#and if you think he's a trans guy but accept not everyone sees him that way that's awesome keep that up

[cherry-chaos-cola]

All of these "who has more anything gender!" polls are just. white man without extreme body builder muscles v white man without extreme body builder muscles. The gender is "masculine" stop pretending it's universal

[snekdood]

bitches prolly out here psychoanalyzing my old art on behalf of my abuser to cushion their belief that im a Horrible Person but then dont see the irony when I point out the shitty things my abuser has drawn and how I see it as clear evidence of their mindset and beliefs (of what's okay to do and how to treat people) descending and pairing that along with everything else they've done and it paints a clear picture of how this person got to the point of thinking it was okay to abuse me the way they did and then the people looking for reasons to hate me through my art will act like "they're just drawings !!!" about their art. which one is it. does someones art say something about them or not? or does it only say something about them if you hate them?

[kazumirambles]

THIS.

UNPOPULAR OPINION: Comparing Vil Schoenheit to Trans Characters in Anime, Manga and Games — Forceful pushing of headcanons and why Vil is a better character in canon as a cisgender (gay) male

DISCLAIMER: this essay is aimed at those who find it entirely acceptable to shove their headcanons down others’ throats with the threat of crying wolf (i.e., “if you dislike this hc you’re transphobic”, etc.) should they not comply. For those who simply headcanon Vil as trans and acknowledge that canon and other headcanons can exist with (and without) their approval, this essay is not aimed at you and you are perfectly valid.

Notes: Title may be slightly misleading as there’s really only one comparison, and being a cis character does not necessarily make one “better”. However, given Vil’s character, the mun views that Vil has a far bigger impact in terms of plot, hence the title.

Many of us like to suggest headcanons for our favourite characters, some to make the character even more interesting, others simply to relate to the character further. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with fun headcanons here and there, the forceful insistence of fans in recent years that their headcanons are absolute to maximise their own comfort has become a glaring issue across many fandoms. In particular, the subject of LGBT+ headcanons has been especially touchy, as minorities use the discrimination against them to their own benefit and, ironically, suppress the opinions of others. One such headcanon is that Vil Schoenheit of Twisted Wonderland is transfemme, or even a trans woman, as he uses the pronoun “atashi” (typically used by women and girls), and is perceived to be traditionally feminine. However, such a headcanon not only fundamentally ignores the very basis of Vil’s character — breaking gender stereotypes as a cisgender white male — but can even be taken as sexist. To prove this controversial statement, a comparison with other notable transgender characters, either confirmed by canon or heavily speculated on by fans, in other anime, games and manga is needed.

First and foremost, the idea that Vil is transfemme or even a trans woman is shallow and unfounded. While Vil indeed uses the pronoun “atashi” in referring to himself, a pronoun typically used by women and girls in Japan, “watashi”, the pronoun that “atashi” is (presumably) deprived from, is a gender-neutral pronoun used by both genders, though for men, both “watashi” and “atashi” are usually used in a casual context by stereotypical feminine gay men or drag queens. Throughout the story, there was absolutely no indication that Vil has issues with his own gender. In fact, it seems to be the very opposite, he is incredibly comfortable and confident in his own masculinity, which is why he has no problem doing things that are traditionally seen as feminine:

“Next, lotion. As guys (lit. with us being high school boys, アタシたち男子高校生), our skin tends to be oilier so applying too much only makes things worse.” (Main Story Chapter 5, translated by j-mee on Twitter)

“There’s no such thing as “men only” or “women only”, whether it’s clothes or dance.” (服にもダンスにも「男専用」「女専用」なんかない。) (Main Story Chapter 5, rough translation by patchy)

Epel provides as a foil character in this case, having stated his dislike for his cute and “girly” appearance multiple times, as well as wanting to be in Savanaclaw due to the athletic nature of the dorm rather than Pomefiore:

“I really... I really wanted to get into the wild and brave Savanaclaw instead!!” (Ceremonial Robes story, chapter 1, translated by twstarchives)

Epel clearly thinks that Pomefiore is too feminine for him, and only puts emphasis on his unwanted cuteness. While Vil being transfemme or a trans woman would certainly be progressive for Japan considering its conservative nature, Vil being a fellow cisgender boy is certainly far more powerful in delivering this response to Epel. They’re both white and cisgender, yet while Epel only sees his adorable baby face as a weakness, Vil sees his own beauty as his strength and capitalises on it. It is precisely why he is so careful to maintain his appearance through dieting and impeccable makeup:

“I've not once neglected my health. And no one on my Magicamera account, which mind you has over five million followers, has said anything about it.” (Vil’s Lab Coat SR, Part 1, translated by kibadreams)

Having grown up in the entertainment industry and showing no sign that he wishes to retire from it, Vil’s “otherwordly” beauty is one of his greatest assets, and as such, he complies with the industry and all its standards, and is unashamed to do something like dancing if it can potentially further his career. Vil is no Azul, but he is still a businessman in the sense that he knows how to advertise, promote and market himself to the masses. To insist that Vil is transfemme or a trans woman erases the meaning to his actions, and instead reduces him to a shallow figurehead based on how traditionally feminine he acts (use of pronouns, way of speaking, behaviour typically seen as “feminine”, etc.) instead of focusing on his relationship with gender presentation and his rejection of traditional gendered labels as a whole.

Arashi Narukami from Ensemble Stars, while not officially confirmed to be trans, provides a good comparison, though many often compare them on a surface level to try and force Arashi’s character onto Vil’s or vice versa. Aside from their shared use of pronouns, professionalism and both having careers in the entertainment industry, the two characters cannot be any more different. Unlike Vil, Arashi has stated her views on her relationship to gender identity multiple times, albeit they are rather inconsistent due to the different writers of Ensemble Stars having varied interpretations of her character. She repeatedly calls herself a “maiden”, a “girl” and a “big sister”, and insists on others using the “-chan” suffix for her rather than “-kun” (the only exception seeming to be fellow unitmate Izumi). She has also stated her internal conflict with her gender, which one can interpret as Arashi wanting to transition but unable to do so due to her career in the modelling and idol industry, as well as the unwelcoming attitude held by Japan in regards to the LGBT+ community:

“I’m honestly envious… No matter how much I want it, and no matter how hard I try… I could never become the beautiful woman I dream to be.” (Gacha story “Beasts — Centre of the World” part 7, translated by euni2319 on Dreamwidth)

Due to the ambiguous nature of the “okama” label, a derogatory one used for both drag queens/crossdressers and trans women alike, it is not clear whether Arashi truly is a trans woman unless canon states otherwise. However, there is certainly enough evidence in the story to argue such a case, especially with the English localisation of Ensemble Stars using she/her pronouns for Arashi. In contrast, Vil’s behaviour is more in-line with an “onee” type character, or a stereotypical feminine gay man, which is surprising considering that the Twisted Wonderland fandom, in all their hope for LGBT+ characters, fails to pick up on. As stated above, “atashi” is a pronoun often used by drag queens/crossdressers and stereotypical femme gay men, the latter of which Vil seems to fall into the category of due to the homoromantic subtext of his relationship/friendship with Rook Hunt. Many of their interactions can be perceived as romantic, even more so due to the stance that both Disney and Japan have on homosexuality, mainly either with unvoiced distaste or being acceptable as a fetish/strange interest due to the forbidden nature of homosexuality in Japan:

“Nevertheless, Rook's eyes are more accurate than any scale. Even more than a mirror, perhaps.” (Vil’s Lab Coat SR, Part 2, translated by kibadreams)

While Vil and Rook’s relationship does have homosexual undertones, on Rook’s part more so than Vil’s, Vil at the very least relies on Rook and trusts him greatly. The above quote is just the tip of the iceberg.

Vil’s character can be seen as a twist on the stereotypical “onee”, one that is written and taken seriously as a direct comparison to how the character type has been commonly used for comic relief or otherwise unimportant side characters in past works (Garfiel from FMA, Magne from MHA, though a trans example of the stereotype, and Otokosuki from DBZ). The implication that Vil is gay by partially conforming to behaviour expected of feminine gay men yet being a serious and hard-working perfectionist (i.e., having a personality not centred around comic relief) is arguably a big step in Japanese anime, games and manga.

