#reminder!! no matter how you look if yer trans yer trans!!

[a-cakehound-or-critter-a-day]

9/18/2024 Trans cake wolf <3

[thegnomelord]

here for the prompt game! (Seriously such a neat idea)

I’m thinking 26 with Ghost and Soap and an inexperienced male reader (could be trans if you want) who’s got an eager golden retriever vibe about him even if he doesn’t know as much as the other two. Also maybe some fluff on the side about reader maybe biting off more than they can chew and getting overwhelmed and Ghost and Soap could comfort him? Thanks!

Sure thing anon! sorry it took so long, couldn't figure out what to write; I decided to do an eldritch reader since I haven't written it in a while and I think it works with this prompt :D. Play the game HERE

Prompt: Pulling them closer by the back of the neck

CW: NSFW, Sub Top Male Eldritch Reader, Dom Bottom Ghost, Sub Bottom Soap, oral, anal, nonhuman genitalia, tentacles, first times.

You don't know how this happened; Ghost and Soap(primarily Soap) had taken upon themselves to introduce you to alcohol, and despite the knowledge you couldn't get drunk or even consume it like they could, you still drank down what was given to you just to see amusement dancing in their eyes as they tried to match you.

Then Johnny had leaned in and by the time your eternal mind had finished buffering you were stuck between two warm bodies, Soap's hands greedily pushing beneath your shirt, his mouth like a blistering star against your own, tongue prying your lips open to push cold liquor into your mouth and running over your teeth as a way to remind you to swallow.

And for the first time in over a millennia you are. . .uncertain.

You'd watched these little creatures for so long you had been certain you could match them, arrogant creature that you are, for what is an ant to a god?

But the moment you felt their touch, before even time had been able to register it, you froze. You felt naked; you feel naked, stripped bare of cloth and human flesh, their warmth stabbing through inky abyss to your core, to all that you are and will be.

Johnny pulls back with a wicked grin and you're left breathing like a newborn, your skin bulging in unnatural ways as you shift beneath, unsure of what to do, what to think, your mind desperate to feel more yet weary of it.

You forget how observant they are despite how short their lives are, "You olright?" Simon asks, his broad chest flush with your back, both of them warm like collapsing stars compared to your corpse like temperature.

"Yeah lad," Johnny leans a bit back, "Yer lookin' a wee bit tense." His palms lay flush along your ribs and he can almost feel you writhing beneath— it takes every bit of your consciousness not to reach out, not to tear through the flimsy layer of stolen skin to feel him, not to wrap them in your body and never let go.

"I. . ." You push out a breath, the air near your mouth crackling with static. "I don't know." Your eyes focus on Johnny only to widen when you notice how his mohawk has puffed up like a blow-dried cat. "Ah-I'm sorry."

Johnny looks at you incredulously, not aware by his appearance, "Sorry for whot?" His brows furrowed, "Hey, wee dinnea have to do this if yer havin' second thoughts."

You feel Simon shift to your side, still close but not suffocatingly so, his rough fingers on the nape of your neck, blunt nails scratching your skin. "Talk to us."

"I. . .I didn't think it would be this hard." You admit, gnawing on your bottom lip; some things are native to both gods and mortals, anxiety included.

"That's what she said." Johnny suddenly pipes up. "I- ow!" You assume it's some type of poorly timed joke by the way Ghost swats him over the head, turning a deaf ear to Johnny's whining about it hurting.

"What's the matter lovie?" Ghost pulls your attention like a lighthouse in a vast ocean of darkness, "Did'yea think fockin' would be easy from being a peeping Tom?" You'd gotten a talking to plenty of times about having watched them fuck when they'd thought you were a cat.

You lower your head, unable to meet his eyes; funny how a fly can make you feel so small. "Yeah."

Johnny quirks a grin, "Need some guidance then?" You're confused until Johnny's hands move, blissfully warm fingers tickling along your ribs before lightly tugging on your nipple, and though logically you shouldn't feel much in your skin suit, it still has you rippling beneath your skin, a sharp breath leaving your lungs. "Need us tae show yae how ta snog?"

"Snog?" You ask, barely able to make your tone sound confused, or even human for that matter.

"Roll in the hay," Ghost joins him, much slower, paw like hand tracing down the curve of your spine, "mate," His hand dips down to your thigh, sliding up to your hip and not even you are oblivious enough to not see the implication. "have sex," Simon leans in to your ear, breath fanning your flesh. "Fuck."

