#saiyans are trans allies

[flannelepicurean]

Saiyan Pride

I started off having a crack fic continuation from this situation, but I started bleep-booping on it this morning and it turned into some fluffiness featuring a transgender reader with three excitable alien roommates, and a "lost in translation" that actually hit me kinda deep when I got into it. So, uh...yeah. I was having some trans feelings today, here you go. 💖

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They really wreaked some havoc when they landed. Or tried to, anyway. Goku and the boys took care of it, or that's what you heard (not from them, though; they tell it a little different). Either way, it's not that hard to believe, no matter which direction you squint at the story.

They're okay roommates, though.

Sure, they come and go at weird hours, and they can get pretty loud. And it's hard to explain the space ships, and the bunker add-ons, but after the first time Nappa grumbles, "Lemme handle this," nobody ever gets a parking ticket at the house again, and they always come through with rent, so you don't ask a whole lot of questions. 

It's not clear what they do for a living. Their soft skills leave a lot to be desired. Vegeta can at least dress himself like a halfway normal person, but his skills are granite. Iron. Even Raditz has better customer service game.

But they treat you decently. And when you finally take the plunge, and change your hair, and put on the new outfit you bought, and grab a bag of your old stuff to take to the donation center, you pause for a second in the living room. 

And sure enough, Raditz looks up with slight puzzlement and remarks, “Your hair’s different.”

And you shrink a little, and stand up straighter anyway, and explain that there are going to be some…changes. You do your best to explain it, in hopes that it will come out right, and it’s still a little awkward, but you explain to your roommates that you’re transitioning. 

They all hop up from the couch immediately, and the atmosphere becomes raucous and excited. 

“Whoa, you can DO THAT?!” Raditz squawks.

“Unbelievable!” Vegeta cries. “I didn’t even know you’d been training!”

“What are your new powers?” Nappa demands, and then whirls toward Raditz. “Get the scanner, I wanna see what level–”

You wave your hands and raise your voice and explain that GENDER, it’s a GENDER transition, TRANSGENDER!

They fall silent, eyes wide. 

“Trans…?” Vegeta breathes. “TRANSFORM YOUR GENDER?! Not even Kakarot is that powerful!” He places a hand on your shoulder. “You must truly be an astonishing warrior.”

Raditz leans in with a friendly but feral grin and a jubilant, “You wanna spar?”

You back slowly toward the door with promises of pizza in hopes of distraction.

It works.

————————————————

“Whoa, you look cool,” Raditz observes. “What’s the flag for?” 

You inform your roommates that you’re meeting up with some friends to go to Pride, and find yourself immediately caged by a cluster of keen-eyed Saiyans.

“Wait, what?!” Vegeta inquires. “Where are you going?”

You stammer out an explanation about Pride. Pride Month. You add that there’s a parade.

They exchange glances at lightning speed, and round back to you again.

“THERE’S A WHOLE MONTH?!” Nappa hollers.

“IN WHO YOU ARE, AS YOURSELF?!” Vegeta confirms.

“There’s a parade…about PRIDE?!” Raditz yawps.

You nod, quaking.

Vegeta throws an arm around your shoulders, beaming with lunatic glee. “WAVE YOUR FLAG HIGH AND GET IN THE SHIP! EVERYONE! EVERYBODY GET IN THE SHIP, WE’RE GOING DOWN THERE, RIGHT NOW!”

————————————————

They act exactly like aliens. Which…makes sense, really, but still. 

Your friends are polite about holding in their laughter. But they also don’t know exactly how to deal with the situation. The Saiyans gawk unabashedly, but with the same bewildered and bewildering reverence they gave you. 

One of your friends nudges you and motions to a space a few yards away, where Vegeta stands, craning his neck to ask a towering glamazon, "So, you're telling me they tried to crush your spirit, because of who you are, but you found your way in a hostile world and became both fierce and fabulous?” He rubs his chin and muses, “Your power levels must be off the charts..."

You trade a shrug with your friend because…well…he’s not wrong. 

And you’re not really surprised when Nappa declares, with the carnival glee of a spirited child and the full-chested power of an enormous Saiyan warrior, “This…this is the BEST PLACE ON EARTH!” And, looking around at the crowd, the different flags, and the many different folks, the colors and shapes and all the visuals, the feathers and flair, and cargo shorts and clogs, and rainbows, and neon, and leather, and glitter, and tee shirts and jeans, and everything else, you kinda get what he means. 

You can’t really explain why he’s right, but for some of the wrong reasons. But his heart’s in the right place, maybe? And you’re having a pretty good time. 

————————————————

You look up at a sharp knock on your bedroom door, and open it to find all three of your roommates crowded into the hallway, looking serious. Your stomach and heart take racing elevators in opposite directions. 

“Hi,” Raditz says, with some measure of cheer. 

You give them a cautious greeting. 

“Seems like the transformation’s going well,” Nappa observes, encouragingly.