Sexism and even ageism in the Twisted Wonderland fandom is unfortunately nothing new, towards all genders. Non-female creators and yumes struggle to garner an audience without yumejoshis, particularly unusually possessive ones, feeling threatened by their very presence. Adult fans are criticised simply for playing the game despite that their in-game payments are what make the game profitable enough for younger fans, most of which do not earn income and thus cannot fund in-game transactions, to continue enjoying Twisted Wonderland. Yana herself has become the scapegoat for Disney Japan, being blamed for any issues regarding the game’s storyline despite that not only are the Disney Japan executives the ones giving the final approval, Yana has been working while ill due to the gruelling and even abusive nature of the anime, game and manga industry in Japan, where artists, animators and other staff members are overworked to produce the smallest bits of content. Fans, especially those often discriminated against in their own countries, have developed an unfortunate habit of using their statuses as minorities to avoid criticism and responsibility for their own actions, going as far as to deflect criticism of their irresponsible behaviour onto the critics and paint them as the aggressors. Anyone who does not view Twisted Wonderland in the same view of unrealistic progressiveness more commonly expected of Western cartoons is shunned and their actions deemed discriminatory. The fandom has evolved into a space where the prey become the predators, the hunted become the hunters, and the oppressed become the oppressors, all in the name of establishing equality and equity.

Ultimately, we are all fans of Twisted Wonderland trying to enjoy the game in our own ways. Our comforts are unique and distinctly different from one another, and no one’s comforts should be prioritised above that of others simply because one is in the minority. While the fact that people have become more and more comfortable taking pride in their own identities is certainly something to be celebrated, we should not be taking this as an opportunity to alienate those we so much as remotely dislike just because they belong to a certain race, gender or age group, particularly twisting oppression against vulnerable minorities to do so. Frankly speaking, none of us have the right to force our own interpretations of canon onto others, minority or not, and doing this simply reinforces one’s narrow mind and self-absorption.

[genderkoolaid]

I feel like you would get this, seeing this comment section kinda hurt. The OP they are responding to is a non-binary trans man who was talking about feeling uncomfortable because they still feel attraction to lesbians and have felt very excluded. He’s wary around certain lesbians because they center their ideology around hating men regardless of gender identity and has faced a lot of anti-transmasculinity and transmisogyny. While most lesbians are wonderful amazing people there’s no denying that some do hold an innate hatred for men, not saying they need to like men. I fully understand lesbians and predatory cis men but there’s definitely lesbians who would date trans men. It can be scary for a trans man to come out or start transitioning because at what point do they become too masculine or too much of a man for their friends. There were even people in the comments saying the same anti-man statements who identify as a he/him nonbinary lesbian. This topic is very hard to hear for me as a closeted genderfluid person because my best friend is a man hating lesbian and I dread the day I can actually begin transitioning and she turns her back on me like these people. Queer spaces in general can be hard to occupy as a multi gendered person because of those people as well as mlm/nblm spaces that say ‘fem aligned dni’. In general I don’t think we should police labels and everyone has their own interpretation and I think labels are just a suggestion anyway but I suppose that makes sense for a genderfluid bisexual person.

These people just straight up do not understand the gender diversity that has always existed in lesbian spaces (by which I mean spaces built & catering to queer women & those seen as women).

There have always been trans men in lesbian spaces. You aren't obligated to fuck them, but they have always been there. There are pages and pages of writing out there not only by trans male dykes, but by the lesbian cis women who love them and still identify as lesbians while in relationships with them. There are trans guys at dyke bars right now as we speak having a great time.

Its not surprising to me that there are he/him NB lesbians supporting this. There are a lot of people out there who, because they don't identify As Men, mentally distance themselves from those who do despite any similarities. It's okay for THEM to be lesbians, and it's transphobic to erase THEIR lesbianism because they are Non-Men™! but once you cross that line you become the enemy. It's very "no you gyns I'm TOTALLY different than those gross tbros i promise im not a man at all and i will never want to be one so im allowed in the club!" The same people also throw multigender people under the bus. Trying to figure out your nonbinary in this environment is hellish (I speak from experience) because people pretend like they are super accepting of nonbinary people, until you realize that if you ever think of yourself as even slightly male people will start seeing you as a predatory invader trying to Force Lesbians To Date Men! Very "complex gender for me but not for thee"

Anyways. Twitter is not a good place. Anon, I hope you find better friends. Not every queer space is this hostile to us, I promise. There are people out there who genuinely work to make our community better and I hope you find them.

[midnightwinterhawk]

I found this unfinished fic rec list in my google docs and I have no idea what the theme was supposed to be so I'm setting it free into the world. I've read all of these more than once but that's the only common thread I can see. 😂

Since @outtoshatter told me to publish it (many, many months ago) this is dedicated to her.

The One You Choose by @asterekmess

13k | Mature

Stiles hadn’t seen Scott in over a week, except for glances he caught during school hours.

Sex Therapy by Asterekmess

51k | Explict

Stiles wanders into a club named Eclipse, looking for a one night stand to help him get over his breakup, only to realize that he has no idea what he's doing. Luckily for him, Derek is happy to be his Yoda.

The only problem comes when neither of them are able to keep it to just one night.

In One Kiss You'll Know All I Haven't Said by @aussiebee

1.7k | Teen

Derek accidentally kisses Stiles goodbye. They aren't dating.

It becomes... a thing.

we are the resistance by @callunavulgari

7k | Mature | (Pacific Rim au!!)

“So,” Stiles says after a moment. “Werewolves.”

“It’s a thing,” Derek murmurs sleepily.

Stiles chokes on a laugh. “Yeah, I realize that now. I just, I don’t know why I expected anything different. We live in a world where giant aliens attack every few weeks through a trans-dimensional portal at the bottom of the Pacific, why wouldn’t werewolves exist?”

[Hilary Duff Lyric Redacted] by calrissian18 (@wellhalesbells)

40k | Explicit

Stiles hadn’t been in Beacon Hills in five years, hadn’t seen Derek in nearly as long, when he got the text:

New number: (+530) 365-2421

or

An abundance of overeating and geekery, dangerous caffeine/sugar cereal addictions, surprise werewolves, bird insults, purple-eyed shrimp, reincarnated serial killers (it's cool, he has a leash), poorly played professional baseball, and a love story. In that order.

stuck in reverse by @crazyassmurdererwall

65k | Explict

Look, Derek is the worst. Everyone knows that. Their fearless leader is a total and complete failwolf.

Which means the rest of them? Are kind of the worst too. They’re a ramshackle, slap dashed, sorry excuse for a pack that’s about a half second away from getting one of them killed. And this is a problem, because Stiles would really like to survive high school. Thanks.

Still, no one deserves what Derek has gone through. Nobody.

And it’s about time somebody told him that.

Step into the daylight (and let it go) by dearericbittle

14k | Mature

Stiles is a grad student with serious insomnia. So when he sees a stranger in need of help, he thinks it’ll be a good way to allevbore the boredom. How the hell was he supposed to know that the weird guy with the baseball cap was a famous actor (and a fucking werewolf)? He just keeps running into the guy. Coincidence? Stiles thinks not.

Come with Me and Walk the Longest Mile by @devildoll

40k | Explicit

"Stiles shouldn't accept rides from werewolves he meets behind abandoned convenience stores." In which the zombie apocalypse is just one of their worries.

of gods & monsters by @dexterous-sinistrous

6k | Mature

“I’m not the best at conversation. I’ve been told I have no finesse for it.”

Stiles took a step closer to Derek, pushing the billowing silk out of the way. “And what would you say if you looked at me now?”

Derek looked up, startled for a moment when he realized he was now looking at Stiles’ unveiled face. He was silent for a beat, taking in Stiles’ features for the first time, convinced he would never see such beauty unveiled for him alone.

Painted Wooden Letters by @discontentedwinter

10k | Teen | (Stiles & John with a tiny side of Sterek)

All he ever wanted to be was Stiles Stilinski.

Smoke & Mirrors by doodle

69k | Explicit

"Mirror twin, actually,” Stiles corrected automatically. “It’s a subset of identical, but we’re not identical in the normal way. I'm the mirror image of him, or him me, whichever way you want to look at it."

Stiles has spent his entire life in the shadow of JJ, his popular, captain of the lacrosse team, jackass twin brother. Now he only has to make it through the summer until JJ goes to college.

Easier said than done when JJ starts hooking up with Stiles' crush, Derek Hale, and there's a dead body in the preserve.

Windows by @drgrlfriend

83k | Explicit

Derek has a new neighbor who won't stop looking.

Excerpt:

��You’re blind,” Derek said flatly, the anger draining from him so suddenly he felt almost woozy. His vision cleared, his claws sliding back into blunt fingernails.

