donald Trump seeks to deny their existence with executive orders aimed at “restoring biological truth to the federal government,” restricting lifesaving health care for minors, and removing trans people from the military.

Other executive orders, though, pose a more imminent threat. Trump’s move to eliminate government funding for programs that battle discriminatory practices are already being mimicked by tech companies like Meta, Google, and Amazon. Developers fear their own employers could follow suit. Given that so much of what’s come to be known as “Gamergate 2.0” has focused on gamers railing against real or perceived DEI efforts, these worries don’t seem unfounded.

WIRED spoke with seven developers across the industry in workplaces ranging from AAA studios to small, independent companies. Many spoke to us only under the condition of anonymity out of concern for their safety or because they did not have permission to speak to the press on behalf of their companies. (WIRED independently confirmed all their identities and employment.) What emerged was a consistent narrative of fear, stress, and alienation that follows them into the workplace and is thriving in the online culture surrounding video games.

As Poprik notes, “being a queer person in games can feel really lonely.” Very few people seem to reach out to their affected colleagues, they add, and “sometimes it feels like the lack of any sort of support means they’re happy with the state of things right now.”

Ellen, a trans developer working in AAA games, says the thought of rolling back DEI initiatives in the games industry is particularly disconcerting because, while these programs offer support to employees, they also positively impact the larger games culture by fostering an industry that produces titles that speak to and welcome a larger group of players. (Ellen is a pseudonym.)

“At the corporate level, you're making a case why it's good business,” Ellen says. “But on a personal level you're trying to make sure your community has a space carved out in the company, and your fans have a space carved out in your games.”

Like the other developers WIRED spoke to, Ellen describes daily stress that bleeds over into her work. “The news comes like an assault,” she says. “Times like this just enforce that it's important to keep going, that art like only trans people could make needs to exist in the world more.”

Even as she wonders if she should leave the US altogether, Ellen is fearful of traveling within the country as well, given that protections for trans people vary by state. Laws related to even the basic ability to use the bathroom according to a person’s gender identity shift from place to place, and Trump’s recent moves are further complicating such matters.

Return-to-office policies in the games space, for example, are removing developers’ ability to work remotely—including in states where they may feel safer. Developers who travel internationally for work could also be at risk of losing their passports. The State Department, following the president’s executive order on “gender ideology,” is no longer issuing documents with “X” gender markers, and has begun confiscating passports and related documents indefinitely when people attempt to renew theirs.

Professionally, this spells trouble for affected developers. Many gaming events take place across the US, from Los Angeles to Boston. These gatherings are business opportunities for game developers, where they can network, learn from peers, scout new jobs, find funding, or show their games. Next month, thousands in the gaming industry will gather in San Francisco for the annual Game Developers Conference. But some developers will be forgoing the show out of concern for their safety.

“I'm concerned I'm going to get trapped in the US,” an American developer based in Canada tells WIRED. It’s also unclear if they’ll even be able to enter the States with their current passport. “No way I'm going to risk it.”

The video game industry has a poor history of standing up to targeted harassment. It’s only in the past few years that companies have begun instituting policies and taking serious action against abusive individuals. Developers themselves have complained that their companies are not doing enough to weed out harassment online. More than a decade later, the impact of Gamergate remains as a playbook for mob-driven harassment, and the communities to utilize it.

Three developers WIRED spoke to pointed to the events of Gamergate—a large-scale misogynistic and transphobic harassment campaign by online trolls in 2014 that profoundly affected all of gaming culture—as a sort of canary in the coal mine.

“Even before the bathroom bills, around the time of the first Gamergate, you could see people getting more and more bold with their anti-trans beliefs and folks just brushing it off as a ‘joke,’” says one developer. “But then jokes became memes, and memes became popular, and then an entire culture of spreading anti-trans hate became acceptable and something we are supposed to tolerate.”

Over the past year, anti-DEI efforts intensified in gaming communities as people blamed perceived flaws and flops on diversity efforts, while ignoring the macro factors of a struggling industry. Conservative circles targeted small companies and consultants they perceived as having influence on progressive values in video games. They went after anything they considered antithetical to games they wanted made—stories without minorities or queer characters, fictional women they think are attractive, and narratives bereft of what they view as leftist political agendas. Similar anti-DEI sentiments have since ripped through the tech industry and expanded nationally.

The trans community in games has felt these attacks acutely. Controversies around inclusion on something as small as optional top surgery scars in a character creator made developers targets. “It's felt like a slow creeping horror of watching right-wing party after right-wing party realize we're a softer target than the rest of the LGB community,” one developer says.

Many developers feel frustration that the gaming industry overall has remained silent so as to not alienate an imagined audience. “It signals to players and their own workers that the company lacks a spine in standing up for their work, while signaling internally that the bottom line will always be dollars,” says another developer. “Can’t piss off the bigots, because they spend money.”

It’s even more disheartening for trans, genderqueer, and nonbinary developers who work at the very companies that won’t publicly defend them. “I know there's a lot of the rainbow capitalism, ‘Hey, we're all in it together. Look at all these flags we're waving,’” says Dax, a trans developer at a AAA studio. (Dax is a pseudonym.) “But in the end, it's a company making money. They want to appeal to as many people as possible.”

Even among progressive colleagues, Dax feels disappointed in what she feels are empty platitudes: apologies with no action, or sentiments that appear to be empathetic of her experience, but reinforce the idea that she’s suffering alone. “I remember being a cis white man, and I was scared of saying anything, or doing anything,” she says. ”I wanted to stay in my lane and not bother anybody, and that's what they're doing. The second I transitioned, I was treated differently in the industry, overall.”

