#mc identity

[kaiwrites-if]

😭😭😭 so no chances for us trans girlies💔?

You mean with Morgana? If so, then yes, you can romance her as a trans woman.

I have more information about it under Morgana’s tag and under mc identity (tagged in this post). Unfortunately, I can’t seem to link the post.

[kaiwrites-if]

I have another question! Is it possible to undergo top and bottom surgery without HRT? If yes, would that count as a full transition or a partial transition?

I tried searching it myself, but it wasn’t very helpful.

(Also are these the right terms? I was basing them off of an ask I got referencing this).

[kaiwrites-if]

Sorry if this has been asked already but what kind of personality types can you play as?

Also just wanted to say I totally love the idea of the MC’s identity being able to change over time feels more real (not saying that peoples sexuality always changes or everything but the ability to explore it feels more real)

Also cause as a lesbian I usually always play as a lesbian but sometimes their are male characters in games that I end up really liking and want to romance instead but the game won’t let you try to romance them cause I picked lesbian at the start and that sucks lol

I explained it a little in this post.

You will be able to play as most standard personality types, but you won’t be able to play as cruel or rude (in the first two books anyway, and even in the third book, it wouldn’t be needlessly). This is because it doesn’t really fit within the story.

A personal favourite of mine is a sassy/sarcastic Merlin who doesn’t take any of Arthur’s shite. But you can play as stoic or sweet etc. and you will not be locked out of any choices. You can be sarcastic to Arthur, sweet to Gwen, and (reluctantly) polite to Uther for example (which if all goes according to plan, will be noticed by others).

Thank you! I can understand why a lot of authors would lock in sexualities, it certainly makes coding a lot easier, but I really wanted to create a series of stories that span over a decade, and I thought it would be really interesting for you to get to explore yourself both under the oppressive reign of Uther, and the progressive reign of Arthur.

[kaiwrites-if]

I hope you don’t mind me asking, but I’m truly confused. If we’re able to choose our gender/pronouns, why is Merlin referred to as male in the introduction? This is in no way an attack or short handed! I really am just asking!

Also very excited for this IF! I love the show Merlin, so this is a dream come true!

Merlin presents as a man on their travels to Camelot as it’s safer, but then things happen and suddenly Merlin has been appointed as Arthur’s manservant by the King, and they’re just kind of stuck. They could explain the misunderstanding, but Uther doesn’t have the right temperament for that. So they just have to deal best they can.

Explained more here here here.

Thank you 💜

[kaiwrites-if]

will there be times where merlin is able to present as the gender they identify with if they arent a male? or is it too risky for them incase everyone finds out o-o

also will we be able to pretend to be a man but still have different set pronouns?

i love how ur exploring identity and im just very curious ty

There will indeed!

There will be scenes when Merlin is off duty, and you will be able to dress/act however you want if you desire (within reason obviously). Lance knows from the moment they meet you if you’re not male (although he wouldn’t make assumptions as to how you present), it might be risky if you bump into the other three before they know, but you should be able to deflect from at least Arthur discovering your identity. You can also chose to be too worried about being found out to risk it.

When Merlin is in the safety of their chambers or with Gaius or anyone else who knows about their true identity, they will be referred to by their chosen pronouns. But they will be referred to as he/him by anyone who doesn’t know until the third book.

Thank you 💜 please feel free to ask as many questions as you wish!

[kaiwrites-if]

Hello! Alright so, full transition and partial transition are...confusing terms to say the least. It's not necessarily problematic but it's a very cis view on being trans. So basically, there is never an "end point" of being trans, so the term full transition is kinda inaccurate whereas the term partial transition makes it seem like eventually you will be "fully trans" or fully transitioned when that's not possible. It also makes it seem like if you only want one surgery or only want to have surgery instead of taking HRT then you'll never reach the "end goal" of being trans or be fully trans (caused by the term full transition)

Again! It's not necessarily wrong but there are better/more accurate ways to word it. This is anon but if needed I can dm you if you want more info !! Also I don't want this to come off as an attack or anything !!!

G’day! Don’t worry it didn’t come off as an attack, this is the kind of feedback that I really needed as I want to use the correct terms/wording.

I put the transition point in because I wanted the reader to be able to choose if they’d already transitioned prior to relocating, or if they were in the process of transitioning. However, I can see the issue with my wording now you’ve brought it up.

Would it be possible for you to message me, so we can talk through possible wording choices and what options need to be removed/changed? If you feel comfortable with that, it would be very helpful!

I’m really glad that you liked the options for experience and thought they were diverse enough though!

Thank you for the feedback, I appreciate it 💜

[kaiwrites-if]

Hey so regarding your question about top and bottom surgery without HRT. I'm 100% certain you can get top surgery without as hormones are always a choice, then you can get top surgery for many different reasons many of them not even being trans. (Some cis women prefer not having breasts and get top surgery, what your chest looks like does after all have nothing to do with your gender and way you identify) regarding bottom surgery i think it would be harder without hormones but not impossible to get without, as hormones already allow changes to a person's "areas" that facilitate the surgery. Hormones like playing with us so there are women with an already high enough testosterone not to even need HRT, same goes for men with estrogen. So I'm sure MC doesn't need HRT for gender affirming surgeries, it's a step you can completely skip if those are not changes you'd like as it is your body and those changes may be permanent. Hope this helps a bit.

Oh, that’s a good point and something that completely slipped my mind about getting top surgery in other scenarios and something that I will include, so thank you for that.

Thank you also for the information, that’s very helpful!

I’ve decided that I’m going to release the first part of the customisation which includes choosing your gender/identity/thoughts about said identity/hormone potion options/pronouns/naming. Then people can see what I’ve done and give me feedback from that which I feel will be a lot clearer on both ends.

It doesn’t include bottom (only) or top & bottom (without HRT), but people can have a look at the context and then let me know what they think and whether I should add those options. Baring in mind, I suppose, that it’s a magical world with potions, but again I want to be as respectful as possible.

The option for scars/binding and a few other things have not been coded in yet, but they will be.

[kaiwrites-if]

After my last ask about Morgana i'm curious as to how the hormone potion thingys work, could you expand on that or if you have sorry 😅 I didnt check

You can find more information about how the potions work here and here.

The options will mean that there is no need for surgery at any point, and they also don’t have the side effects that come with the surgery and HRT in real life. Magic related to health and the human body can be very dangerous, but it’s a lot more controlled with potions.

It’s works like HRT but alongside the changing of the body, so it’s a much quicker process.