“Thanks for the memo, genius,” the kid said acidly. “I can still fucking defend myself, so don’t take another damn step.”

“Fuck, I...I’m sorry,” Derek stuttered.

“What?!” The kid’s brow crinkled. “I mean — what?! You’re fucking sorry!?” His lips thinned into a harsh line. “What, is this some kinda Hallmark movie where you’re discovering the error of your ways because you don’t want to rob a blind person?! That’s fucking condescending, man. I’ll have you know that —”

“Just, wait.” Derek interrupted what was apparently the start of a convincing argument as to why he should rob the kid after all, feeling his head start to spin. “This is — it’s a misunderstanding. I’m — I’m not robbing you. You’re — you’re safe, okay? I’m taking three steps back. Just — just let me explain.”

“Explain why you came busting into my apartment? Yeah, go right ahead, man, I can’t wait to hear this epic tale.”

Watch as the waves, fall back into place. by DropsOfAddiction

32k | Explicit

Derek rakes his eyes over Stiles’ exposed arms and his gaze lingers on the lithe muscle there. The evidence of years of staying in shape, working as an FBI field agent is blatant and was he always that hairy?

Derek’s mesmerised by the dark hair running up his arms and it’s only when Stiles clears his throat and flails his hands at him that Derek manages to bring his eyes to his face.

Stiles’ brown hair is longer and he looks taller somehow, fitting his body in a way Derek’s never quite seen on him. He looks totally comfortable in himself, propped there against the jeep like he does this every day, like he’s not making Derek readjust his entire world view, just by being there.

Derek scents the air blatantly and he steps closer to him, pleased with the way Stiles’ heartbeat spikes a little, despite his cool demeanour.

“Hey Hale. Looking good,” Stiles grins, still not moving an inch, even when Derek’s only about a metre away.

lovely, dark, deep by @elisela

3k | General

Stiles floats.

That’s all there is to do; the day is sunny and warm, like every other day he’s been in this pond, though he’s not sure how long that’s been. Sometimes he thinks it hasn’t been long, but whenever he tries to think about it, he … forgets. He told Kate once, when she came out to the garden late one night and let a fox tumble from her hands onto the ground, and she’d patted his cheek and told him that merpeople weren’t known for anything but looking pretty, so she wasn’t surprised to hear he didn’t have many thoughts in his head.

Sometimes it bothers him, that he can remember every day he’s been in the pond but nothing before, but if he thinks about it for too long he forgets that, too.

By Any Other Name by @entanglednow

33k | Explicit

He doesn't know his name, he doesn't know who he is, and neither does the werewolf he's on the run with. But he's pretty sure they hunt monsters, because they seem to be really good at it.

Hide Of A Life War by @etharei

26k | Explicit

“We have received confirmation that there is a hostage situation in progress at a warehouse compound two hours out of Los Angeles, following a multiple-vehicle pileup on Highway 101 this morning...”

The one in which Stiles has lived to (legal) adulthood and, along the way, become a bit of a badass himself.

One Dollar Yoda by exclamation @adventures-in-a-world-of-fiction

11k | Mature

Stiles is an unbonded spark, so he's been dealing with courting alphas since he was ten. It's gotten a lot worse since he turned sixteen. Some are assholes, some are nice, but Stiles hasn't wanted to spend the rest of his life bound to any of them.

When Derek Hale shows up at his school, Stiles expects him to be just another asshole alpha attempting to buy him with expensive gifts. But Derek Hale puts no effort whatsoever into his courtship gifts. Stiles ought to be offended but instead he finds it refreshing.

On my Way by Gia279 (@outtoshatter)

18k | NR

Huge black paws smacked the window, followed by a fuzzy face smooshing up against it.

He scrambled over the gear shift, tipping into the passenger seat. Bear, he thought hysterically. It had to be a bear, a freaking bear.

A big pink tongue rolled out, lips pulling back as the creature panted.

Forward Motion by Gia279

9k | Teen

Stiles and Claudia have just opened their magic shop, finally moving to a brick and mortar store instead of selling potions and amulets from their kitchen.

Derek is having strange dreams, and Peter keeps asking him to go pick up some weird herbs from the new shop while the rest of the Hale pack is in an uproar preparing for their chaotic winter celebration.

Stiles has not one but two embarrassing run-ins with Derek before he manages a conversation with him, and Claudia gets the last laugh.

Shifted by Gia279

48k | NR

What the fuck? Stiles’s eyes snapped open. He leaped back.

A semi-truck blew by, horn blaring in annoyance.

Stiles looked around. His heart quickened at the unfamiliar shadows. His phone rang again, startling him. He fumbled it out of his pocket to answer, fingers sliding awkwardly over the screen.

“Where are you?” Talia’s voice snapped with urgency.

Stiles looked down. His feet were bare and dirty, but he’d still been wearing jeans when he fell asleep. “I’m not sure.”

flint & tinder by grimm

43k | Explicit

Casting spells, chasing monsters, wooing your coworkers and fucking them in their offices - it's all in a day's work for Stiles Stilinski.

North of Salem by @halehathnofury-blog

85k | Explicit

The world is ending in a fight between the supernatural and human worlds. On the front line there are packs that keep the threat at bay and one of them is run by an Alpha wolf and a Spark.

Quack (Stiles Stop Calling It That) by @isthatbloodonhisshirt

16k | Teen

“Stiles, I’m serious, I need a favour.”

“That sounds like a trap,” Stiles Stilinski muttered sleepily into both his pillows. “You know,” he continued when the man in his room made no move to leave, “you’d think I’d be used to this. My dad, coming into my room, smacking my ass to get me out of bed, waking me up at the ass crack of dawn—”

“It’s almost one.”

“—waking me up at the ass crack of one,” Stiles continued without missing a beat, “and asking for a favour. Given my life growing up with you, you’d think I’d be used to this by now. I think the reason this hits so hard now is that I specifically bought my own apartment so that you couldn’t wake me up at the ass crack of dawn—”

“Stiles, it’s almost one.”

“—so that you couldn’t wake me up at the ass crack of one.”

Words Cannot Espresso How Much You Bean to Me by isthatbloodonhisshirt

68k | Teen

“You’re late,” Derek informed him coldly, jaw clenched. He barely even moved his mouth to speak. This guy was seriously scary.

And because Stiles was suicidal, he said, “No, I’m Stiles.”

The look he got could’ve curdled milk. Stiles even noticed that Derek’s muscles were tensing, arms bulging even more and wow this guy was scary and hot but mostly scary holy shit.

“You’re not funny,” Derek informed him coldly.

Stiles shrugged. “I think that’s a matter of opinion.”

Puppy Love by @jerakeenc

7k | Teen

"You stole half the dogs in town," his dad says, hands on his hips. "I should arrest you."

"They're in protective custody," Stiles corrects him. He's trying to sound serious, but it's almost impossible when you have a Pomeranian eating your hair.

Waiting Games Jerakeen

6k | Explicit

Being an only child and heir to the throne, Stiles had always known he may not have the luxury of marrying for love. When he’d realized he was an omega to boot, things had taken an even more uncomfortable turn for him.

Omegas are rare. An omega as the heir apparent is almost unheard of.

Which is why there is no wiggle room when it comes to the tournament.

Don't Worry Baby by @kalpurna

20k | Explicit

"You know you're allowed to ask for vanilla sex, right?" he says, afterwards. "We can do whatever you want. That's kind of the point."

Derek doesn't respond.

The (un)Usual? by @rhysiana

28k | Teen

Stiles works nights at the local college-town diner. Derek is the weird, taciturn new regular who apparently needs huge quantities of food in the middle of the night. Stiles is determined to figure out why.

[heroicn0nsense]

I guess I'm about to get real vulnerable on main here, but I saw some kinda "BookTok" disk horse cross my BlueSky feed, and it's got me thinking in a way I really can only discuss without a character limit. But it feels kind of relative to an over all trans creative experience. Maybe more specifically for us masc people, but. You know. Maybe the threads are different but the weave a similar picture. Anyway, this is kinda what my tumblr blog has become, and so here goes. Please note I also use 'queer' as an all encompassing term, as to me it is the most inclusive word I can use despite its dubious origins and history. Sorry if that upsets anyone.