Over the course of reporting this story, WIRED reached out to companies that have previously participated in corporate pride events or included trans or nonbinary characters in their games, including representatives at companies such as PlayStation, Xbox, Riot Games, and Activision Blizzard, and asked about supporting their employees. Only one company replied: Devolver Digital. In a statement, the indie publisher said that it respects the rights of all individuals and does not tolerate discrimination, victimization, or harassment based on a person’s race, sex, gender identity, or gender expression. The company added that it will continue to support its colleagues by ensuring their voices are heard.

The developers WIRED spoke to are asking for more from the places that employ them, the people they work with, and the players that enjoy their games. “We should be out there being shown off,” Dax says. Companies should not shy away from hiring or representing queer communities in their games, many of the developers tell WIRED, and they want to see company DEI initiatives highlighted, rather than hidden away.

The industry is already bleeding talent through mass layoffs; refusal to support its own employees may push many more out the door. Even before the current administration, trans and gender-nonconforming developers faced discrimination. “I went from being trusted with my knowledge to being questioned,” Dax says of her transition. “They suddenly are not giving me the same respect or understanding.”

Dax says that some people are casting blame on the trans community and its current predicament for being “so out and proud.” She disagrees with that idea. “I want to see [companies] take bold choices and stand with us instead of cowering, wanting to appease this very loud, very small group of people who just can't stop slurring and screaming and being unreasonably hateful. By saying nothing, they're siding with hate.”

[unproduciblesmackdown]

excerpts from the Lambda Literary Award winning 2 Trans 2 Furious: an extremely serious journal of Transgender Street Racing Studies

[quiet-art-kid]

In honor of valentines day some more Httyd ships reviewed 

Fem Hiccup x Camicazi: 7/10 Ok HEAR ME OUT. I don’t know why but w/w Hiccami makes more sense to me than straight Hiccami. I also think I would be so cute if Hiccup was trans Fem and Camicazi helped her figure it out and was just super supportive the full way through. 

Horrorcow x Toothless: 4/10. She feels like more of a mother than a lover. I don’t like this ship but I don’t see anything wrong if you do like it. 

Camicazi x Blondielocks: 8/10. I am the only one writing for this crossover couple, but if they met even if they didn’t date, they would at the very least be best friends. 

Grimbeard x Chinhilda: 2/10 for happy-couple ship. 10/10 for bitter divorced-couple ship. 

Furious x Luna = 4.5/10. Like Hiccazi I have nothing for or against it. I like Luna but it’s a bit boring since we don’t have too much information on her. 

Hiccup I x Wodensfang:  1/10. I am VERY pro write what you wanna write but sometimes the stuff on Ao3 SCARES me. 

Old Wrinkly x the witch: 7/10. HEAR ME OUT GUYS. I know it’s super toxic, but I feel like putting  these 2 in a jar like bugs and shaking it, like watching them love-hate each other could be so much fun. 

Strangulator x Alvin: 10/10. Alvin would. Freak.  

Stormfly x Fireworm: 6/10. They are both pretentious gays with an ego. It might work. 

Madguts x Gumboil: 9/10. WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY AREN’T MARRIED???

[xstarkillerx]

Brian and Guilt

Brian O'conner headcanon

Hop hop 🐇

It's obvious in those early movies that Brian is left with a shit ton of guilt. He's never forgotten killing Johnny Tran, watching Jesse get shot down, tearing Dom's family apart, and we know because of 2 fast 2 furious, and f&f 4 that he often has a subconsious desire to attone for his actions. Whether it's letting dom go because of his guilt about Roman, recruiting Roman because of his guilt about Dom, so on and so forth. Something I would imagine he also feels he needs to attone for is Mia. She was 19 in that first movie, you know, 19 and pre-med on scholarship because Dom wanted her to go to medical school and what did he do while he was undercover? Brian fucked her, he used her, manipulated her, made her trust him, and it doesn't matter what excuse he uses, whether it was in the name of the law, or he had genuine feelings for her, he destroyed her life before she could even legally drink in the united states of America, and it haunts him to no fucking end.

I headcanon that after he leaves California and makes way for Miami, he often uses sex to distract himself, turn his brain off, get that guilty pit in his stomach to calm down for a second. Not only does it affect his sexual appetite but his tendencies too. He becomes a little more averse to recieving his own pleasure, never quite to the degree of a touch-me-not, but definitely in that ballpark because after the cloud of aroual wears off, that guilty feeling comes back. He likes to make it last long, likes wearing girls out, likes putting his body to work making them feel good, as his own subconsious form of atonement.

He could spend hours with his tongue burried in a cunt, loves to have you sitting on his face making him feel good and used. He's got hungry hands too, grabbing the meat of your thighs, your tits, your waist, digging his nails into your ass when you grab his hair tight. Loves when you start shaking because it means it's time to switch positions, put you on your back and shove his fingers in your cunt, massaging those sensitive walls with his fingers, strong and calloused from mechanic work. And god, you know he loves hearing you too, needs you to be vocal, needs the stimulation of your pretty voice in his ear telling him how good he's making you feel. He likes making girls cum until they're all used up, sweating and twitching, barely able to move. He likes watching them in this state while his cock is still hard, barely touched. He also has a soft spot for the way their heavy arms reach out in their post-orgasm haze to wrap around his dick because they think they need to make him feel good too, only for him to cuddle up to them, kiss their sweet, damp skin and tell them he's good, "you don't have to," "maybe in the morning." He doesn't always intend to make good on that either, more often than not, he tip toes out of their apartments and out of their lives before they wake up and he can do any damage. He hits the road again, making way for the east coast.