You pause for a moment, then just smile and offer some thanks. It’s a little complex. A little complicated. They still don’t get it. But they’re really supportive, and that’s nice. 

Vegeta adopts a businesslike tone. Informs you, “We very much enjoyed attending the Pride festivities last year, and owe you a debt of gratitude for introducing us to the other warriors.”

You offer a hesitant nod.

He continues, “Some of the individuals at the collective have been training us to join the alliance.” Before you can sort out quite what he means, he motions to Nappa and Raditz. They shuffle around a bit while he explains, “You’ve clearly been training hard, but it’s important to be properly equipped, as well.”

He steps out of the way, giving Nappa room to step forward, and present one of those weird cases they ship stuff in. They maneuver it into your room, and watch while you open it. 

“We know this isn’t your final form, but this should be able to handle it, whatever the transformation brings.” Vegeta explains, nodding toward the set of Saiyan battle armor. Just your size.

You nod toward it as well, stunned. And puzzled. 

You look back up at your roommates, and find them watching you with a look you’ve never really seen from them before. It’s a bit like that weird, smirky expression they get when they cheat at board games, or catch each other cheating at board games. But the fierceness around the eyebrows is different. And the eyes have a kind of contentment that’s still pretty intense. 

They just seem…proud.

So, inevitably, whatever else you may be feeling, you do put forth the critical question. 

They nearly ricochet off the walls. 

“Of course we’ll go with you!” Vegeta assures.

“ARE YOU GONNA BRING THE FLAG?!” Nappa booms. 

Raditz sidles up to you and murmurs, “That’s technically battle armor, it’s not really, y’know, formal. LIke, parade-style. But I think you’d be okay.”

And so you prepare yourself to head to Pride with the Saiyans again.

[flannelepicurean]

Okay, I've seen it said elsewhere about DBZ characters just assuming that trans folks are getting more powerful, because that's what transforming does, in their world. And like...I'm so glad this idea of maybe like, Saiyans just default being trans allies is a thing. Is going to be a thing. I've decided it's a thing.

In discussing this with a friend recently, I did caveat that with, "Well...granted, most of them would probably straight up murder you and laugh about it. But goddamn if they wouldn't stan you at a Pride parade."

And then my brain IMMEDIATELY went, "OH MY GOD, SAIYANS DISCOVERING PRIDE PARADES." Like...

"What?! You have a whole PARADE about...PRIDE?!?!?! PRIDE IN WHO YOU ARE, AS YOURSELF!?!?! EVERYBODY GET IN THE SHIP, WE'RE GOING DOWN THERE, RIGHT FUCKIN' NOOOWWWW!!!"

And then they're down there like, "You're telling me they tried to crush your spirit, because of who you are, but you found your way in a hostile world and became both fierce AND fabulous? Your power levels must be off the charts..."

Just...feelin' at home among a sea of colorful, dazzling warriors. Taking in the sight of rainbows and neon and leather and all sorts, people being themselves, standing up against people who want to take that away from us, and they'd be like, "This...this is the best place in the world. I fucking love it here...Let's go vaporize some cops."

Ai goku is currently reaffirming my gender and learning about trans people why can’t everyone be like ai goku

[darthkvznblogs]

Saw the new chapter, nice! BTW, how would the various characters celebrate Pride Month?

Apologies, I've been busy with last chapter's reviews!

Wowza, that's a huge ask - I've made a conscious effort to normalize LGBTQIA+ identities in my stories, so there's a lot of ground to cover here! There's also a minor issue in that most of the current stories are set in 2012, which is quite a different landscape in regards to the acceptance of the LGBTQIA+ community compared to nowadays.

With that in mind, I'll try to go for the "ideal" celebration (and I'll throw in the characters' gender identities and sexual preferences, since I've already got those in my ongoing character database). Obviously, this only applies to the characters as portrayed in the Kryptonverse!

(This is a long one, so I'll add a "read more" thingy for the sake of those who aren't interested.)

- I think Luz would take Pride Month as an opportunity to more overtly explore her gender noncomformity; much like was showcased in the Grom episode, she might try on different outfit combinations, different pronouns - whatever makes her feel closer to her ideal self. I think her stint in the Boiling Isles would only make it that much clearer how truly silly it is for other people to try and dictate what she should look or behave like. Luz currently identifies as a bisexual, cisgender woman, but she has found comfort in identifying as nonbinary in the past, and there's really no telling how she might feel in the future.