The funniest thing about this whole conversation popping up was the fact that I had just been lamenting about finding the concept of 'romantasy' fun but what I'd give to find or read something with a transmasc protagonist paired with an opposite partner of any gender. Something my masc bisexual ass would love to see. Mostly because I see and support so many ones that are sapphic in nature, but hardly see any masculine. Maybe I'm not looking in the right places but Anyway. Just so happened that in the next hour I saw what I was looking for cross my Bsky feed, but with the author show casing the really nasty and negative comments he received on his concept. things like but not limited to:

"of course the transmasc character is a twink bottom" "just a girl who got a mastectomy" And other just Internalized Misogyny and Heteronormative things that affect a good portion of us transmasculine guys.

And idk, man it really struck a nerve with me.

If only because first and foremost, the author is writing something he wanted to see. Filling a niche and void he wanted to see realized, and like so many other authors' works, in a way that feels personal to him. And to attack it in such a way was pretty vile.

Queer stories and creations in of themselves are personal stories, because we write from our own experiences, and put them in our original works whether subtly or not so subtly. It's there, and you can't separate the queer experience from a queer work because by its very nature its queer. But also like, that experience isn't the same for everyone. And we shouldn't expect it to be. So, no, not every work is going to be what you want or associate with. But we should be uplifting all of it so that someone with an idea or concept that does speak to you will have the confidence to bring it to the table. And yeah. Unfortunately, that sometimes means that cliches are gonna happen. That twink ass transmasc might end up being a bottom 75% of the time.

But it also like, led me to associate my own struggle of accepting my own body and transness and some of my own preferences in the bedroom.

I'm not saying that all writers, artists, or creators are using their method of making art to explore their own hang ups with their gender and bodies, navigating this absolutely messy and strange world of norms and expectations while simultaneously seeming to want to turn them on their head. Gender is complex. Being trans is complex. And it gets weird, and sometimes we need outlets to work our way through it.

But also, most of us transmasc people have vaginas. It's just a fact of life. We've got a big ol' gaping axe wound of an organ sitting between our legs and for a lot of us, it still feels good to stick something in it, and we shouldn't be ashamed of that at all. And hell, a lot of us are short, considering our genetics are wired that way and no amount of HRT is going to change the fact some of us aren't going to get past 5'5". But sometimes, especially with what is expected to be masculine by gender norms, and the physical form of a cis male body, it can sometimes be really hard to reconcile that.

I know it was for me. To the point where I often struggled with my sexuality and my relationship with intimacy about it for a long time.

I made my character Akihiro while I was, and still am parsing through a lot of my own dysphoric issues, and paving my own way to acceptance. And that's made him a deeply personal character to me. And he has grown and changed as I project a lot of those issues on to him and his development. Akihiro has been an exploration of myself as much as he is an an original character that I role play. But not so much in the ways of personality, but more in the ways of the challenges with which he is presented and has to navigate himself.

Akihiro is a trans man in a world that is accepting of it. Society has progressed past these petty and arbitrary standards. But he becomes a cyborg at a time where the question is instead what it means to be human, and so...The aspect of depersonalization, dysphoria, and depersonalization he experiences at the hands of transhumanism is not so different than what I have and do experience in my own transition.

Akihiro wasn't always trans. That was honestly a pretty recent development and one that I did struggle with making. And I realized I was struggling with it because of those same dysphoric issues. And I just needed to let them go.

It was reflected in another recent development; the way that I had Akihiro handle his genitals when he was presented with the option to upgrade from none to a functioning set. And he chose to go with what he had been born with, the genitals he had when his body was mangled. He went with a vagina. Because he wanted to embrace the body he had taken for granted before he lost it, and not some idealized version of himself he could have obtained at any point prior.

And yeah. He 'bottoms' the majority of the time for his boyfriend because he enjoys it. But it doesn't stop him from topping him either, nor enjoying that. Nor had it stopped him previously from being intimate with other men and women. And that's his preference as a character.

And who are we to say it wasn't the same for this author? Where he is putting his feelings and acceptance of his own body and desires onto paper? And that is being met with such vitriol because it's not someone else's idea of what is masculine, or whatever. I don't know. Maybe they weren't. Maybe they did just wanna write some twink ass boy getting dicked down and like, that's fine too. Why do we have to be so mad about that?

And maybe this was just a lot of words to say that I think we get so wrapped up in words and labels for things that it completely erases the nuances of our own experiences and it turns right back around to being so queerphobic and limiting. And we don't give ourselves, much less other people, the grace to create the things they want to, and from a place of their own experience and desire. It's harmful.

[nijigasakilove]

This show just can’t help but make me cry. I have so much respect for Sakura, I love him sm. It’s so hard as a man to apologize, especially to other men and being vulnerable about your insecurities can be scary.. doesn’t help it is often labelled as “feminine” to be so open to other guys, so I’m happy to see a series tackling healthy male relationships and encouraging that intimacy. Doesn’t make you any less of a man to be vulnerable.

The way they visualised Sakura finally leaving the path he’d been forcing himself to walk on the tightrope all this time was so beautiful. Of course, most of the struggle is in his head because the boys already accept him for who he is, flaws and all, but he’s finally turning that page. Love that for him. We even saw him laugh genuinely for the first time with the boys, his guard’s down!

I really could do with several more episodes of these Bofurin bonding/character development episodes. It’s just so wholesome and what separates this from other delinquent shows like TR. it’s not just about fighting, but about these guys coming together, making a positive change in the community and being part of something bigger than themselves. There’s a lot of real world lessons you can take away from this series.

Tsubakino the trans icon you are. I think it’s so cool that she’s not hiding from or ashamed of who she is, like the way she told Sakura she hoped he could get used to how she dresses was so cute and pure, and the way everyone in the group respects her the same as they’d respect any of the other leaders. This is just such a healthy group of young people 😭 where can we find this irl

Sakura being the biggest romance shipper and blushing every time anyone flirts or talks romance around him is soooo cute, I just know he’d be a massive shoujosei fan like me. Can’t wait to see what the date looks like next week!!

[atimeofyourlife]

We've met before, it's different now

written for @steddieholidaydrabbles prompt: modern au | rated: t | wc: 995 | cw: mentions/ fear of transphobia | tags: modern au, tinder au, trans steve harrington, transfem steve harrington, trans eddie munson, transmasc eddie munson, pre steddie, first date, t4t steddie Steph is back in Hawkins for the first time since coming out as trans. Robin convinces her to get back on tinder, where she finds Eddie. He's familiar for some reason, but she can't place why

Steph couldn't place how she felt as she laid on Robin's bedroom floor. It was her first time back in Hawkins since coming out. Since her parents had kicked her out, saying that they would never see her as their daughter, she would have to accept her place as their son, the sole Harrington heir. She'd left with Robin for Chicago, where she could reinvent herself. Become the woman she knew she was. But they were back in Hawkins for Christmas, and Joyce and Hopper's wedding, which was happening early in the new year.

Really, she didn't know how to be Steph in Hawkins. Anyone who was unaware of her transition didn't seem to recognize her, even people she'd been friends with in a different time. She'd been right behind Nicole, a girl she'd once dated, in the grocery store. And Nicole turned and looked her straight in the eye and asked if she was new in town. Mark Lewinsky approached her in the parking lot and offered to take her on a date. And every time someone looked at her, she wanted to make herself smaller. To hide away and put on a mask the way she had in order to survive high school.

Now, she was unsure if she wanted to do anything with her time, or to just hide in Robin's room when she wasn't needed elsewhere.

"Come on. I've updated your Tinder profile with new pics and everything. Even if we just sit here and swipe through everyone. But you never know, you might get something out of it." Robin said, dropping onto the floor next to Steph. 

"Fine." Steph rolled her eyes and held her hand out for her phone. She flicked through the photos Robin had chosen. A lot of her favorites, including a thirst trap from the boudoir photo session Robin had gifted her for her birthday, nothing too risque, everything was covered in a bodysuit, but it was a photo that made her feel confident and sexy every time she looked at it. "Okay, lets do it."

The first few were various guys she knew from school, a couple of girls mixed in too. She swiped left on all of them, not that interested. The first one that made her stop wasn't one she was interested in dating. But she was shocked to see Carol Perkins pop up with her interests set to men and women.

"There is no way Carol fucking Perkins is interested in girls." Robin said from where she was looking over Steph's shoulder as she flicked through the photos.

"Tommy's in most of the pictures. I bet they're looking for a third." Steph said, swiping left. "But they know that no self-respecting woman would get into that mess if they knew Tommy was involved, so Carol it is."