🐇 hop hop

[vaxyl]

Hey can you share some of your Vax headcannons? What happened when he was seven in the mill? He died and came back to life?

Ooo! I love talking about my Vax headcanons, of course friend!

Gonna give you 5 of my favourite, though warning they get angsty!

[ Content warnings for talk of child death, transphobia, stilbirth, and a bit of fantasy racism.]

1) I headcanon that the reason why Vax'ildan is Fate Touched is because when Elaina was pregnant, she originally was only with one child - Vex'ahlia - but she was almost killed in an incident that deviated from her intended Fate, so Purvan Suul came to investigate things and seeing how young and scared Elaina was he had to heal her. (*1)

Unknown to Purvan though, Vex's soul had shattered when Elaina almost died and by healing Elaina he unwittingly healed Vex's soul... But some parts didn't remerge with the complete soul and, over time, a second soul formed.

This soul would go on to become Vax'ildan, who technically has 2 dads as a result of this mishap; His shitty biological dad, Syldor, and his divine dad, Purvan - tho cause Purvan isn't his biological dad and isn't a god, maybe more demigod adjacent, Vax isn't an aassimar but could feasibly be a divine soul sorcerer instead.

A good portion of Vax's soul is made up of divine magic granted by The Matron as a result of the healing mishap, granting Vax his ability to alter the Threads of Fate to a degree, while the rest of Vax's soul is made up of the broken remnants of Vex's soul.

Vax's soul technically being an extension of Vex's soul means that they are tied to each other and can feel each other's pain, they can share dreams if they both sleep at the same time and they can hear each other's thoughts in moments of stress, pain, panic, anger or dying.

When Vex dies in Purvan's tomb and The Matron takes Vax as her initially unwitting and unwilling new champion, she cuts their souls in half which separates them and causes these shared feelings and dreams to stop.

2) I headcanon that Vax'ildan is trans, with Vax specifically being trans masc nonbinary like me.

I initially only began writing for this idea while trying to find a label for myself, projecting on Vax as I related a lot to him.

But over time, I genuinely began to imagine him as trans like me, and began exploring my fears, dysphoria and trauma through him - his father being the perfect avatar for all of the hate & disgust I've received for being nonbinary.

I imagine he never felt "like a girl" and didn't really understand what gender was due to growing up in poverty and having no proper education until he was 10 years old, but by then everyone had already labelled him as a girl.

And in Syngorn, the elves are very disgusted by the concept of transness due to mistranslated scripture about The Archeart (who I see as trans itself), so Vax realising he's nonbinary at 13 and trying to explore it goes poorly. (*2)

Vex is taught to shun Vax after he comes out, their father furious at the idea, but Vex feels guilty for it and slowly warms up to Vax's new identity despite her father's attempts to separate the pair.

When they finally run away and escape Syngorn, Vax fully adopts his new name and pronouns with Vex struggling to adapt at first but eventually getting the hang of it over a few years - she also gets very defensive of her brother.

I imagine Vax gets top surgery, like I hope to get some day, and he starts wearing clothes that are considered more masculine by society while still keeping his hair long and still wearing makeup.

He also tried to deepen his voice naturally, but struggled to pass this way - until one day he and Vex save a shopkeeper under attack from bandits while they travel home to Emon City from Westruun Village, and the very grateful shopkeeper reveals that he's an enchanter and creates a magical choker for Vax that lets him alter his voice as he pleases.

This shopkeeper is the glorious Shaun Gilmore, of course, and he's flirting with a very bashful Vax from the second the fight is over until the 3 part ways again. (*3)

The choker becomes a very, very important item to Vax over time.

3) I headcanon that Vax'ildan and Vex'ahlia are both Autistic with ADHD and OCD, and yeah, this is me projecting again, lmao.

Vax's traits are more obvious and his struggles are more severe, but Vex struggles a lot as well.

They both have sensitive eyes and ears due to being half-elves, but Vex's hearing is even more sensitive than Vax's while Vax has much more sensitive eyes.

They both struggle with eye contact and social cues, though Vax struggles with them more.

And while Vex is a fast thinker and quickly solves basic patterns and problems, Vax is a slower thinker who can solve more complex patterns and problems.

Vax also deals with pretty severe dyslexia and dyscalculia, but Vex doesn't experience them at all.

They also both experience quite intense intrusive thoughts and compulsions that make daily life difficult, but Vex copes with her's better than Vax copes with his.

When Vex's intrusive thoughts or compulsions get bad, she goes through her ledger and recounts all of Vox Machina's gold - while Vax has more unhealthy coping mechanisms, but he's started to braid his and other's hair as an alternative in his journey to heal.

They also both drink copious amounts of caffeine because it quietens and slows down their brains for a period of time, but Vax prefers sweet drinks like flavoured teas, flavoured coffees and hot chocolate, but Vex is more keen on bitter black coffee and plain old milky tea instead.

And both have a safe food in plain, hot buttered bread - Vax's other safe foods are gummy sweets, dark chocolate and blueberries, while Vex's are apples, cheese & crackers and raisins coated in milk chocolate.

Milk is also their safe drink, with both twins HATING water - but they both love bubbly drinks.

Vax's special interests are blades, hair styling, coins, baking, sewing and magic tricks, while Vex's special interests are animals, plants, flying and archery.