- Kryptonian society had a great many issues, but a resistance towards gender variance and non-heterosexual preferences wasn't one of them - as long as you followed the strict life path set up for you by the Empire, of course. Kara is still confused about the human attitudes towards this subject, and angry that they affected Alex and Lena negatively in their youth. I think she'd celebrate Pride Month by pushing the Avengers to champion causes that protect the LGBTQIA+ community - not that they need much convincing. Think parades, lobbying for legislation, impassioned speeches, and million-dollar donations to worthy charities - whatever it takes to make sure people know where their heroes stand on this issue. Kara is a pansexual cisgender woman, Alex and Lena are lesbian cisgender women, Tony is a pansexual cisgender man, Steve is a (closeted) bisexual cisgender man, Natasha is an aromantic, bisexual, cisgender woman, Clint is a biromantic, heterosexual, cisgender man, and Rhodey and Bruce are both heterosexual, cisgender men (the Hulk himself is pansexual though).

- Not that Ben was against it before, of course, but I think gaining the ability to swap bodies (and genders, depending on the transformation) at will would give him a much greater appreciation for people who suffer from dysmorphia or otherwise don't gel with the body they were born with. I think he'd champion trans causes specifically during Pride Month - much to the anger of his parents, both conservative politicians. Ben is a bisexual, cisgender man, Julie is a bisexual, cisgender woman, Kevin is a heterosexual, cisgender man, and Gwen is a (currently questioning) bisexual, cisgender woman.

- It's kind of a spoiler to talk at length about Chloé's relationship with her own preferences. Suffice it to say, she would be very much opposed to Pride celebrations initially, but may or may not radically change her attitude as her journey goes on. Chloé is a lesbian, cisgender woman. Adrien is a bisexual, cisgender man (with GNC tendencies as he grows up), and Marinette is a bisexual, cisgender woman.

- Nico obviously didn't grow up in an environment conducive to the acceptance of his being gay. I think there's still a lot of internal self-loathing there, even as his boyfriend and his friends have greatly helped to coax him away from it, and that might manifest as his reluctance to participate in Pride celebrations. I think once he's convinced to attend a Pride parade once, though, it would make a world of difference going forward! Nico is a gay, cisgender man.

- Ellie has never given much thought to her own identity or preferences. She's felt attracted to all kinds of people, but never enough to want to act on it. It's possible that she's aro/ace, or somewhere on that spectrum, but even that feels like an ill-fitting piece of clothing. She is fiercely protective of Danny, though; poking fun or attacking him for being trans is a surefire way to make her go all out against you. She'll happily celebrate Pride with Danny and friends, too. Ellie doesn't currently subscribe to any romantic or sexual preference, but does identify as a cisgender woman. Valerie is a bisexual, cisgender woman. Danny is a heterosexual, transgender man.

- Pidge used to comfortably identify as a straight, cis woman, but her stint as Pidge Gunderson and the subsequent massive expansion of her knowledge of gender identities and sexual preferences due to her travels as a Paladin of Voltron have let her more solidly (ironically) identify as genderfluid and pansexual. She'd have a blast teaching Allura and Coran all about Earth Pride celebrations, and I'm sure she's eager to teach the people of Earth just how little they know about what's out there. Pidge is a genderfluid, pansexual individual (identified as female during Close Encounters, but don't let that fool you!).

- Saiyans have a weird relationship with gender and sexual preference. The average Saiyan is mostly free to do and be whatever the f*ck they want in this regard, but there is definitely a culture of male superiority, and a stigma towards trans Saiyan men, specifically - it's seen by traditionalists as "women trying to rise above their station", much in the same way as marrying between Saiyan classes is scorned. Caulifla and Kale don't have that kind of baggage, though, growing up on Xandar - their dithering about being with each other is just your classic awkward teenage romance, nothing to do with their both being women. Caulifla and Kale both identify as lesbian, cisgender women.

- Dipper may be a straight man, but he's the best damned ally you could hope for - fiercely protective of his pansexual twin and bisexual girlfriend. He's got every opposing argument memorized, and a counterargument ready to go - you do not want to debate him, and he will track your ass down if he catches you trolling/hating online. Mabel becomes even more of a living vortex of glitter and gloss during Pride - sweeping away the more muted Tulip, who'll happily settle for a little bisexual flag pin or sticker on her computer. Hard not to find Mabel's enthusiasm infectious, though! Dipper is a heterosexual, cisgender man, Mabel is a pansexual, cisgender woman, and Tulip is a bisexual, cisgender woman.

That was a lot! I hope it was an enjoyable read, though! @the-literary-lord

[cosmicbob]

You know who would be a great trans-ally? Vegeta. You could be a student of his and announce your transition and he'd just scoff and say something like:

"YOUR GENDER IS IRRELEVANT TO ME, ONLY THAT YOU MAINTAIN THE HEART OF A WARRIOR! A SAIYAN'S PRIDE DOES NOT CARE ABOUT WHAT'S BETWEEN YOUR LEGS, ONLY THAT YOU LEAVE EVERYTHING ON THE BATTLEFIELD!"

But Goku would be that person who means well but winds up saying some real problematic shit.

"Oh wow, you were born a boy but now you're a girl? That's amazing! Did you learn any new moves or hidden power levels when you took those boobie pills? We'll have to train together sometime so I can test out this new girl form of yours!"