"You told me that you had a threesome with them?" Robin asked.

"Yeah, but that was before I knew I was a woman, and at the time I had very little self-respect." Steph replied, and continued swiping.

Robin had got bored of watching Steph swiping through Tinder, so had moved back to her bed to text Vickie. Steph stayed on Tinder, yet to swipe right on anyone, but then one guy caught her eye. A guy with long curly hair, named Eddie. He seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place him. His bio said that he was in a band and played dnd. There was something about him that made her swipe right. She didn't think anything would come from it, and tried not to think on it.

A few hours later, she checked her phone to see a notification from Tinder of there being a match, and Eddie had sent her a message.

Hi. I don't really know what I'm doing with this. I'm back in town for the holidays, and my friends said I should make a profile to try and meet someone. But you are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on.

Steph giggled and blushed at the message. It took her a while to figure out how to respond.

I'm back in town for the holidays as well. My best friend updated my profile for me and said I should start looking even if I swiped left on everyone. You seem pretty cute, and I would love to hear more about this band you play in?

Steph felt that she and Eddie really hit it off, messaging each other for a while everyday. They talked about almost everything, and were even planning a date at Benny's. But Steph couldn't help feeling nervous. What if Eddie couldn't accept her being trans? What if everything went wrong and she got hurt, or outed, or worse?

She decided on a basic outfit, a comfy sweater over jeans. Feeling that anything fancier would make her overdressed for a date at a diner.  She still felt nervous, but she was sharing her location with Robin so someone would know if anything went sour.

On the date with Eddie, everything felt so real. Time seemed to fly by, and they were talking for hours. She found out that he was also living in Chicago, so they could continue to see each other.

"I graduated from Hawkins High three years ago. I hated everyday that I was stuck there " Eddie said.

"You graduated a year after me, but your profile said you're a year older than me?" Steph asked, frowning. She still couldn't place him.

"I uh. I got held back a couple times. Shit happened. It was a hard time for me."

"I feel like I should know you, but I don't remember you from school."

"The thing is, I've not always been Eddie." He said, looking nervous. "I had a different name, and I looked a lot different too."

It took a moment for Steph to realize what he was implying. "That's okay. I get it, because I've not always been Steph."

[stinkysam]

Vinsmoke Sanji - Oh boy.

Warning : none

Genre : fluff

Synopsis : "Sanji falling for an ftm „he / they“ reader and feeling conflicted not only because that’s the first time he ever realized he liked a guy but also because he never even FLIRTED with a guy (...) And all in all just being awkward and waaaaay overthinking this just because he’s very much a confused newly discovered bisexual as well as „first time trans ally“ and is trying his best. Extra points: Reader immediatly knows what’s up and is just like „lol. : )“ because he thinks Sanjis awkward fumbling is adorable, before he puts Sanji out of his misery and goes „I like you. Wanna go out on a date sometimes?“" - anon

Reader : male (he/they/you)

A/N : Part TWO

Sanji likes women.

That's a fact everyone knows.

Or thought they knew.

So you can guess his surprises when he realizes his feelings for you ; a man. Not believing he could think such things with you !

Why is he caring who you're looking at ? Or why does he suddenly care about the way your eyes shine ? Or how you smile and how cute it is ? Why does his heart beat faster each time you compliment his cooking, your hand gently resting on his chest ? You could probably feel the way it was pounding under your palm.

He goes through a small stage of denial. And thinks he's being an asshole because he still sees you as a woman. Which he doesn't but his feelings make him think he's being transphobic and he absolutely hates it.

Because you're a man and he sees you as such. So when he finally realizes he's not transphobic but just bi he relaxes a bit.

And now he's scared. Because what if you don't feel the same ? Right ?

Or worse ? What if you think what he thought ? That he's being a transphobe and still seeing you as a woman ? What if he starts flirting and you see it disrespectful ?

Wait, how does he even flirt with a man ?

He doesn't know how to do it with any man, or with you, for that matter. You don't flirt with a man the same way you flirt with a lady. Right ?

Would you like to be called handsome ? Or perhaps pretty ? Or is pretty too feminine and you'd prefer handsome ? Or maybe you don't mind and like both ? Would you like flowers ? He wouldn't mind receiving them so maybe you wouldn't mind either ?

God, why is it so hard flirting with a man ?

He's really uncertain so he prefers to start with compliments. Your clothing, your hairstyle, your fighting…

He wants to start small in hope you see it as him being serious with you.

When he eventually starts flirting he's still really shy and unsure, fumbling on his words and stuttering.

The sentence he had prepared for you leaves his brain the second he opens his mouth.

But then !? You flirted back ?! You winked at him and invited him for dinner at a restaurant on the island you stopped at ?!

W h a t ! ?

He feels his heart burst in his chest. Just simply exploding. BOOM.

He's at a loss for words as he tries to smile. How does one smile by the way ? He's so happy he forgot. He's so sheepish he almost doesn't answer, giggling a little before finally accepting your offer.

Suddenly he's hoping he didn't read it wrong and you really flirted back.

"No, because, they could've invited me to be nice. Or maybe he also invited the others as well ? What if it's just not us two and I come with flowers like a fool ? I have to ask them. But will I look stupid if I do so ? …" He thought to himself.

"Um, just to make sure we're on the same page, [Name], it's a uh… d-"

"Date, yeah. Tomorrow night." You say with a small smile, slightly proud of yourself as you look into his eyes.

You swear you could see the way the air got stuck in his throat as he stopped breathing.

"Okay." He started, still sheepish. "Good." And with that he turns around and leaves. He doesn't know where he's going but he's definitely going somewhere. He needs a walk to calm down anyway.

Not that the food was bad the other times but you ate extra good this evening. You had plenty of choice and even Luffy didn't know where to start.

[oceanwithouthermoon]

okay some people genuinely really need to accept that the ONLY "queer coding" in saiki k is when they make gay jokes. there is NO other intentional queer coding, and i think people dont understand that claiming rep where it isnt there is much much more harmful than you think it is... just headcanon! its fun! you guys act like youre going to fucking die if you ship/hc something not canon, so you convince everyone that everything you say is canon ☠️ its literally insane

theres a HUGE difference between a headcanon or ship having what YOU see as canon backing, and a hc or ship that is actually implied or canon...

the only ship that you could argue is implied in saiki k is terusai, thats literally it, you could potentially make an argument that yumekai could be reciprocated towards the end, satoumiya, or MAYBE mikosai, but im pretty sure thats it...

nonbinary saiki is one of my personal favorite headcanons (one of the only ones i pretty much ALWAYS have in mind when talking or writing about him, it's practically a given) and i think it has pretty good canon backing, but its not ACTUALLY implied.

hes FAIRLY certain that his biological sex is male, and all evidence points to that, but he doesnt know and specifically says that he doesnt know what his true gender is... he clearly has absolutely zero discomfort with masculinity OR femininity, doesnt know or care about his gender, and is comfortable with either sex... he seems very happy to just be either...

seems like pretty solid evidence, but you also have to realize that there is literally zero chance that the author intended for saiki to be read as nonbinary, or trans in any way, this was literally just an excuse for plot and to have a reason to take advantage of his shapeshifting to do crossdressing/genderbend chapters ☠️ i love to see it as him being nonbinary and i think it has a lot of backing, but its not canon or even "implied" at all.

theres a lot of other examples of this kind of thing in this fandom, like theres a lot of people who claim that kubokai are queer coded (its usually just a joke when people say things like "hehe my ship is so canon" but im talking about like... people who see yumekai and go "um 🤨 this is LITERALLY homophobic because erm um kubokai are basically canon and queer coded and you shipping one of them with a WOMAN is HOMOPHOBIC" lmfao) and i am actually just not even sure where this comes from because they dont have anything that can even be twisted into romantic subtext, theyre just a popular ship because they have a good friendship. which is great! but theyre like the LAST thing i wouldve expected people to claim as implied or canon. they are absolutely not. the only thing i can even think of that might make people think that is saiki saying they look gay in that one chapter ☠️

[helluverse-rewrites]

Random tidbits/headcanons

I mostly just made this because I think there's some things I forgot to put in the other posts so here you go Ig

Starting off with a big one, Millie proposed to Moxxie using sign language

Millie often translates for Moxxie when he's talking to others

Moxxie won't admit this, but it really means a lot to him when someone learns sign language for him. He grew in a place that told him that no one would learn such a thing just for a worthless, waste of space like him. So it contradicts what his father said to him when someone at least puts in the effort and tries