4) Vax'ildan is Rudiusborn, but Vex'ahlia isn't Rudiusborn.

Another strange factor in why Vax is the way he is - he was born during a Rudius Flare Event.

Vex was born first on the 17th of Sydenstar at roughly 2 minutes before midnight in 784PD, the sky calm and dark, but she was stilborn and couldn't be saved.

Then, everyone unaware there was a second child at all, the clock strikes midnight and a Rudius Flare Event begins.

Roughly 3 minutes later, now on the 18th of Sydenstar, Vax'ildan is born screaming the walls down.

Then the RFE stops as soon as his umbilical cord is cut and, with the croak of a raven, little Vex magically wakes up - this being the very first sign of Vax being Fate Touched and intricately tied to The Matron of Ravens.

While Vax is Rudiusborn, he doesn't seem to have powers but he does have the constant awful nightmares that Rudiusborn tend to have, as well as bad migraines.

Maybe he does have the powers, but just never unlocked them?

5) Last but certainly not least.

The headcanon that you asked about... Vax'ildan dying as a kid.

I have thought about this one so much that it's kind of concerning, but that's mostly because it started as a nightmare that I had about 2 to 3 years ago now.

Basically, I headcanon that the twins were born with no elven features and that for the first 7 years of their lives, they looked and functioned like humans.

But at around 4 months before they turned 8, they started to develop more elven features.

Their ears started to grow into small, dull points at night - the pain waking them up crying - and their eyes developed protective membrane sacks full of some type of thin clear liquid which grants them night vision.

Inside this liquid are small metal fragments that don't harm their eyes or impact their vision, these being called Fey Flecks. They glow in the dark and come in 4 different types of metal; gold, silver, bronze, and copper.

Vax'ildan has bright amber eyes with gold Fey Flecks, while Vex has dark copper eyes with lighter copper Fey Flecks. Vax also has longer ears than Vex, by an inch, but her ears are pointier than his.

People were shocked by this as Elaina had said the father was a human like herself, and rumours started to spread around the small village like wildfire.

In time, the suspicion about who the father was led to an elven man with a wife and kids being ran out of town by said wife.

This brought hatred down on Elaina and the twins, resulting in some of the older kids mimicking their parents and bullying the twins with cruel taunts & pranks.

Vax had looked a little too much like the man ran out of town, despite the man's innocence, and Elaina was labelled as a nasty homewrecker despite insisting the father was somebody else.

Vax has fair white skin and silky black hair like the elven man had, while Vex has her mother's warm brown skin and curly brown hair.

The twins are mocked, pushed around, laughed at and even start being called slurs targeted at their mixed heritage in time.

Vax is targeted the most due to his resemblance to the elven man, but both get it quite bad.

It ultimately cultivates into a tragic accident where Vax is found by bullies while he, Vex and their few friends played hide and seek out in the abandoned fields down south of the village.

He would be chased by these older kids, before he trips on something on the ground.

He would start to get back up when he's suddenly surrounded by these bullies who push him at each other and tease him.

Vax tries to break free, but gets shoved to the ground - only, the ground is made of rotten wooden boards hidden under tarp thats been covered in dirt over years.

The boards give way under the force of Vax being shoved down onto them, and poor Vax falls down into a long forgotten about mine shaft, not surving the fall.

Vex feels it immediately and her scream alerts her friends as she starts having what feels like a heart attack, her body being pulled towards her brother's.

Her friends follow her as she staggers over to where the bullies stand in horror around the hole in the ground that had quite literally swallowed Vax'ildan whole.

Someone runs to get help as the kids, even the bullies, try to help.

The older kids find rope and start preparing to climb down, while the younger kids try to console Vex and calm her heart down.

By the time the adults arrive, Vex has gone catatonic and the kids have failed to secure the rope.

Elaina's best friend, a lumberjack, is able to secure the rope and goes down to rescue Vax while Elaina and a cleric tend to Vex.

The kids are asked what had happened, and one of the bullies can't take the guilt, coming clean about what they had been doing.

Vax is retrieved, but it's too late.

Elaina begs the clerics to help him, but is warned they may not be able to bring the child back.

They try to Revivfy him anyway, and at first nothing happens...

Elaina is heartbroken, hugging a mute and unmoving Vex as she begs Vax to wake up for them, and then Vax does wake up.

But it's not the clerics' work.

The Matron has brought him back as his Fate is incomplete.

Vax wakes up with no memory of the fall, but he has a curl of while hair at his right temple now and his lower right leg is broken beyond even magical repair.

He's healed up and rushed to the only temple in Byroden for an emergency amputation and a thorough check up, while Vex slowly comes back to herself as her and Elaina wait to see Vax.

Now Vax matches Vex, who has a curl of white hair at her left temple from being stilborn.

It takes almost a year, but Vax does learn to walk again with a wooden prosthetic leg, as well as love and support from his mum and his twin sister - that, and the bullying finally stops after the fall.

But he's never quite the same, being quieter than usual and experiencing periods of deep sadness and exhaustion.

It wouldn't be until he's an adult that he fully recovers from the nightmares of dying and his fear of heights, his pact with The Matron of Ravens helping him.

Some notes under the cut!

(Spoilers for EXU: Divergence)

(*1) - Purvan sees Emhira, the little girl he raised into an adult and helped prepare for her duties as the avatar or The Matron of Ravens... And Elaina looks a lot like Emhira had at Elaina's age.

He isn't supposed to heal Elaina, her thread has changed and this is her new destiny, but all he can see is the girl he protected all those years ago pre-Divergence.