A nonhuman sound escapes your throat, leaving their bones shaking, but you hardly notice as the promise of having them, of touching them like none of your kin have before, makes your head nod automatically.

"Use your words godling," Simon orders, and the second a 'yes' comes from your mouth Johnny's descending on you like a wolf, your teeth clacking together, tongue pushing past your lips to explore your mouth all over again, blunt nails scratching down your sides.

You kiss him back despite how uncoordinated you are, trying to retake the breath he's stealing from you, and the moment Johnny pulls back, panting, Simon is there. A firm hand on the back of your neck pulls you to meet Ghost's lips, rough and demanding, already so familiar that deaf and blind you'd be able to tell them apart.

You melt between them, between their lips and their touches, not even noticing how drops of liquid abyss pushes past your pores; fingers turning into claws to help disrobe them, eyes spreading across your body to see both of their reactions as you touch and feel, teeth elongating and filling all the corners of your mouth better mark them, tongue elongating and darkening to push as deep into Soap's tight heat as you can, each twist and turn of your monstrous tongue making Soap whine and pant and moan like a receptive mate, viscous saliva staining his shaking thighs and marking him as yours.

Your mind only returns when you feel Ghost's rough hand on your cock, what should be a normal human mating organ turned ridged and bumpy, squirming like an eel in his hand, your viscous precum leaving his skin tingling. "Fuck, I-" You jump, tongue still lodged deep in Johnny's ass, your voice ringing all around and gently shaking the ground.

"Easy there," Ghost shushes you like a frightened stallion, not even a bit unnerved by your current condition. The booze you'd all drank helps to make their minds more receptive to your existence, the horrific sight of bits of you pushing out of your human skin only tickling their skulls.

"Think he's stretched enough," Ghost strokes you a few more times, before a firm hand on your nape makes you pull your head back, slowly dragging your foot long tongue out despite how desperately Johnny's walls clench down on you— it has you salivating to have your mouth on him again.

"Ghost." You manage out, every bit of you shuddering from the look he gives you, by the way he tugs you closer by your cock until your tip's tickling Johnny's well lubed entrance.

"Fuck, look how desperate you've made him." Ghost's words make your eyes, all your eyes, focus on Johnny; pleasure makes your chest burn hot with how fucked out he looks, panting like he's in heat, drool running down his chin, eyes bleary and unfocused, whole body boneless and splayed out for you.

"Shite," Soap pants, barely able to catch your gaze, spreading his legs even wider for you, his hand roughly pawing at his own cock. "C'mon- fock- just please, let me- need you-"

"Go on godling," Ghost growls, trusting you to follow his orders so he takes his place by Johnny's head, his dick hard and red right in front of Johnny's lips. "Take 'im."

You don't dare refuse, pushing your hips forward, your writhing cock seeking out his hole, easily slipping inside. Immediately pleasure bangs on your skull, on your mind, like a hammer, distant stars cracking from how you groan, sinking inch after inch into him. Your shaft squirms inside, squirming, stretching, feeling every inch of his walls and when you slam inside that tight heat fully Johnny screams.

You stop all at once, the temperature in the room dropping, your nonexistent heart shredding itself at the thought of having hurt them— only to feel Johnny bucking his hips into yours, his arousal sticking to your tongue like honey.

"Aye, he's a slag," Simon laughs, guiding his tip to Soap's mouth and having him immediately latch on, plump lips wrapping tightly around Simon's large shaft and bobbing his head. "Yea can go rougher, he likes the pain."

Wearily, you snap your hips, your strength far surpassing theirs, almost doubling over at how he clenches around you like a vice and moans in such a sacrosanct way. Even with Ghost's cock half-way down his throat, Johnny tries to beg you to move, pretty tears in his eyes awakening something deep and hungry inside you.

Your flesh suit moves on it's own and you're unable to do anything else but follow and feel, burning every sound you tear from Johnny's occupied mouth into your eternal memory, each praise that falls from Ghost's lips as you hammer into the hot willing body beneath you making you edge closer and closer towards release, your claws leaving red bleeding lines where you grip his shaking legs to keep him stable.

