Forums » RP Discussion » Feedback From Trans People On My Trans Character?

Hey all! Been a while since I posted here, but I wanted a little feedback from trans people on my newest character, Riley (link leads to her Google Doc of info). She's a MTF trans individual (and an Arctic Wolf shifter, meaning she can take the form of an Arctic Wolf at the cost of her energy) who lives in a world that my boyfriend and I created together called Majoria. She uses illusion magic to give herself a more feminine appearance (also at the cost of her energy) and is currently running a flower shop in a nation I created called Honimress. I was just wanting a little feedback on her to make sure I wasn't playing into anything harmful towards trans people as I'm not trans myself and she's the first trans character I've made (I do have Faith/Felix, a genderfluid character, but they're a kid right now and don't really come to terms with their gender identity until later in life, at least in my headcanon). Any feedback that would help would be appreciated!

Hello! Nice to see more trans characters on the RPR! While I'm not MTF (I'm transmasculine and non-binary), I'm happy to review your character and help you.

I'm going to start off with feedback on all the things I liked!

Good expression of how much stress gender dysphoria causes
Developed and engaging personality
Interesting character goals and desires
Engaging parallels of magic
Character isn't deadnamed for any reason
Not stereotyped or relying heavily on labels

Next, I wanted to say that I didn't see inherently inaccurate about the character (to me, maybe some MTF women have different feelings), but there were a few things I thought could be expanded upon. Maybe some world-building questions for you!

Why do Riley's parents specifically dislike her trans identity, enough to disown her? Are they conservative in relation to their culture or religion? Do they just dislike the concept of transgenderism? You don't need an explicit or detailed reason, as violent transphobia in the form of rejection is something very real that people deal with every day. Hollywood in particular just likes playing this up and it can end up seeming stereotypical to some people.

Does Riley know any other transgender or LGBT+ people in general? Whether or school or at work or where they live? Even outside of the Internet, we tend to flock together when we find someone similar to ourselves. Especially if it's near a city or another large settlement. People are just like that, even before the whole "LGBT movement", as some people would call it, was a thing.

What people is she specifically "out" to? Who around her accepts and supports her identity?

How does Riley's gender dysphoria manifest, other than she "hates her body?" In what ways does she experience confidence in her identity and relief from dysphoria?

If there is transformation magic in this universe, is there any more permanent forms? What ways is it possible to physically transition in this universe, medically or otherwise? Does Riley want a physical transition? It's worth mentioning that not all transwomen do.

Those are some thoughts I had. I think this sounds like a wonderful character with a lot of potential! I think a good resource I would recommend is from The Trevor Project, where they have an entire guide for understanding different gender identities and the like. They include resources for cisgender allies!

I hope this helped! If you have any questions, let me know. My DMs are open if you'd like! In the meantime, happy writing and roleplaying!

Thanks so much for the feedback, it really helped! I'm just gonna brainstorm by answering those questions that you asked. I'll see where I can add them into her character sheet without making it too clunky haha. And thanks for mentioning the guide from the Trevor Project! I'll definitely reference that!

1. Yes, they are definitely conservative in terms of their culture (I'll add that to the beginning of her bio, so there's clarification on that)

2/3. Hmmm... I think she would have met some other LGBT+ people during her time at Acubens, and that may have been the group that she's "out" to right now, with them keeping in touch. I can see them getting together every so often just to talk about what's going on in their lives and just hang out.

4. That's a good question! I'll have to have a bit of time to think about that... I think she experiences confidence and relief mostly when people call her by her correct name/pronouns... and maybe when she finds clothes that make her feel and look more feminine. As for other ways her dysphoria manifests, maybe it could be she could kinda zone out a bit if she hears/sees her deadname, even if it's someone else with that name? Would that be alright? Sorry, just brainstorming

5. The way my boyfriend and I have it, any sort of magic drains energy from the user, so there aren't any permanent forms of transformation magic. As for ways to physically transition, Majoria isn't overly advanced medically (I've always described it as a modern-ish fantasy world, where there are some more modern elements to it, but not a lot. Like, there are trains, but not much in the way of medical advancements) I do think Riley does want a way to physically transition, mostly just to have to stop using illusion magic which tires her out after a while.