alright so BEFORE i start looking on wattpad for some more terrible trans fics to read, I'm going to give some advice for writing trans characters for cis people because some people seem to really really need this.
use the character's preferred pronouns and name in narration
give small, everyday details (i.e. using a packer, binder, mentioning a photograph or something similar) indicating that they weren't assigned this gender at birth
when talking about their transition and/or dysphoria, refrain from using words like "born in the wrong body" and "hating myself", instead try "told people who I really was" or "this is still my body, but with some parts that need to be fixed"
in that note, dysphoria should be written off as something either similar to a panic attack or an uneasy feeling in your chest. a rushing feeling that you'll never be accepted and this is all wrong, or the nagging reminder that this isn't the right thing for you.
romantic subplots should not center around their gender, neither should their personality really just don't center your character's whole thing on the fact that they're trans
literally just treat them like a normal character
start off with something like "she did blah blah blah... oOPS I MEAN HE" because that's intentional misgendering in the narration also it reminds me of draco malfoy's monologue from potter puppet pals
say "born in the wrong body" or "joan turned into john", because that implies that A) trans people's bodies before surgery are all wrong and not right for them, and B) implies that "joan" was not john before he came out and "changed" his gender
make their deadname a fem/masc version of their chosen name. this is a common theme I see a lot, (side note: with fanfics it's a bit different because we already have a name given for this character) and it's annoying. most trans people actually choose a completely different name from their birth one, usually to prevent dysphoria.
when referring to the time before they transitioned, don't ever say "when i was a girl" or "when i was a boy". say "when i was presenting female/male, before i had come out, before i had transitioned". you never were that gender in the first place.
(in a cis character's pov) "i looked at her. wow. she looked so masculine, like a man, with a manly jaw and manly arms and wow she's masculine wow haha. he." no no no no no shut up shut up shut your mouth stop talking forever
most trans people don't have a visible chest/binder or bulge so keep that in mind folks
anyways that's it for this list, I'm gonna go read some truly terrible trans stories and rant about it. thank you and keep these in mind cis people
also if this is an OC and not a fanfiction, please try not to mention their deadname unless it's a critical part of their story, because that isn't who they are anymore
baratheonpilled
ellievsbear
areudirty
stormborns
janainaart
yousharknotpass