You don't even notice when you lean down, the 'crack' of bone Johnny's only warming before the newly formed maw at your torso envelops his leaking cock. The taste of his precum, like sweetened communal wine, floods your senses, your tongue hanging out of your mind as you brainlessly hump into him, barely able to catalogue each little twitch of his legs when you pound him in just the right spot.

You cum incredibly fast, centuries later you'll be embarrassed at how poorly you lasted, but right now all your attention, all your focus, all you are, boils down to them— their scents, their low groans, their moans, the blissful heat of Johnny's walls clenching down on you as you slam your hips into his and cum, flooding his receptive body with your seed.

Johnny cums as quickly as you, shooting his cum into your awaiting mouth and into the darkness between stars where your true body resides, small little gurgles coming from him as he swallows down Simon's own release.

You collapse on top of him, your mind empty for the first time since your birth, carnal pleasure having reduced you to nothing but an animal. There are so many eyes all over your body yet not one of them can look at Ghost without his silhouette doubling in your vision, your body so sensitive that even a brush of his hand across your sweaty skin has you moaning softly.

"That's a good god," Ghost snorts, ruffling your sweaty hair. Then his fingers slide down, carefully avoiding poking the numerous eyes as he grips your chin, making you look at him. "D'yea think you can go again? This one is far from done." He hums, noting how Johnny's hip continues to twitch into yours despite how fucked out he is.

You don't know how much you have in you, but you're about to find out. . .

[bevy-obeyme]

I know you're super busy but if you have the time, I wanted to request a Trans FtM MC with the brothers, mostly headcanons or cute shenanigans! Like asking the brothers helping MC recover from Top Surgery!!! Please it would make my year!! Thank you so much for reading!

Of course! It’s no problem and I’ll try to get all my asks done today!! :))

I really appreciate requests that give me different prompts because I myself as I have stated numerous times am a cis female and being introduced to other perspectives is really intriguing for me!!

Shenanigans with the brothers as a Temale to Male MC

Lucifer - Top Surgery.

- No doubt, going into surgery was a nerve wracking thing. He could only admire your bravery to do so.. and hold your hand in comfort as you walked in.

- You got registered in and sat in the doctor’s office, Lucifer was sat besides you rubbing your knuckles absentmindedly and pressing kisses against your cheek, reminding you that you’d do great.

- Post surgery - he could see your delight, your newfound comfort in being more masculine. He couldn’t help the tiny smile that dotted on his face at your happiness.

- He did notice the scars and was always careful when admiring you. In fact, he seemed to be even more enamoured. Those scars were a sign of strength. A sign of resilience.

‘’No matter what you look like, you’ll always remain mine. And that’s all that matters.’’

Mammon - A lower class demon misgendering you.

- You bet, he would be hella pissed.

- You both were walking through the town square, hand in hand when suddenly his demonic hearing picked up on snickering.

- Snickers about you and transphobic comments.

- How dare they make such comments about you? So he yelled out to them.

- If that didn’t work, he would literally square up on them. Give them an intimidating glare and go up to them with his hands on his hips, you behind him as he rambled off, insulting the inferior demon’s intelligence and what not.

- At one point, you had to literally hold him back as you could swear he was about to throw hands.

‘’Yea’, yea! Walk away, I dare ya! Stupid scum! Next time I see ya bastards hangin’ around, insulting MY ____, yer gonna regret it!’’

Leviathan - Cosplaying to combat body dysmorphia.

- Levi noticed just how sad you looked in the Ruri-chan cosplay.

- Sure, you agreed to cosplay with him but he still felt bad about taking up your time.. he should’ve known a stupid otaku like him would only take up your time.

- However, then the realisation dawned on him. Ruri-chan was a girl and you were trying to transition… oh. OH.

- To say he felt horrible was an understatement, and he immediately offered to switch cosplays. He reassured that you still looked masculine and that a gender-bend Ruri-chan wasn’t that bad of an idea.

‘’Y-You look so cool as Ruri-chan! Who cares if she’s a girl? C-Cosplaying is all about the fun of it!’’

Satan - Helping insecurity and deep rooted inferiority.

- Satan could see it. Even if you never stated it, that you held a lot of gender envy towards him and his brothers.

- He sympathised with you. Feeling like you were born in the wrong body was awful no doubt. And the fact that you would always feel inferior to ‘real’ men.

- But Satan always countered that - what defined a ‘real’ man? Sure, anatomy might be one answer, but the second was identity.