Everything that follows is Fate's way of setting things straight.

(*2) - Canonically, elves can and do change their gender at will thanks to their fey magic, gifted to them by The Archeart.

But I headcanon that Syngorn are a very proud and prickly people who believe they were designed as they are for a reason so they forbid the use of this gender altering magic and shun those who explore their gender identity.

(*3) - I have always headcanoned that the twins met Gilmore first, them befriending him before Vox Machina was ever formed.

I imagine Gilmore was probably one of the first to immediately adapt to the pronouns Vax asks to be called, this is because I headcanon Gilmore as being genderfluid or even pangender.

Gilmore doesn't experience dysphoria, but understands why it would make life difficult so he makes Vax a Choker of The Mockingbird - Mockingbird being a spell that lets you mimic voices you've heard at least once before - with a modification that lets Vax alter his voice to sound exactly like how he wants it to sound.

[miasmaghoul]

bangs on the table YOU KNOW WHAT IM HERE FOR LET ME SEE THAT FUCKING SWISSDEW TAILSEEEEAAAAXXX!!!!!MIASMAAAA

YOU FUCKIN GOT IT BRO

(ft trans Dew (use of cunt/clit/etc for his anatomy), public play and tail fucking (obvs))

Movie night is one of Dew's favorites.

It's nice to have everyone around, to be able to see and smell every member of his motley little pack. Nice to pick out a DVD or three from their modest collection, ones they've all seen a hundred times, and hunker down for a few hours of peace.

Tonight had started as they all do - movies were chosen, snacks were prepared, seats were claimed. Dew had taken up his usual post at the far end of their most worn couch. It's woefully tattered and lumpy, pale green suede covered in stitched over claw marks and many suspicious stains, but it's infinitely comfortable. Dew's pretty sure this particular spot has a permanent imprint of his nonexistant ass cheeks.

There had been no reason to question it when Swiss flopped down at the opposite end of it. It's where he usually sat, where Dew has spent many frantic evenings riding the other ghoul with his pants around his thighs and a hand over his mouth. He'd offered Swiss a nod whole he chatted with Aether, gotten an exaggerated wink in return, and that had been that.

It's been an hour or so since then, and the ghouls are all caught up in Aeon's choice of 2 Fast 2 Furious. Cumulus and Aether occupy the loveseat to Dew's left, curled up together and feeding each other chocolate covered pretzels. The other couch holds Rain, Mountain and Sunshine, the smaller ghouls curled up into Mountain's sides and buried under a blanket. Aeon and Cirrus had both taken up armchairs brought from their respective rooms - no one was in the mood to lay on the floor tonight. Cirrus keeps her hands busy with her latest crochet project, while Aeon has managed to contort himself into a halfway upside down ball of lanky limbs for the optimal viewing experience.

Dew himself has settled in nicely too, legs splayed wide underneath his own cozy purple blanket. He munches on caramel popcorn, batting Aurora's hand away whenever she tries to sneak a piece from his bowl. She'd joined him and Swiss last minute, and Dew was far from complaining about it - aside from her snack thievery, of course. She's small, quiet, and seems to be hopelessly engrossed in whatever nonsense is happening on screen.

Dew hasn't really been paying attention to that, though. Can't. Not when thick fingers keep playing with his hair just enough to distract.

It's subtle, Swiss's touch. Gentle. Teasing. Dew has his hair tied up, but the few wisps hanging from his sloppy bun are just long enough for the other ghoul to twirl. Every time rough knuckles brush against the back of his neck Dew shoots Swiss a look. No more than a glance, just out of the corner of his eye, but he knows Swiss sees it. Can tell by the crinkles at the corners of his eyes, and by the way Swiss gives the ashy blonde lock of hair between his fingers a little tug.

It's unfair, really, that Swiss has this sort of reach. Stupid long arms. Even with Aurora between them, he has no problem toying with Dew. If he tried to reach out to the other ghoul himself, Dew would maybe be able to poke him in the shoulder. Maybe.

Of course, Swiss's arms aren't the only thing that have reach.

The tail retreats, but only for a moment. Just long enough to snake its way up Dew's clothed calf instead, sliding easily over slippery fabric.

Dew jumps a little when something rubs against his foot, sneaks into the leg of his joggers to tickle his bare ankle. It's leathery and warm, flat. The spaded tip of Swiss's tail, he realizes. The jolt earns him a sidelong look from Aurora, and Dew angles a glare over the little ghoulette's head. Swiss pays him no mind, taking a long pull from his beer and giving that same lock of hair another gentle pull.

His reach is really unfair.

Dew sighs through his nose, tossing another piece of popcorn into his mouth as Swiss rests that heavy hand on the back of his neck. Trying to keep up appearances. Then a rough thumb rubs at the sensitive spot behind his ear, and Dew can't help the way he leans into it.

Curse Swiss for knowing all his weaknesses.

Not that Dew couldn't do the same, mind you. Hell, if Aurora weren't between them he'd already be digging mean fingers into Swiss's soft stomach to pull hissing laughter from him. Crawling into his lap to suck on that spot by his Adam's apple that makes his leg shake like a dog's.

Swiss, though, is never quite so obvious about these things. He has much more patience than Dew when it comes to teasing. He's slow and methodical, deliberate in his movements. The way he squeezes the back of Dew's neck, the way his tail oh-so-slowly worms its way up his thigh, the way Swiss's eyes never leave the screen - it's the perfect storm for the little ghoul.

He really should have been more suspicious of that wink.