Not only is Sallie May trans, Millie now also has a trans brother

Verosika would probably listen to boyfriend asmr for shits and giggles

Asmodeus hates alpha male podcasters

In my rewrite, Moxxie is more apathetic than in canon, so the conflict in Murder Family is different. That's all I'm gonna say

Stella is the living embodiment of "I'm not just a regular mom, I'm a ✨cool mom��"

Fizz has a shit tone of medical trauma

Octavia has crippling abandonment issues

^ this is because Stolas would constantly tell her as a kid when she would be crying "Cut this nonsense out or else I'm leaving you. For good." Stolas would also say he'd take Stella with her. So basically she thought that if she cried as a child, her parents would leave her

^ this is why she's so quiet and pretends she doesn't care about anything. She learned that everyone will leave her if she shows any emotion

Yeah she doesn't like to cry in front of people anymore (Stella is completely unaware of this btw)

She just bottles everything up in general

Stella will just accept anytime Stolas or Andrealphus yells or threatens her, but she'll attack you if you mention her daughter

After some character development, Fizz would be good friends with Moxxie I feel

^ They would play a game where they would see how much random shit they could say in sign language before people start to catch on how much they're bullshitting. They would be saying the word 'watermelon' over and over again. Everyone is confused while Millie and Asmodeus are laughing their asses off

If M&M were to have kids, they would definitely go for adoption (COUGHSINSMASCOUGH) also because Moxxie is trans so they wouldn't be able to have children biologically

^ also they're broke so they need more money before they even consider that

Millie often worries about Moxxie when she's not there to translate his sign language. It's not that she doesn't think he can handle himself, Moxxie has been surviving on his own for a long time before he met Millie. It's just that he has a tendency to force himself to talk when no one can understand what he's saying, and Millie knows it hurts and exhausts him

Millie's family adores Moxxie. I hate the trope of dad disapproves of daughter's boyfriend. It's just pretty annoying and oftentimes the boyfriend is the sweetest guy ever

Her family is the most accepting family in the Wrath Ring and upon first meeting them, Moxxie was certain they hated him

That was literally the opposite though, they even helped Millie set up the proposal. They just wanted Moxxie to be their in-law so bad

Striker is kind of an older brother figure to Millie, he used to have playdates with her when they were little

Stolas is the most powerful Goetia, which is something he brags about constantly

Asmodeus is a huge fucking nerd and loves reading

Moxxie and Blitzø constantly steals Millie's fidget toys for fun

Dw Millie thinks it's funny

That's all I can think about for now! If I think of anymore I'll do a part two

[waiitwotworkshop]

*ahem* gaang headcanons? very specifically, transfem zuko headcanons?

YAYY

Zuko goes by Lin and everyone thinks that’s her new name so they try not to deadname her, so when anyone refers to her as zuko they all cringe and try to defend her. Only for her to be like ‘idk why you guys kept calling me Lin, we’re not in public”

Zuko is sm more sensitive abt her hair. She is crying inside when she cuts it off at the end of s1 when it starts growing back in she’s so happy. It grows back a little wavy and it’s such a cute cut that makes her look feminine even w short hair.

Somehow attracts guys while working at the tea shop. This includes jet (ugh) but ultimately they don’t go further than some weird flirting which is actually just insulting each other. Jin still has a crush on her but she doesn’t go on a date with her because iroh just assumes she’s straight(it’s debatable)

Sokka rlly likes girls who can beat him up so naturally he gets a crush. This hot girl is mean to him but sometimes laughs at his jokes he’s absolutely falling for her. And he loves to treat her delicately even though she can clearly handle herself. This is where we get into some divergence from canon (other than the obvious lmao) canon zuko would not want someone to treat him so fragile but Sokka does it so lovingly that she can’t help but love it. Like ‘omg a puddle let me carry you over it so you don’t get mud on your shoes :3’ just being such a gentleman and zuko is so in love with it because she’s never been treated so gently. Ugh just imagine him being so lovesick over zuko, like ‘yes darling, anything u say darling ^^’ this is basically canon do u see the way he treats suki lol. I just love the thought of this grumpy loser doing a complete switch when it comes to zuko.

She wouldn’t go back to the firenation with Azula because she /can’t/ her father would definitely not accept her like this so this is a hypothetical but she would hate being expected to be Mai’s bf again. And she tries to give her a seashell bc she thinks it’s nice and /she’s/ a girl and likes it so why the hell doesn’t Mai like it too. She’s definitely jealous of the girls getting attention so her and azula r just pissed together.

Zuko is 10x more nervous around katara bc she desperately wants them to be friends. She just thinks back to how Azula made friends so easily and how zuko was so bad at it/didn’t want to hang out with guys that she just tagged along like a loser. She’s so desperate to finally make her own friend that she also tags along to wherever katara is and cringes at herself every time they interact. When suki joins the gaang and three of them hang out she’s secretly ecstatic.

I will literally go on abt trans girl zuko forever I’m so happy to have an excuse to talk abt her someone please ask me more

[afinestoutlove]

things i love about heartstopper 11/?

Isaac Henderson. I love this boy so fucking much. He's sweet, he's funny, he's thoughtful, he's stylish, he's kind... He's a goddamn delight and also all the feels. (Tobie Donovan is SO GOOD you guys!!?)

The moment in ‘Truth/Dare’ where he comes back into the party? Those tears? Then when he’s on the balcony alone?

The times he opens a book in S2 and S3 but ends up ruffling the pages because he can’t read it?

His face when he’s gazing up at the art in ‘Sorry’ and seeing himself? My heart!

Then when he's watching Tori and Michael (two more characters I could rant about forever) in 'Apart'?? Just inject that shit into my veins.

"I know they would be [supportive about being aro/ace]. I just can't be bothered to give everyone a vocab lesson." ('Love') So goddamn real. Even knowing all your friends would be there for you, having to explain yourself is isolating. (Side note, I love that Charlie does go home and google what aromantic means and lets Isaac know.)

Realising you’re gay or bi or pan or trans is hard. But realising you’re on the ace spectrum is a whole different type of hard. It's so invisible even now. Even his friends who are accepting and loving keep making him feel excluded without ever realising, because they never consider that this is something they should account for. A lot of us find so much safety in queer spaces because people know us (or parts of us) without us having to educate them, but for ace/aro/demi people, even really welcoming queer spaces can be as isolating as cishetero ones. (Side note, it can be a very odd experience having part of yourself feel so seen in queer spaces, while another is still invisible.)

“It changes everything I thought I knew about myself. And about my life and my future.” ('Talk')

It’s so true, and such a gut punch. I think most queer people have a moment like this when we're figuring out who we are, but for aro/ace/demi people there's still not many visible potentials. For gay/bi/queer people, we have visible queer relationships to look to. For trans people, we have visible trans people to look to. NB folk are closer in experience to aro/ace, but even there, we see more representation even a few decades ago. And these are all things that are visible in our local queer spaces in a way ace/aro/demi people's experiences aren't - they're mostly seen as "just single", as "not yets". Our community haven't learnt to see something else yet. Isaac's story is so fucking important and he’s such a beautiful character and I love him so much. (Also Tori is so great for this, but she needs her own post!)

Isaac is also courageous and principled. Lecturing Harry Greene on basic human empathy under the Eiffel Tower?? Iconic.

Bonus points for all the ways he’s the sweetest human. He knows Charlie isn’t okay and he’s trying his best to be there for him, even though Charlie can't accept it. “You said you were okay and I guess you just lied. I mean, I kind of knew that" ('Journey' - didn't check the exact quote sssh). Ugh, ugly crying.

Luckily it doesn’t hurt all the time either. His humour is tragically underrated imho. In no specific order:

*kicks over the monopoly board to end an argument without even opening his eyes* "Oh, whoops."

“They’re just in the honeymoon phase.” “It’s not like they’re even dating.” “Unless they are.”

His completely unsubtle smirk when he’s delivering antiseptic wipes.

"Ooh I might have been asleep...!"

“No, I want all the details!”

I would watch a whole series about him and his side eye and his adorable smile I love him.

[symphonic-scream]

Trans Dude Makoto stuff

It's. He figures it out with the thieves. It's during the Kaneshiro Palace that he's having, uh, "girls night" with Ann and says something like "aha but all girls wish they'd been born different society right" and Ann stops and just, hand on their knee, and

"Hey, have you ever heard of being trans?"