- Gender was nothing but a social custom. Dresses being feminine? An opinion. Suits being masculine? Also an opinion. Mindsets, emotions and thoughts didn’t have a set gender and Satan made sure to express that clearly, hell, you’ve seen his brothers haven’t you?

- His tone was logical and firm. Reassuring you that you were justified in being who you were and that labelling yourself as a man was okay.

‘’Don’t let other people drag you down to their levels of simplicity. I’ll love you no matter the form you take ____.’’

Asmodeus - Help diminish masculine stereotypes.

- He too noticed your gender envy. But the avatar of lust had a different way of dealing with it.

- Any time you two went out, he’d make sure to apply makeup, wear skirts, high heels - any ‘feminine’ thing you could think of just to show you there was no harm expressing yourself in a ‘girly’ manner even as a man.

- He also did it to place the attention on him. He didn’t care for the confused looks or admirers. He strutted like he owned the place and he wanted you to do the same.

‘’Confidence is a lifestyle darling. Once you begin living it, people will love you for the amazing man you are.’’

Beelzebub - To feel more masculine.

- Beel was a regular at the gym and his clubs, that was fact. And so, you could argue he was the most masculine with his chiseled form.

- When you came up to him and requested to attend the gym with him to build muscle, he was more than happy for you to accompany him. It did get a bit lonely going by himself at times.

- He helped you bulk on calories and encouraged what foods to eat and to avoid when building muscle.

- However, he also reassured you that you didn’t have to gain muscle to be a ‘man’ and that you were handsome enough as is.

‘’I know I don’t say it often but.. I love you how you are ____. Don’t feel the need to change for other people. But, I won’t stop you if you truly do it for yourself.’’

Belphegor - Comforting you after being deadnamed.

- Belphegor knew that you still had issues transitioning. It was normal - your whole life would change as people viewed you differently. But not him. In his heart, you were still the little human that got him to love the quirks of humanity again.

- However, after being woken up by your cries and hearing of what happened, he immediately came to reassure you that people like that were idiots and random nobodies. Why bother putting up with self-conscious fools who had nothing better to do than hate you for being happy?

- He pulled you close to his chest and snuggled into you, all the while asking about the low class demons that deadnamed you - you didn’t want to know what he would do to them.

‘’I’m telling you ____, don’t bother time with idiots.. they’re all mindless demons that somehow Lord Diavolo hasn’t eradicated yet.’’

[wodenscild]

OMG I SAW YE ANSWERED AND I HAD TO KEEP REMINDING MYSELF NOT MAKE A VELOCIRAPTOR SCREECH CAUSE I GOT SO EXCITED and dont worry about answering matey !! I won't forget ye if you do not answer, it goes both ways ye know :)

Wut- wut is Cavetown? And wdym out of context messages?? Srry my brain is a bit soggy rn am not too smart with a soggy brain.

I WILL NOT SHUSH >:3 ye deserve such nice things and sometimes ye need a daily reminder that ye really earned yer place and that ye are so so sweet ! Dare i say it- sweeter then sugar 😌

LORE LORE LORE LORE LOREEEEE :D Hhhg am so glad ye wanted to hear it lmao- SO this also connects to the yard time thing ! I am in the void and i get yard time !! In the yard time i come out of the void and can send asks. Sometimes i spent too long out of the void and don't want to go back and then get dragged back in T^T The void is kinda like a black space where there is no gravity, but i can create anything i want out of pure matter! I am quite like a lil' ghost lol.

THATS SUCH A GOOD IDEA !!! Yes house near the yard, (in a forest cause i think of forests and nature when i think of you). and in that house ye shall live! >:] You really are like a small bean who thought it was a good idea to befriend a ghost and now your friends are trying to figure out how to- mmh... Revive me? Figure out who i was before i died?

But i have a more specific vision of "the yard", if you come from the void there is a tunnel where ancient creatures dug a hole in the bedrock (cause i play Minecraft) with a little stream of water running through it... Really pretty cause nature pretty. And bunch of mushrooms cause it's a cave :D that eventually leads to a almost perfect open place in the shape of a circle ! That's where galaxy once was and i followed them to the house 👀 then found you, Fenix, birb etc etc.

My autocorrect keeps correcting when i say "birb" and i keep having to type it over and over till it stops it's so annoying. Welp this was a bit of a longer ramble then it was supposed to be? Doesn't matter you can skip it if you want :]

Really hoping uni goes well for you- it sounds so complicated ToT i try to understand but it's hard.