Dew has never been good at holding a poker face. His cheeks go too pink, his brows gather too tightly, his mouth turns down at the corners - he wears his distress plain as day, and he knows that's why Swiss does things like this. Knows that's why he likes getting him worked up. Likes getting him all hot and slippery in public so he can wrangle the little ghoul back to his room and make fun of him while he bounces on his cock.

The end of Swiss's tail sneaks over his crotch, presses down, and Dew hides his sigh in a sip of his soda. He crunches on a piece of ice while Swiss pats at him, just above the spot where Dew can feel his clit starting to plump up.

It would be easy enough to shrug him off. He'd just have to shift, to cross his legs and lean further into the arm of the couch. Swiss would get the message. He should, he knows he should. Should stop this before it really starts and Swiss starts wringing reluctant pleasure from him with slow, maddening touches.

Swiss taps the back of his neck twice, his cunt throbs, and Dew does not move.

Well, he's never been known for his good decisions.

Dew keeps his eyes resolutely forward, tries to focus on the action on screen. Tries not to think about how warm Swiss's hand is, even against his own heated skin. Tries not to pay attention to how effortlessly Swiss's tail slides over his pants, on how it wriggles up under the soft cotton of his t-shirt. Dew holds his breath when it slips higher, and he feels his face flush darker.

Aurora steals popcorn from his bowl, and this time Dew does not try to stop her.

The sensation of that leathery spade flicking over his nipple is...unique. Not as rough as Swiss's fingers, not as smooth as his tongue, but nice all the same. Very nice, actually. He's always sensitive there, but the level of exposure makes it so much worse.

Swiss repeats on the other side of his chest, Dew's jaw clenches, and he can practically hear Swiss's smirk.

He tries to keep his breathing even, he swears he does, but the more Swiss rubs at his tender buds the harder it gets. The harder he gets. Dew chews his lip in an attempt to hold in the whimper he can feel bubbling up in his throat. He knows it'll be a dead giveaway, and as much as this sort of play gets his fat little clit all stiff he would really rather not be caught. With effort he manages to swallow down the sound, but Dew knows that the more Swiss toys with him the more impossible that task will become.

Dew also knows that he shouldn't lean heavier against Swiss's large hand. Shouldn't sigh softly in spite of himself when that too-skilled appendage glides down his stomach. He certainly shouldn't let his legs fall just a little further apart when Swiss slips the tip under his waistband. Wiggles it into his boxers.

It swipes over the swollen, stubby length hidden there, and Dew can't help his groan. He's quick to mask it behind a fake yawn, to cover his mouth with a caramel-sticky hand while his chest heats, but the damage is done. A whits-hot twist of shame slithers through his veins, lights his nerves up like a Christmas tree, and Dew really wishes he could explain why it makes him throb.

Swiss pays his reactions no mind, ever cool and casual. He sips his beer. Watches the movie. Kisses Aurora's hair when she snuggles into his shoulder. Laughs at something Sunshine says that Dew does not process. He can't focus on anything but the lazy way Swiss's tail plays with him.

He knows he's wet. Knows the light gray cotton of his boxers must have a damp spot soaked into it. He can tell by the way Swiss's curious appendage slips through his folds. If it weren't for the blanket he'd be able to hear it too, and the thought alone is enough to have Dew shivering. He cracks the knuckles of one hand, takes a deep breath, and hopes against hope that he isn't giving himself away.

That clever spade pushes further, nudges at his slick hole, and Dew has to shut his eyes to keep them from rolling back. The only reason he's keeping his head upright at this point is because Swiss is holding it. He has no idea how long the other ghoul has been tormenting him, but every inch of him tingles. Aches.

"You okay over there, sugar?"

Dew's own tail wraps itself around his shin, and he's hit with a sudden flash of the one night a couple weeks ago where Swiss had walked in on him fucking himself stupid with it.

"Would you look at that," he'd said, leaning against the doorframe while Dew wheezed and panted and tried to sling a blanket over his hips. "You really will stick anything in there, huh?"

As though he can read Dew's mind, Swiss chooses that moment to finally inch his way inside. Slowly, in little stabs that make Dew bite his tongue. The spade folds when it slips in, and the length of Swiss's tail follows it with absolutely no urgency. Stretching him just enough to feel.

Dew can't help but recall what it felt like that night, when Swiss had pushed into his needy body alongside his own wriggling tail, and the little ghoul shudders so hard his teeth chatter.

Cumulus's voice makes him yip in surprise, makes him clench, and Swiss does not help matters with the way his tail slips further in.

"Y-yeah," Dew gasps, face hot. He clears his throat and rucks his blanket up to his shoulders. "Just, uh - just a little chilly."

Sure, the fire ghoul is chilly. That tracks. Dew thinks he can't be blamed for the bullshit excuse, really. Not with the way Swiss works him open, the way his tail swirls and prods at his most tender, secret places. He has the little ghoul snapped from the inside out, and Dew wishes he could hate him for it.

Cumulus doesn't seem to notice his distress, though. Her gaze never leaves the television, her head still pillowed on Aether's thigh. The only eyes Dew can feel on him certainly belong to Swiss, and he chances a heavy lidded sideways glance towards the other ghoul.

Swiss isn't staring so much as he's consuming Dew with those sparkling golden eyes. They burn hotter than the tightness building in his gut, the pressure in his pelvis. He shouldn't be this worked up, not for how little work Swiss has done. It's terrible, really, how affected he is by the other ghoul's efforts. Terrible how Swiss can be so unbothered while Dew feels like he's under a microscope.

Fuck, he's so into it.

