I was thinking randomly about the fact (pointed out by another post) that every member of the Vacker family has 5 letters in their name: Della, Alden, Biana, Alvar. Hell even Keefe does. But for Fitz it's either 4 letters, or 7 (Fitzroy). He doesn't fit. I've made plenty of posts in the past about my in-cannon feelings about this, but I've seen a few AU posts about "What if Fitz was a trans girl?" and I wanted to yap about it for a bit because I thought it was an interesting AU idea.
Fitz full name is Fitzroy Avery Vacker. Avery is also 5 letters, just like the rest of the Vackers. Fitz, within the narrative and mainly by Sophie and Keefe, is treated the way most female characters are in media. He's reduced to his physical appearance being the only reason to be attracted to him, his anger and ugly emotions are demonized and seen are evil, he's expected to hold up an ideal of perfection but is shamed, mocked, and belittled for ever having an ego, for being prefect, and for putting effort in. On the flip side, if he ever chooses not to, he's called names, mocked, and belittled as well. His romantic interests are overlaid with undertones of coercion- being pushed into a relationship without questioning if he wants to- where the fact that he is desired is far more important to both the story and characters then his own wants, beliefs, or autonomy. His disability and physical ailments are ignored for being unsightly, and his concerns about a mass murderer on his property are dismissed as him being overdramatic- the victim of violence at the hands of an egotistical man child being told to suck it up and stop being dramatic while the perpetrator is held in higher regard then they ever were. Any interest he dares show is scrutinized and mocked, and any effort to dispel someones advances is called rude.
This is how female characters are written and treated. Fitz genuinely is one of the only characters written like this where I can wholeheartedly say the fandom and OG media's veiw and writing of him would not change for better or worse if he was a woman.
This is why the MTF!Fitz AU (unlike most other genderswaps I've seen, like Perce Jackson, where making him a woman only serves to act as a self insert, sex fantasy, or for homophobic shipping purposes) is actually interesting: because narratively Fitz IS treated how SO many female characters are.
The one thing I do find unrealistic about so many of these AUs though (for reasons I've talked about heavily on this blog) is that Fitz (or Avery as I'll call her for this AU) would come out while living in the Lost Cities.
Because Fitz in canon is straight up the only person who regularly calls out characters for being politically idiotic (though he's normally demonized) and it would be insane to thing that trait would suddenly be different in Avery.
Avery would not come out, but I think unlike in canon (even if I genuinely think this would have been a better canon arc for Fitz), Avery would leave after she found out Keefe and Sophie were dating. Because she would realize that they do not need or want her around, and that her purpose in their lives was based on how much they personally desired her as an object (because bro Keefe and Sophie don't treat Fitz like a PERSON in canon, they treat him like a character or a concept) and that that had nothing to do with her worth and emotions. I don't think Avery would fully clue into all of that, more so the general "I am not safe here, these people are fucking stupid and have treated me like shit, im done trying to save this world that cannot be saved."
Marella I think would also play some role, not in a shipping context but rather maybe after Avery finds out about Sokeefe its a conversation with Marella that finally gets the wheels turning.
A conversation that leads to a note that's basically "The council are shit, the black swan are dumb, and the neverseen are ALMOST as dumb as you stupid fucks. Sophie, Keefe, Mom, Dad, Council, Collective: go fuck yourselves. Biana, take care for yourself, and Marella thank you for being the first one to listen to me." When it comes to actually signing off, instead of signing Fitz, she chooses to sign "Your daughter, Avery".
Then just fucking dips never to be seen again, because genuinely even in canon I don't see what would be left for Fitz, much less Avery (a trans women in a deeply fascist country following a eugenics system). So she chooses to leave to the Forbidden Cities, that she's already traveled to since she was 6. Because if Keefe can Not-Die, she definitely can also Not-Die.
It's also vitally important that her personality doesn't change. Avery is Fitz and Fitz is Avery, and most of the deep-seated issues and trauma from the character would not have ties to her being trans. She's still her even after transitioning, she's still fucked up.
Because the only way that's changing is therapy, because again the mental health issues and trauma that are core to later-books Fitz character would not change if he was trans.
