fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #3764 ]

[ SECRET POST #3764 ]

⌈ Secret Post #3764 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.

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02.

(Jane Austen's Emma, with Kate Beckinsale)

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03.

[Emmerdale]

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04.

[Mass Effect: Andromeda]

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05.

[Rogue One]

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06.

[Neverwinter Nights 2]

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07.

[Criminal Minds, S12E16 "Assistance is Futile"]

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08.

[Game of Thrones]

Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 40 secrets from Secret Submission Post #538.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

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I've got a WIP I'm working on and today somebody asked me if I could make c character trans-gender-they-present-as. "There's really no reason they couldn't be!"

I'm trying to figure out how to respond or if I even should. On one hand, I love getting comments and want to encourage them. On the other, no. I'm not going to explicitly make that character trans just for you, but you're welcome to imagine him walking around with prosthetic junk and an ability to pass if you want.

I probably won't say anything. But what are some random reader requests you've seen?

could just say they're free to headcanon the character like that in your fic if they want to because like they said there's no reason they couldn't be, but that's not how you're picturing them

Agreeing with anon above me, though I'd be a little leery of it being some kind of weird "trap" - like if you refuse to do it you're transphobic or some kind of bullshit. I'd hope that saying something simple like "I hadn't planned to write it that way, but all headcanons for the fic are welcome" wouldn't draw crazy... but who knows.

For me, it's less a request and more weird interpretation/question. I had a character who turned into a dragon, and one of my readers asked what color dragon he was. I answered that one with mirrored scales, for [various plot reasons]. The reader was like, "oh, well I mean I definitely see him as a black dragon for sure".
Like... okay... what do you even say to that?

Have you tried a hearty "fuck off" as your response? I find it works wonders.

If they want a transheadcanon they can write it themselves.

Go with the first anon's option, if you're wanting to comment with something back. I think that would be the most delicate way to do it without hurting their feelings.

I actually had someone offer to commission me for a fic in the comments of one of my fics. I don't do fic commissions nor do I care to, but it was kind of flattering that someone actually wanted to pay money for my writing.

Side-eyeing you real hard for the whole "prosthetic junk and an ability to pass" bit. Ignoring that, just reply with something about "Interesting headcanon! Though that's not the way it's going in this fic." or along those lines.

Sorry, but every trans person I've met said they'd much rather be seen as a the sex that matches their gender rather than a transman/transwomen. So, from that perspective, unless you're writing a story that's about the trials and tribulationsof being trans, making a character trans...shouldn't be any different than if they were cis, except for the prosthetic junk.

If the character in question is implied to have a dick and use it in the fic though?
And I personally find the obsession with pre-OP trans bodies to be much more fetishistic side-eye worthy, tbh.

DA

I don't see the problem with "ability to pass" but is "prosthetic" actually the correct term for post-op genitalia? I mean, technically prosthetic just means artificial, and I suppose surgically created genitalia could be deemed artificial in the strictest sense that it was surgically formed. But personally I don't think the word fits in this case, and it feels like a potentially hurtful way of describing a person's junk. And I mean, it's not like we're talking about detachable genitalia that can be separated from the individual in question. It's theirs. It's a part of them. Their bodily systems keep that tissue alive.

I don't know much about trans-positive terminology and etiquette, so for all I know "prosthetic" is considered an acceptable way of describing post-op genitalia, and if that's the case then never mind. It just seems pretty iffy to me personally.

I've seen the terms 'packer' and 'binder' used by writers who identify as trans - for filling out trousers and flattening chests, respectively.

Considering the version of actually working penises for trans men only work with additional artificial help, I think prosthetic isn't too far off, and it's also not a derogatory term, so...

Er, they're not using the word "prosthetic" to describe surgically-altered genitalia. Many trans individuals do not have bottom surgery right away (for many reasons, most commonly financial). FTM individuals in particular can use actual prosthetics to get a more realistic look and feel.

http://www.ftmguide.org/packing.html

So it's not iffy at all; just a misunderstanding. :)

I dislike stuff like that. I mean, if you did not mention it, that's clearly not what you were going for with your story? It's just awkward.

My two weirdest requests:

- that I change something based om some other person's experience of a political event.

- if they could finish my WIP.

Agreeing with the first anon. It's your story and you can do what you like.

I'd just say something like "Sorry, I'm not taking requests at the moment, but interesting idea/headcanon."

Anyway, one time awhile ago, I kept getting requests to write weird cross-overs for Fandoms that I gave no indication of even being remotely interested in. Like, I'd get a request to write a Thundercats/Terminator cross over on a Transformers story. It was also written in a strange way. Like in a "Nigerian Scam E-Mail" kind of way. It went away after a couple weeks, but it was just weird.

Usually I get requests to continue fics that have been marked "complete" for 6 months to several years. Like, dude, no. Stop.

Unlike a few others here, I wouldn't use the phrasing "interesting headcanon" in a potential reply because that might give the person who commented the impression that you are open to expand on other people's headcanons in your fic under certain circumstances. I'd rather use a variation of "Nope, I don't take requests, but feel free to write fic based on your own headcanon yourself".

I agree. I think dodging any actual response to seeing a character in this specific fic as trans, while encouraging the person who commented to explore the idea in their own fic is a better option. Something like "That's not what I have planned for this fic, but I think you should try writing something that explores the idea."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ SECRET POST #3764 ]

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