He thinks he could probably cum like this. It's all too slow, too distant, but his clit keeps jumping and they both know what that means. He could, but he'd rather do it in a place where he could shove his tongue down Swiss's throat and jerk himself raw instead.

Dew licks his lips, clamps down around that invading tail, and Swiss rewards him with a knowing wink.

Then his hand and tail disappear with no warning, and Dew sags bodily into the couch.

"Sure smells like he is," Aeon chirps, and Dew blanches. "Get him outta here before he gets the couch wet."

"Think I'm gonna hit the sack," Swiss lilts, dutifully hiding his shit eating grin while he stands and stretches.

Aurora pouts at him for dislodging her, Dew can hear the displeased sound she makes, but his eyes are stuck on the sliver Swiss's belly that his stretch reveals. Distantly, he's aware of the credits rolling, of the others shifting. He totally misses the way Swiss smiles down at him, too focused on catching his breath and blinking away the encroaching haze.

"You coming, Sparky?"

Everyone laughs, and Dew burns.

"Can do," Swiss trills, dragging the little ghoul off the couch and towards the hall and offering Aeon a mock salute. "C'mon, spitfire," he coos in Dew's ear, holding him close when his legs threaten to buckle, "let's get you taken care of."

"I'm gonna fuckin' kill you," Dew spits once he finds his voice, thready and tight as it is with shame and arousal.

"Sure you are," Swiss chuckles. He curls his sticky tail around Dew's skinny bicep, and Dew catches the overwhelming salt-and-spice scent of his own slick. It makes his stomach flip as much as it makes his cunt clench.

"Shut up and fuck me before I strangle you."

Swiss barks out a laugh, and Dew yelps when the other ghoul hoists his slight body over a broad shoulder. He kicks his little feet in protest, and Swiss gives his ass a firm slap for his efforts. His tail sways when he walks, and Dew can't keep his eyes off of it.

"Don't give me ideas, shorty," Swiss teases, "I've already seen exactly what you like when these things are involved."

Swiss's tail caresses his face, glides over his parted lips, and Dew groans at the taste of himself.

This is going to be a very long night.

[zhessemer]

i first read sea of monsters when i was a kid and i knew nothing about greek mythology. when they arrived at cerci’s island and i realized men weren’t allowed there and then cerci began to transform percy, my heart skipped a beat and i was like PERCY’S A GIRL NOW!!?!?!!!! 😮✨🥹🩷 then he turned into a guinea pig…

that was one of my first egg crack moments. still annoyed that the rest of pjo after som isn’t about percy figuring out her gender and negotiating her feelings for annabeth while fighting against the titans. 2 trans 2 furious indeed, tuck woodstock. 2 trans 2 furious indeed.

[abluescarfonwaston]

I am a simple (trans)man. I see the reboot of Ranma 1/2 and ask- but what if he HAD to stay a girl to stay safe. Because some big bad was actively on the hunt to kill Boy!Ranma or something.

What if Ranma hadn't been caught in the bath by Akane and had gone to school with her, (refusing to wear the school uniform like normal). Watching Akane defeat the army of boy's at the gate only to swoop in and kick Kuno's ass resulting in him falling for 'the pigtailed girl' right away.

What if he'd gotten there and been so excited to have all these guy friends again (its so hard on the road) only to realize they're just trying to date him, not talk to him guy to guy like he'd hoped. (He feels no remorse ordering that fifth Ultra Brownie delight special with their wallet)

Complaining to Akane in the dojo after school as Ranma's personality just starts to peak through and Akane agreeing 'That's why men are Awful'. Ranma withdrawing that little bit back in as he realizes that - no. Akane doesn't get what he's saying- and she would hate him if she really knew him.

Ranma bellowing out for them all to back off because Akane is MY FIANCE. The awe and silence and then 'but that's not even legal' murmurs. HUH?! SAYS WHO??? 'the government...' 'Oh... Huh.'

The divide between how big and powerful Ranma acts verses the moments when he notices how short his arms are. How small he is. Shrinks into an ill fitting body in a way Akane wishes she could stop from her friend.

The horror and Relief that comes with Ryoga's appearance. An old rival who Knows. Knows and is angry and furious but treats him just like he expects to be treated. And maybe his legs Are too short and he still misjudges the distance but there is something so freeing to knowing he is being seen as he really is.

Ranma slipping out of the house early, before sunrise, so he can escape. Pour hot water over his head and just be Himself for a few minutes that day. Even if it's risky. Even if it gets him killed. Because he was willing to die to become strong, but he didn't think that meant losing his manhood first.

Akane spotting a boy training in the park, pausing because for a moment she thought- but it was a trick of the light. They just share a braid, that isn't Ranma. Her friend and 'fiance' Ranma.

Being drawn in my something. By that pigtailed braid or the force of their blows and the smoothness of his movements.

Or maybe by how he keeps kicking the target with his calf instead of his foot. That's a big one.

And she hates men. Absolutely despises the whole lot. But she offers him a correction and he looks at her in such shock.

"Y-yeah. I know. I guess I'm just not used to being tall."

Her offering a suggestion. Him doing it right this time as she nods. Offering to spar.

Didn't you say you'd hate to lose to a man? "Nah I already have a fiance." "What does that have to do with anything?" "Isn't there a thing at your school that if someone beats you they get to take you on a date?" "Oh my god other schools know about that?" "Furinkan is pretty loud." "Yeah it is..."