"What? Yeah, but- no, everyone thinks that way-"

"Makoto,,"

"...no,,"

"I'm sorry I brought it up-"

"How am i- no, i-"

That first panic of someone who was refusing to accept they weren't just experiencing the same struggle everyone else was but was weaker

Ann hugs them, asks softly if they want to talk more about it, and Makoto just crumbles, sobs into her shoulder,

Ann: you should tell the guys. I'm sure they'd love to help you discover yourself

Makoto: I don't, want them to hate me,

Ann: they wouldn't, and if they do? Fuck em. We can get by without them

Makoto: thank you,,,

It starts small. They refer to him with male pronouns in the group chat, and they all notice it's having an affect on his metaverse self, and Ann softly calls him King one day, and Makoto's lip wobbles cause it feels so much better,,

Spare clothes kept at Leblanc so he can feel more like a guy during Thieves hang outs. Akira and Ann come together and order him some binders, and Ryuji gets him a hat, so he can fuck his hair up and he crushes them all in hugs

Yusuke helps him with voice training tips, and just shrugs and says his roommate at the dorms does it as a CIS man to sound more manly, so clearly there should be no issue with Makoto doing it too

Futaba, newly recovered: wassup t boy

Makoto: ...what did you just call me?

Futaba: you wreak of trans boy swag, Mako. Oh, has anyone ordered you a dick yet?

Makoto: Uhm. I'm overwhelmed. Please slow down

Futaba: ...OH whoops my b lmao

And. He eventually has to tell his sister. He knows this. He can't be jumpy when doing his laundry cause he's afraid she'll see his new boxers, or anything, and he's starting to crave having them when he's home, and he doesn't wanna just have them stashed at Leblanc-

But the timing sucks. It sucks so bad, so, he sucks it up, and the others do notice, of course they do. It's just after the summer trip, they're all tense cause they're gonna have to go after Okumura, and he doesn't wanna be a burden

But. Ryuji offers him a place to sleep if he needs it. Boys nights, if he wants. Ann is willing to lie to Sae if need be, anyways

So. His stuff moves, to Ryuji's, where he spends any night Sae isn't home, which gets more and more frequent

Ryuji's Ma? Adores Makoto. She punches his cheek after Ryuji's, gives both boys a kiss on the head, and never messes up on his pronouns. She's a "Woke Warrior" mom all the way. She asks Makoto one morning, while Ryuji is showering, if they're dating. Makoto stutters out that no, he likes girls, and she just smiles, and thanks Makoto for being friends with her son

With each passing day, his metaverse self gets more and more masculine. He wears his binder when they go in and BAM. flat chest. He starts when he realizes hes wearing it, and struggles in his leather fucking suit, but he laughs out with tears in his eyes. The perception stuff? Man. He's got a fully flat chest. And he nearly jumps around like a lunatic when he packs in the Metaverse for the first time

Morgana: this is just more proof you've found your true self, King

Makoto: thanks, Mona,,,

He starts looking into HRT on his own, during the Okumura palace. Part of it is he knows he wants to transition physically when he's in college, and able to survive without Sae if she disproves. But, part of it is, he wants to become the man the others all see him as.

And. Maybe part of it is he wants Haru to keep calling him handsome,,,

The thieves are all so hella supportive of him, and he feels so fucking loved,

It's during a Gal and Pal night (he and Ann didn't wanna stop their hanging out and renamed it), he asks her if she thinks he has a chance with a girl "like Haru" and Ann just gasps and shakes her hands all "OH MY GOD YOU *DO* LJKE HER"

Makoto: i-its not a big deal, I've liked girls before-

Ann: but still!!! Oh my god, I'm going to be the best wingwoman ever, you are going to woo her panties off, mister!

Makoto: ...take it down a notch? I, just wanna make her smile,

Ann: fine, but we'll get there!

Meanwhile.

Haru: so. Tell me everything you know about Mako-kun and what he likes.

Ryuji: huh? Why'd you need to know that?

Haru: oh, no reason. I just want to ask him out, kiss him-

Ryuji: oh eff, now I have to give you the shovel talk! I'm his honorary brother, but you're damn scary in the Metaverse, Eff,,,

Haru: I love your beanie, Mako-kun

Makoto: thanks, Ryuji got it for me, since I can't get my hair cut without alerting the school, or Sis

Haru: I think it makes you look so handsome~

He gushes to Ann with a red face and gooey smile, and she just chuckles and ruffle his hair,

"Dear brother, you've got it bad, huh?"

Ryuji tries to be sly and ask him about it, to feed info to Haru, but he ends up sitting on his bed while Makoto just rambles on about how pretty she is and how nice she is and he just sends a text that says "yeah. You got this girl"

Makoto finds it easier to flirt as King. King is his idealized self, along with his sense of rebellion, all bundled up into this spiky, leather bundle. It's easier to feel more confident in himself when he *feels* like himself in his body, and he believes it easier when Noir trails fingers down his shoulders and calls him handsome as she thanks him for holding open the Mona-van door for her

They don't date for *months*. It's only during the third semester that things come to a head

Makoto is still just Makoto. He never told Maruki about being trans. That's what ticks him off; his dysphoria is *gone*

He calls Haru in a panic and "I feel like a girl. And I don't hate it. What's going on"

The illusion shatters for them both, and while Akira is tossing and turning on it, they bond. Spend nights together, talking, and Haru calls him him, head on his shoulder, and he admits he's *mad* Akira is taking so long. Making Haru act like things are okay with Akechi, and she just. Stares at him.

"You're, thinking about that? About me?"

"Of course,,,"

And. It's what breaks the dam. She kisses him, and he flounders for a moment, but when she pulls away and *looks* at him, he just pulls her in again

They're kissing, up on the roof at the Niijima place, and Makoto laughs a little between kisses, as Haru gasps a little,,

"I've been wanting to do this for *months*,"

"Oh, silly boy,, me too,"

He's got his beanie on. She's cupping his face, fingers dancing over the slight freckles, and they both look so, so in love,

She sleeps over. She has been for a while, cause she can't stand Being in that home, with, him,, But that night, it's the first time the two of them cuddle up. She kisses at his jaw, sleepy, and he presses his cheek to her hair,

Haru: there is one thing I want to do, before we go back to our real reality

Makoto: is it something with, your dad?

Haru: no, no. It's, with you. I want to spend a night, in the Metaverse. Just, me and you. If, you get what I mean,,

Makoto: h-huh?

Haru: just,,, it'll be a long time before you have a body you love that much, and- I want our first time to be, when you're most comfortable. Most you,

Makoto: Haru,,,

Haru: I just want you to, get that. Experience it,

Makoto: thank you,,, I'll ask Akira when he plans to do it, and hopefully,, we can find a night we're both ready for?

Haru: of course,,,

And they have one special night, in a cognition room somewhere, where no shadows threaten them, and then the world is brought back. There is no more Metaverse, (for now), and, they both have college to prep for, but it means the world to him that Haru suggested it. He got to have such a special first time, and he made sure she had just as good a time,, a

Makoto proudly telling the others just before Akira leaves that he's finally getting on T, and that Sae has been reading so many books and reports on trans people and how best to support him, and he's so happy,,

Plus, he gets a single room in his new dorm, which will be perfect for having his girlfriend over

Ann: wait. GIRLFRIEND

Haru: oh, we forgot to tell them, didn't we

Ryuji: NO WAY, NO EFFIN WAY

They get bear hugged, and Makoto laughs so freely, and gosh,, just a year ago he was so alone, and probably depressed, and repressing so much,,, and now, here he is. With a best friend, a pseudo brother, and a girlfriend,

And then there's the summer Makoto,,, with his voice cracking all over the place, a splash of acne, and he looks so *happy*, A fresh hair cut, 6 months on T, he's doing AMAZING

Plus, he and Haru are still doing great,, she sleeps over in his dorm a few times a week, and they have study dates, and regular dates, and they both seem so much more, settled. Haru is staying with the Niijima's while they're back in Tokyo for the holiday, and the first night there Makoto takes her to have dinner with the Sakamotos, and Haru ends up nodding off while Makoto and Ryuji catch up and game

He shows up for summer in a leather jacket, white t-shirt, a small spiked choker, and black khaki shorts, with his big stompy boots. He ditches the jacket a lot when theyre not indoors, since, well, it hot and he finds he's sweating more, and just. He and Haru have matching earrings, and she's wearing a collection of nice rings, and he beams when he holds her hand in public, fingers entwined just right, and Man. This is the life,,,

His first time back in the Metaverse? He pauses, pats at his chest with a smile, and. Stares down at himself.