Also you- what did ye do to me?! i am taking ye'r e vulcubary (vocalbary? Vulcubary? Why words so hard??) Like saying ToT a lot and new icons WHAT KIND OF MIND MANIPULATION DO YE HAVEE. Also saw that birb (autocorrect let me be please) showed me yer favorite reaction thingy? I can't remember correctly :-; but it was a pretty gremlin looking thing with the text "ehehehe" above it and i have to say- i stole it as my lockscreen lol. Now anyone who tries to steal my phone will just be staring at a gremlin saying "ehehehe" while they fail to guess my password :D

Ugh last day of vacation... btw MA2 went to Paris !! I guess i will see you later today? \o

-The one and not so only mystery anon ✨

ALDLSLDLSKDKSKD AWWWW DEAR HEART HI I HAVE MISSED YOU A TONNE!!!!

KSKDKSS umm Cavetown is just a trans artist I like listening to. He comforts me a lot & gels well with the sorta folkish music I have floating around on my playlist ^~^ (tho in the same music I also have power rock & orchestral rock & alt rock so- THERE IS A LIL BIT OF TONAL WHIPLASH BUT SHHHHH IT IS FINE)

& wier ty 🥺 it is nice to be reminded every now & again thst being alive is enough sometimes & I don’t need to do anything more. & the same goes for you too btw :] sometimes life sucks & you don’t wanna get out of bed- but you know what that is completely valid. You are still just awesome & loved ^~^

Gods I love that world building! But I hate how while reading that I thought about The Boy in Striped Pyjamas D: I can’t be having that- I am already crying now /hj

IT FOLLOWS IT FOLLOWS GALAXY HAS AWOKEN AN UNWIELDY BEAST OF LOVE & AFFECTION HELP DKFKAKDKSKKSKS it followed them home & now we are made to suffer with our hearts melting in our chests T^T

& yeah uni SUCKS- the next 3-4 weeks are gonna be a BITCH- with both a sociology & psychology report I need to do- but dw with enough chocolate milk & spicy jerky anything is possible >:3 my only worry is that I get too far into it & I won’t actually end up having time to study Noongar & that would be really sucky >:// Mesabzu Wodenscild, child of all knowing Abzu & Wōden, needs their language studies to stay sane ToT

& YES PERFECT MY PLAN TO SLOWLY INFECT EVERYONE WITH “ToT” IS WORKING >:] Language is wonderfully sticky isnt it darling?~ & OMGS YES THIS ONE

I am in love with it it captures my energy whenever I get a new idea. Actually I couldn’t find it at all online so I asked Birb to send it to me & well-

AND OH POOR MA2 D: WHAT CRIMES DID THEY COMMIT TO END IP IN A PLACE SO HORRIBLE???

[thelastspeecher]

Stanley McGucket Bonus Story - Sally and Mearl

Last night, I was inspired outta nowhere to write some stuff about Sally McGucket (nee Turner).  So here’s her backstory: meeting Mearl McGucket, falling in love, having kids, and finding out one of her children was trans.  It is way longer than I meant for it to be.  Enjoy.

              Sally Virginia Turner grew up in a house that expected a lot of her.  Luckily, she had everything her parents wanted.  She had brains, beauty, and enough charm to fool even a fox.  She never wanted for anything, never got her hands dirty, and rarely struggled with anything she faced.  At least, until she met Dulcimearl McGucket.

               Sally had made the decision to study law at school.  Of the fields her parents wished her to go into, it seemed the best suited for her.  She had a silver tongue that could turn as sharp as a dagger when it needed to be. But all her wits and charm left her when she saw a dirt-covered farmer peddling his wares at the farmer’s market.

               “Howdy there!” the man said cheerfully as she approached.  

               “Howdy,” Sally replied.  

               “Are ya one of the students at the school?”

               “Yep.  Studyin’ law. What ‘bout you?”  The man laughed.

               “My fam’ly don’t have the funds to send me to school.  Barely got the gas money to let me drive into Little Rock every week.”

               “Yer not from ‘round here?”

               “Nope.  I’m from a lil town called Gumption, ‘bout an hour away.  What ‘bout you?”

               “I’m from Tennessee.”

               “Ya look awful young to be on yer own, in an unfamiliar state,” he said. Sally shrugged.