"Do you like her?" "Who?" "Your fiance." "Oh... I guess. She's kinda cute. But she hates me." "What'd you do?" "Why do you assume I did anything huh?" "Cause youre a boy." "... What about yours then?"

"Mine?"

"You have a fiance don't you?"

"I guess. But she's a girl."

"How'd that happen?"

"My dad's an idiot."

"Yeah. Mine too."

[lubchansky]

Mattie Lubchansky is a cartoonist and illustrator living in beautiful Queens, NY. She is the former Associate Editor of Ignatz and Eisner award-winning magazine and website The Nib. Her work has appeared in The Nib, VICE’s science fiction vertical Motherboard, Eater, Mad Magazine, Gothamist, The Toast, The Hairpin, Brooklyn Magazine, New York Magazine, Food and Wine, Current Affairs, and her long-running webcomic Please Listen to Me.

Mattie is the author of Simplicity (Pantheon, 2025), Boys Weekend (Pantheon, 2023), The Antifa Super-Soldier Cookbook (Silver Sprocket, 2021), the co-author of Dad Magazine (Quirk, 2016), author of Skeleton Party (self-published, 2016), , co-editor and contributor to The Nib’s anthology Be Gay Do Comics (IDW, 2020) , contributor to the Lambda Literary Award-winning anthology 2 Trans 2 Furious: An Extremely Serious Journal of Transgender Street Racing Studies (Girl Dad Press, 2023), and co-editor and contributor to the Eisner-nominated anthology Flash Forward: An Illustrated Guide to Possible (and Not So Possible) Tomorrows (Abrams, 2021). She was the Herblock Prize finalist in 2020.

mattie@mattielubchansky.com

[ashyjingles]

could i pretty please ask for all of them?? they all look so interesting i can't pick just one!

YESSS

🪓- violent and volatile / thiam hunger games au chapter 8

“I just don’t want a death anyone can laugh at, you know? I wanna… Like, if someone took me out, I wouldn't mind as long as I took them out with me. Or at least if I did a number on. I wanna go out with a bang, I guess. Or… In the name of something I believed,” Liam draws into a whisper as he looks at Tara, and then at Theo. “Or someone.” Theo holds his gaze for a moment, corners of his mouth pulled down, before looking back at Tara. “Yeah. I know what you mean.”

🥁- thiam college band au

Liam barged into their apartment, kicking the door shut behind him with a slam. He threw his backpack on the couch, ignoring Mason’s raised eyebrow and Hayden’s deadpan stare, and slammed his hands down on the kitchen table between them. He paused for dramatic effect. Then, “We should start a band.” “Absolutely not,” Hayden said flatly. “With what musical talent?” Mason asked.

👑- thiam royalty au with trans!liam

Their faces were inches apart. All Liam had to do was close the distance. He bit his lip and pulled away. “You’re getting married in just a few months,” he breathed out. Theo’s eyes went wide. “Yes, of course. You’re right.” Liam watched The Prince look away at the horizon and take a deep, shaky breath. Liam was torn between wanting to cry at not being able to have the man he wants the way he wants, and laughing at how he was his groom’s bride and affair.

🏰- thiam royalty au with trans!theo

Just then, a maid ran in shrieking hysterically, “Princess Tala is gone! Her room has been ransacked and she’s nowhere to be found!” The Queen stood immediately. “What? When was the last time someone saw her?” “Last night,” the maid sniffled through tears. The Queen turned her furious gaze onto Theo. “You. You were found fleeing during the darkest hour the same night a Princess disappears?”

🌸- thiam hanahaki fic version 1 (human au)

Corey looked at him with disdain. “I've gone to flower stores with less elaborate bouquets in them. Just tell him, Theo!” Theo glared at him. “Fuck you, absolutely not. I’m not sacrificing my dignity for that.” Corey huffed and started gathering his things to leave. “For what? For Liam? Considering you were the one to fall in love with him, I thought you’d agree he was worth sacrificing a few things, but I guess not.”

🌺- thiam hanahaki fic version 2 (deadly)

His phone screen shakes in front of his eyes. Hanahaki, a disease caused by a person feeling like their love is unrequited, leading to flowers growing in the lung cavity. It can be cured by the love being returned, or through invasive surgery that removes the feelings for the objects of their affections permanently; Otherwise, the infliction usually leads to death. Symptoms include coughing up petals or blood, sore throat, fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting. He had been living on borrowed time since he was 8 and staring down at the last thing he loved as she drowned. It was only fitting that love came back to kill him.

🌹- thiam hanahaki fic version 3

“What’s your favourite flower?” He asked, panicked. “Oh,” Hayden said. “I don’t know, I don’t really have one. Roses, maybe? Or, wait no, lilies are really pretty.” Liam’s breath hitched. Hayden looked at him, concerned.  “Hayden, I’ve been coughing up lilies for the last three days.”

🌼- thiam hanahaki fic version 4 (I REALLY LIKE HANAHAKI FICS OKAY)

“Hey,” Liam said, practically throwing himself onto the counter. He grimaced as his elbow landed in something sticky. Theo raised an eyebrow as if saying, Gas station countertops for you. “Do you need something?” Liam’s brain short circuited. “Uh. Where’s the beef jerky?” Theo rolled his eyes and pointed to one of the aisles over Liam’s shoulder. Liam chuckled awkwardly. “Thanks,” he said, turning around and heading down one. “Nope,” Theo said behind him. “Wrong aisle.” Liam backed out and gave Theo finger guns. “Right,” he squeaked, walking down the right aisle as fast as he could without making it even more awkward.

guys i swear some of them sound similar but they all have different plots okay