Ryuji: you good, bro?

Makoto: y-yeah,,, never been better,

Futaba, who has no tact: BOYS GOT HIS DICK BACK

King feels much more at ease with shorter hair, too. Riding on Johanna is exhilarating when he can feel the wind rushing by along his scalp better,,

Plus, now Haru isn't as reserved about cuddling close to his back as they ride together. He definitely missed getting to have flirty banter with Noir,,

Oh, and when he stretches after a long stretch of driving? His "baby" happy trail shows as his shirt lifts up

Ann: damn, boy

Haru: mmm, *I know*,

Akira: down, girl. We're all still here

Haru: can you blame me? Look at my guy,,

When he and Haru come back to Tokyo for the summer break, Sae smiles at him at the door, and hugs him tight.

Haru: thank you for letting me stay with you, Sae-san,

Sae: I should be thanking you for taking such good care of my little brother

She ruffles his hair as he squawks, and his voice breaks, and they both grin at that,

--

I have more. I have lots but this is the base. Sometimes you gotta just trans that Makoto, you know?

[mcytshipsandmore]

Majormoon, except Scott's the trans masc one and Pearl's a cis man...

Pearl finds out Scott's trans before Scott even knows he's trans. Pearl's limerent, and with Scott being his limerent object and farfriend, it ain't hard to put the pieces together that Scott's a 'liiiil trans of the gender! Given Pearl stalks his browsing history ('is it possible for women develop facial hair?' 'is it normal to feel like you want to be a boy?' 'diets to reduce breast size?'), and monitors his activities (he watches on the clothes stores videofeed at Scott discreetly checking out the men's section on stores, only buying sports bras, looks for one-piece swim suits instead of two-pieces), and he figures out his 'girlfriend' might not be so girl after all, before Scott's even figured out his discomfort with his femininity issssssn't really normal for a cis person.

You could say he gives Scott a few nudges in the right direction. Pearl buys extra clothes for 'himself' that, woops, he ordered 'em wrong, they actually came in Scott's size, and, well, it'd be a waste to return them, wouldn't it, so why doesn't Scott just keep 'em, instead? He makes a big show of coming out as bisexual to his 'girlfriend', bemoans about how pretty men are, and wouldn't Scott just make the cutest guy? Pretends to 'slip up' and accidentally refer to Scott as a he instead of a she, even though it's far from a mistake whenever he gets to watch Scott light up at being referred to with masc pronouns like a lightbulb.

With Pearl's help, really, it's only a matter of time until Scott's egg cracks, and he admits he might want to be a boy. Pearl, of course, is unrelenting supportive... in fact, Pearl had already bordered dozens of custom-fit at-home binders for when he inevitably came out, already created him a pinterest moodboard full of potential new haircuts or fits, already created him a list of hundreds of personally-picked masculine names he thought that Scott might want to consider for his new one. Pearl makes sure it's well and known that he loves Scott no matter what and that he supports his new boyfriend unconditionally.

Pearl also makes it well known that everyone else will not.

Now, their community isn't necessarily transphobic, but Pearl makes sure Scott thinks it is. Pulls up news articles about trans-based hatecrimes in the area (who cares if they're a little dated? Scott doesn't need to know that), brings it upon himself to sneak out at night and write transphobic graffiti near Scott's local hangouts where he knows Scott'll see it, even deepfakes old Twitter posts or texts about Scott's friends being transphobic. Pearl subtly manipulates him into thinking the the truth is: only Pearl is safe. He can only be his true self around Pearl. Everybody else will hurt and hate him if they knew. His friends aren't really his friends; they won't be if they find out. Pearl's the only one who will ever accept him.

Pearl even slips estrogen into his food, occasionally, watching as he only grows more dysphoric (he can't dress masculinely in public, they'll know; he can't ask to be referred to with proper pronouns, they'll know; he can't have top surgery or take supplments, they'll know), and so more reliant on Pearl for comfort. Pearl is the only one he can trust, the only one who would accept his truest self, the only one who would call him a man.

It's only a matter of time before Scott shuts everyone else out under the impression they'd hate him if they knew who he was, convinced his entire support system is ragingly transphobic and Pearl is the only one who would ever accept him...

It's only a matter of time until Pearl has Scott isolated, conditioned, and wrapped around his finger.

Just as planned.

aw thats sweet!

What a loving boyfriend!

Well thats a strange thing to say…

What is.

Oh-

Oh….

-🍫

[jinbeisluffy]

I see so many posts over different social media platforms about sexuality/gender hcs for the strawhats and i want to add in my own two cents because i believe im very correct (but anyone’s opinion is valid so long as it doesnt go against canon coding)

Luffy - the most aroace and trans guy to ever BREATHE. i dont mean aroace in that hes somewhere on the spectrum where he can still be attracted to people, because he cant. this guy had never grasped the concept of romance and never will, because theres no reason for it to him. hes trans because i say he is, i dont have many reasons for THAT but its just the signals hes sending me. trans to trans communication trust

Zoro - gay. thats it thats the post. no but i dont ship luffy with anyone but zoro is just attracted to literally any man who is strong, thats his criteria and thats all he ever needs. is he aware of it? not at all, he has no idea that its not normal to get bricked up by the thought of other men

Nami - i havent seen a bigger lesbian in media ever, genuinely i dont think any other character is as obviously lesbian as she is. she loves girls unapologetically no matter what, supports all girls at the end of the day (cough kalifa) . i also hit her with the asexual beam because i can, specifically demisexual because i THINK so

Usopp - while i wanna consider kaya, i wanna consider sanji too and thats making me lean between bi or omni even if omni is a label under the bi umbrella. its more a question of if he recognises his preference for men or not, because he does prefer then at the end of the day. the ace beam bounces from nami to usopp because he too doesnt feel anything and doesnt think about it either

Sanji - oh my god where do i begin. maybe just the blatant queer coding of wci as a whole?? of course hes attracted to women, thats not an aspect you can remove or just toss around to being something else. he loves and respects women, but he is so QUEER. all of wci is just queer coding, its a queer story and sanji is a queer character i will die on this hill. he probably has some kind of gender issues too, what specifically? no clue, but he likes people of multiple genders and is in deep denial about it all the time he wont ever truly accept it but he can one day as a treat live with that fact

Chopper - oh hes a reindeer he cant really have a sexuality DID WE FORGET THE FACT HES HUMAN TOO ISNT THAT LIKE HIS WHOLE THING, NOT BEING A MONSTER BUT ALSO A HUMAN. HE IS BOTH? i dont have any specific labels to slap onto him, just that hes a people lover and encourager of literally everything. ace beam bounces onto him too

Robin - trans trans trans trans trans trans trans trans you will accept robin transfem into your life right here right now. she can like anyone, she has no label on it, she just likes people and cant bother with genders or anything like that. the ace beam actually skips her because if they were doing a hear me out cake she’d be the one putting all of the crazy things. freak. (lovingly)

Franky - HOW TRANS CODED IS IT NOT TO REBUILD YOUR OWN BODY TO BECOME A BETTER VERSION OF YOURSELF AND TO REBUILD YOUR LIFE IN A WAY YOU WANT, BUT GOING BACK TO WHAT YOU LOVED ABOUT YOUR OLD SELF, AND EMBRACING IT. literally, trans goals. he modified his body and went i might as well give myself top surgery and an awesome dick while im here!! sexuality wise hes a lover of everyone, but he has preferences for women (robin) but encourages all bromances (with brook)

Brook - THIS IS WHERE IM MOST PASSIONATE!!!! people can say that hes the token straight grandpa. but theyll never understand the joy of old gay brook had a romance with his captain, the joy of brook trying to subtlety let the other strawhats know he accepts them (he isnt subtle at all and everyone knows). look at brook in drag twice for no reason and tell me he isnt queer, in some way. the ace beam finally hits someone and its brook, insert skull joke here

Jinbei - very specifically old gay man who didnt really do much throughout his youth, he always knew he liked men but he never had TIME to do anything, too busy being awesome and a father i fear. now that hes with the crew he isnt automatically gonna seek anyone out, but hes also not gonna restrain himself from finding interests in people, hes being more selfish now and thats good for him. finally the ace beam hits jinbei and proceeds to fly off towards other op characters that i might talk about some other time

can you tell im asexual and love projecting onto characters with it !!!!