               “My folks home-schooled me.  I finished and graduated ‘fore most other folks.”

               “My folks home-schooled me, too.  But that was so’s I could help out ‘round the house more.”  Sally put her elbows on the man’s trestle table and leaned forward.

               “Sounds like ya had a much dif’rent life than me.”  

               “Well, given yer dress, I’d say that yer city folk.”

               “Yessir.  Born and raised in Nashville.”

               “I ain’t got any city in me.  Minin’ and farmin’ fam’ly.”  Sally’s eyes widened.

               “Wow.”  The man laughed.

               “That ain’t the usual reaction city folk got to farm folk.  Most folks tend to look down on farmers an’ miners.”  He smiled at her.  “The name’s Dulcimearl, but ya can call me Mearl.”

               “Sally.”

----- 

               The highlight of Sally’s week rapidly became when she would see Mearl at the farmer’s market.  Her classmates were derogatory towards her, but Mearl never treated her poorly.

               “It’s just how I was raised,” he said casually.  “In my fam’ly, everyone gets taught manners.  Like common courtesy.  ‘Course, with how many of us there are, if there ain’t manners, nothin’ gets done.”

               “How many siblings do ya have?”

               “Seven.  You?”

               “Three.”  Sally smiled at him.  “An’ I thought I came from a big fam’ly.  That’s nothin’ compared to yours.”  

               “…Would ya like to meet ‘em?” Mearl asked shyly.  Sally beamed.

               “I would love to.”

---- 

               Unfortunately, it would be some time before Sally could meet Mearl’s family.

               Fortunately, by the time she first visited the McGucket farmhouse, Mearl was able to introduce her as his girlfriend.

               “So, yer studyin’ law at that school in Little Rock?” Mrs. McGucket asked her.

               “Yes, ma’am.  It’s nice to be in a place small like Little Rock, especially since it’s far away from my folks.”

               “Ya don’t have a good relationship with yer folks?” Mearl’s older brother, Bassett, asked.  Sally shrugged.

               “It’s all right, I s’pose.  I like ‘em well enough.  They just put a lot of pressure on me.”

               “That’s too bad,” Mrs. McGucket said kindly.  

               “Can I point out that Little Rock ain’t small?” one of Mearl’s sisters said. Sally couldn’t remember her name.

               “Compared to Nashville, it is,” Sally replied.  

               Later that day, Mearl pulled Sally to the side.

               “So, what do ya think of my fam’ly?  Ya can be honest.”

               “I love ‘em!” Sally said enthusiastically.  “Goldarn, I wish my fam’ly were half as welcomin’.  Any time some boy showed interest in me, my folks would sit me down and tell me not to settle.”  A strange expression crossed Mearl’s face.

               “Do ya think yer folks would say the same thing ‘bout me?” he asked timidly. Sally realized what she had said.

               “Oh!  No, no way. Those boys, I didn’t care ‘bout ‘em. But I love ya, Mearl.”  Sally took a hold of Mearl’s hands.  “My folks would understand.”

               They didn’t.

               “How many times do we have to tell ya not to settle?” her father demanded. “Ya really thought ya would fall fer some farmer?  Ya could land a doctor, easy as pie!”

               “I don’t care!” Sally shouted.  “Anyways, I ain’t settlin’.  I’m bein’ with the man I love.”

               “You’ll just be a farmer’s wife, poppin’ out kid after kid!  You’ll be cooped up in a farmhouse all day!” her mother said sharply.  “Do ya really want that, Sally?”  Sally nodded, determined.

               “I do.”  

               She repeated those words to the love of her life at a ceremony.  None of her family attended, but the McGuckets (she was one now, she reminded herself) more than made up for it.  

              Her mother was right about one thing. Sally had more kids than she ever dreamed she would.

----- 

               Sally was nineteen when she got pregnant with her first child.  Needless to say, she wasn’t planning on this, but she decided to…ignore it, for the time being.  She went to class, took notes, and struggled with the worry that she would have to abandon her education once she became a mother.  Mearl wasn’t much help, being equal parts supportive and nervous. After all, he was going to be a young parent, too.  

               But May eventually rolled around, and the day after she finished her last final of the semester, Sally went into labor.  On May 8, 1942, she and Mearl welcomed their first child into the world.  

               “We should name her Lynn,” Sally said softly, stroking her daughter’s bright red curls.  

               “How ‘bout Violynn?” Mearl suggested.

               “What?”

               “My fam’ly has a namin’ convention.  But if ya want, we don’t have to do that.  Lynn is a perfectly lovely name on its own.”

               “No, I like it.  Violynn.” Violynn made a small sound and Sally held her tighter.  She looked at her husband.  “But we ain’t havin’ any more kids ‘til I’m through with schoolin’, okay?”  Mearl kissed her on the forehead.

               “Okay, darlin���.”

               They had two more children while she was pursuing her law degree.  Harper, born in 1945, and Sebasstian, born in 1948. The day she took the bar exam, Sally McGucket kissed her children on the way out the door.  Violynn and Harper wished her good luck, but Basstian, being only a grand total of four months old, merely waved chubby arms at her as she left.  

               She passed the bar exam.

               But she didn’t do anything with her degree.

               Sally was content to sit at home with her children, and be there for the moments that she’d had to miss while she was at school.  Her friends asked her why she seemed happy with being just a farmer’s wife, a housewife.

               “My law degree was fer me, and me alone.  I never wanted to use it; I just wanted to learn everythin’ that came along with it,” she replied.  “And now, I want to learn everythin’ that comes along with this part of life. Bein’ a mom, and a wife.  And maybe legal counsel if’n one of Mearl’s cousins gets caught riding a cow down the highway while drunk.  Again.”

               After Basstian was two years old, they tried to have more children, with no success.  Finally, after two years of attempts, and a rough pregnancy, they had their second daughter, Viola, in 1952.  Eventually, they would learn that Viola wasn’t their daughter.  But that was some time away.  

               Lute followed, a whisker over a year later, in 1953.  By this time, the multiple pregnancies were leaving their mark on Sally, who was beginning to regret marrying a man from a very fertile family.

               “I love ‘em all,” she said to her sister-in-law, Banjolina (Banjey, for short). “But Lord, there’s so many of ‘em!” Lute, a few months old, grabbed at her hair eagerly.  “Ouch!” Banjey took Lute from her.

               “Yer tough, even though yer city folk.  My parents weren’t completely sure ya could handle two Gucklings, let alone five. McGuckets are notoriously exuberant as children, and usually, only folks from big fam’lies can raise ‘em without their hair turnin’ grey in their thirties.”  Sally frowned.

               “Why are ya tellin’ me that?”

               “To make a point.  Yer tough, Sally.  Tougher than ya give yourself credit fer.  You’ll be a great ma to all yer kids, no matter how many there are.  And if ya ever need help, I’m only a phone call away.”

               As Lute got older, Sally began to feel a sadness.  Sure, she’d had some issues during the last pregnancies, but she was rapidly running out of time to have another child.  Violynn was eleven years old, and Sally didn’t want a significant age gap between her children.  So she made the split decision to have just one more.  

              Mearl supported her.

               “I always wanted lots of kids,” he said gently, feeling his last child kicking in his wife’s stomach.  “An’ ya know how I am ‘bout numbers.  Havin’ an even number of kids, why, that’s perfect.”  

               “Yer a goon, Dulcimearl.”

               “I’m yer goon, Sally.”

               They welcomed their last child, a daughter, on April 1, 1955. Complications resulted in an emergency C-section.  The doctor told Sally that she shouldn’t have any more children.

               “I mean, you can.  I just would not recommend it.”  Sally laughed.

               “It ain’t a problem, doc.  I’m fine with just the six kids.”  They named her after Mearl’s older sister, who had always been there for Sally and Mearl when they struggled with their many children.  

----- 

               By 1968, Sally was confident that she could handle anything her large family did.  Sure, the youngest two were over-eager, hyperactive, and could be clumsy, but Viola was responsible enough to make up for it.  Home life almost ran on its own, to the point where Sally had taken on a job teaching law at the community college in the nearby town of Hog Swill.  After all, she had been itching to use her law degree for quite some time.  

              It was while she was doing the dishes one night that her sweet, quiet daughter walked into the kitchen.

               “Sweetheart, could ya help me out a bit?” Sally asked without looking up.  “These need to be dried.”

               “Actually, Ma…”  Sally picked up on the nervous tone in her child’s voice.  She looked up.

               “Oh, Lord!  What happened to yer hair?” she gasped, drying off her hands.  Sally gently guided Viola over to the table and sat down with her. “Did one of yer younger siblings do this to ya?  Was it Lute or Banjey?  Was it both of ‘em?”  

               “Ma, relax,” Viola said softly.  “No one did this to me.  I- I did it to myself.”  Sally ran her hands through her daughter’s roughly chopped hair.  

               “Why?”

               “I can’t have long hair no more, Ma, I can’t!  It don’t sit right with me!”

               “Oh, shush, darlin’, it’ll be fine.  We’ll get this trimmed, and turned into a bob all nice-like.”

               “No!  I can’t live like this no more.  I-I hate it when I look in the mirror.”  Sally’s heart sunk.  She’d done her best to ensure all her children had high self-esteem, but things were bound to slip through, particularly with Mearl’s mental background.  

               “Sweetie, yer a very pretty girl,” she said reassuringly, rubbing her daughter’s back.  Viola took a deep breath.

               “That’s the thing, Ma.  I ain’t a girl.”  Sally blinked.

               “What?”

               “I’m- I’m a boy.”  

               “Sweetie, what are ya talkin’ ‘bout?”

               “I know it’s confusin’, Ma, but it’s who I am,” Viola said in a rush. Mearl walked into the kitchen.

               “There’s my girls!” he said jovially, giving them each a kiss.  

               “Pa, I ain’t a girl,” Viola said.  Mearl froze.  He very slowly took a seat at the table with Sally and Viola.

               “What do ya mean?”

               “I’m a boy.”  

               “A boy?  I think we would know if you were a boy, hon.  We were there when you were born.  Doctor said ya were a girl and everythin’.”  

               “The doctor was wrong, Pa.  I ain’t a girl.  I’m a- a trans-gender.”  Mearl took a deep, steadying breath.

               “Is that anythin’ like bein’ a homosexual?”

               “N-no, Pa.  It’s a dif’rent thing.   But I s’pose it is the same, in that it means I’m dif’rent from most folks.”  

               “Sweetheart, yer pa and I ‘re goin’ to need some time to handle this,” Sally said gently.  “But know somethin’.  No matter who or what ya are, we love ya.  If ya want to be a boy-”

               “I don’t want to be a boy!” Viola interrupted.  Sally blinked, surprised by the outburst from her normally well-behaved child.  “I am a boy.”  

               “Don’t raise yer voice at yer ma,” Mearl scolded.

               “Mearl, it’s fine,” Sally said quickly.  “If yer a boy, then we still love ya and support ya.  Right, Mearl?”  Mearl nodded. “See?”

               “And if yer lookin’ fer a boy name, ya can use the one we planned fer ya before ya were born,” Mearl said.  “The one we’d give ya if ya turned out to be a boy.”  He cracked a small smile.  “I guess ya turned out to be a boy after all.”

               “What name?”

               “Fiddleford.  It’s a fam’ly name.”  Viola nodded.

               “I like it.  Can y’all call me Fiddleford, then?”

               “‘Course, sweetie,” Sally said.  “But darlin’, could ya leave us be fer a bit?  Yer pa and I will need to talk ‘bout this.”

               “O-okay.”

               “In the meantime, don’t tell Lute and Banjey.  They’re too young.”  

               “Okay, Ma.”  Sally gave her child one last kiss before she- no, he got up.  Once he’d left the kitchen, she looked at Mearl helplessly.

               “What are we goin’ to do?”  

               “Support our child,” Mearl said simply.  Sally nodded.

               “If’n she- he sticks with this, we’ll need to get her- him some new identification.”

               “Good thing yer a lawyer, then, ain’t it?”  Sally smiled at her husband.

               “I knew that law degree would come in handy for things other than teachin’ classes.”  Her smile faded.  “But, Mearl, this is goin’ to turn everythin’ upside down.  We’ll need to change things.”

               “So what?  We can do that.  We’ve done it before.”  Mearl put an arm around Sally’s shoulders.  “When we became parents, we promised to love our children.  We promised to take care of ‘em, support ‘em. Just ‘cause this changed, don’t mean that has to change.”  Sally blinked rapidly as her eyes filled with tears.  She laced her fingers with Mearl’s.

               “Yer right, darlin’.  I’m sorry.”

               “Don’t be.”  He kissed her.  “I love ya, Sally.”  She kissed him back.

               “I love ya, Mearl.”