Tbh I don't really vibe with a lot of the criticism of these archetypes from the works you cite, as a lot of it seems to have an assimilationist undertone. Like "we're not really scary activists who shave our eyebrows and want to tear down the system! Just give us normal representation!" And I'm like, idk that first description sounds like me and a lot of my friends tbh.
That is understandable why you do not agree with it, and sorry if it felt like I was not being appreciative and respectful of the whole non-binary history, identities, and experiences. I mention at the start of Chapter 1 that I am regarding it in a "negotiated reading" of how stereotypes are most harmful when cisgenderist/transphobic people purposefully choose to misread a text. Furthermore, as I clarify at the start of Chapter 3, all of this is a result of cisnormitivity creating this assimilation with traditional culture, and not providing the words (or caring to take the time) to explain non-binary identities. You are absolutely right my position sounded very pessimistic and focused on cishet culture and readings, but that was by design as the main part of the discussion. Do some non-binary people have shaved eyebrows, flamboyant clothing, particular make-up? Absolutely as you say yourself. Do some non-binary people want to tear down the system? Not just some, I would argue all enbies do, and identifying as non-binary is a stand that gender is not real, but if you force us into categories how about we make our own. But there is also the more personal aspects such as dysphoria and social exclusion. Not all non-binary people are going to parade around in Sam Smith's wardrobe declaring the end of the system, some just want to still be seen as people first. If cisgender people only see the activist ideas on media, they will feel like its a politicised attack. Will screaming at people that "Ugh, its N.B. Like Non-Binary person" make cisgender people understand or feel like it is an attack on them? My personal view is we need the calmer and simpler representation first, and if that means being a bit cisnormative in mainstream series, well, begrudgingly do it because it would at least show something. But with more Enby actors expressing themselves, and more people becoming aware and accepting of it, then these assimilationist mainstream examples will pave the slow way to proper examples where we can be as activist as we like. In other words, children respond better to being slowly introduced a topic, rather than being screamed about what they should have done, even if they had not heard anout it before. I think we can both agree that transphobes are children, and we can't risk fuelling their belief, especially when not every Enby has the life where they can be comfortable to speak out and feel safe about it. Also, finally, can I just say it is really interesting to talk to you and get your views. I hope my replies don't sound dismissive or like I am making excuses because I do agree with your points. Its really nice to get actual constructive criticism (every other time its just transphobes saying "ITS NOT REAL" and then crying when I give them any scientific study to google). So thank you so much for having something very interesting to say :)
Some nice analysis here. I know you can't deep dive into every piece of media you reference here, but including the nonbinary character Desire from The Sandman created by legendarily trans-inclusive comic book writer and showrunner Neil Gaiman as just one in a critical list of otherworldly enbies (mistakenly referring to their character as a "demon"), and not mentioning anything else took me right out of the video. I think it would have been a good opportunity to talk about what I think is a pretty cool milestone for enby rep as a lead character in a mainstream TV show and give some flowers to Mason Alexander Park (who also formerly played Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch in the US touring production, which is pretty beloved in its niche despite all the problematic tropes you highlight in this video) and to Neil Gaiman for literally writing a comic with multiple queer and nonbinary characters in the 80s during the Thatcher administration. Anyway, I appreciate your work here, always happy to see more enby video essayists talking about media theory.
Yeah, I completely agree that I made a few mistakes there. Unfortunately, I was limited by a word count as this was written for my BA(Hons) Dissertation, and so cut out a lot of my discussion into the positive aspects to keep it focused on pointing out the more academically discussed negative aspects. The demon labelling was my stupidity to not fact check, which I apologise about. It used to be part of a longer section that also mentioned Good Omens, and it was one of the last bits I cut out on my final edit and I guess I never thought "Joe, you are meant to be an academic, at least watch the last half of The Sandman to know the inclusion is correct" but I did think "I have been writting this for 8 months and I just want to watch a series that I am not making Enby notes on" 😂 And yes, I would have included more positivity if I didn't remove all of it from the final draft, as a 9000 word limit is surprisingly low for such a fascinating subject. The main reason I mentioned The Sandman (and by proxy Gaiman's other work of Good Omens) is only because it's a very common trope to have non-human characters as non-binary. As brilliant as it is to say canonically all angels and demons in Good Omens are genderqueer (and more specifically genderless), there is a seperation that the human characters are not. On the one hand, it could be said it implies non-binary people are holy entities and therefore extremely cool and powerful (the common joke that if god doesn't have a gender, I guess all enbies are gods too). Although on the other, its seen as inhuman, which is obviously the side I discussed. But absolutely, similar to Asia Kate Dillon (especially in the example of John Wick) having Enby actors play Enby roles regardless of whether it is mentioned or not is brilliant, and same goes for Mason Alexander Park. Unfortunately, mentioning Hedwig and the theatrical runs does mean I should discuss Neil Patrick Harris also portraying Hedwig on Broadway, a mainstream gay actor on the most famous mainstream theatre place. Alas, brilliant actors good for the role get overshadowed by an erasure of those themes that audiences may misinterpret about being about homosexuality (like my discussion on Joy Ride). Anyway, overall (to stop sounding like I am a miserable person who hates everything): I love Good Omens and think the genderless writting and portrayals are brilliant, and Mason Alexander Park should get more credit than just a short mislabeled clip. I am planning another video where I do use more positivity.
Ayyy thanks, no promises it will be an era though. My video schedule is like putting all of Taylor Swift on shuffle, sometimes you get a beautifully crafted relatable allegory of the singers deepest insecurities in a melancholy tone that makes you cry, then you get Shake It Off 😂😂 But I can assure you more video essays are planned, just not too soon
It's a game sure, but shoutout to Gnosia not just for having the Werewolf/Mafia/Town of Salem gameplay that consumes my brain, but two canon nonbinary humans even in a sci-fi setting where they could have easily just made them aliens or whatever. It's not just implied, either, character files and dialogue in events state it openly, which is rare enough, but they're just... people too. Sometimes good to others, sometimes they're the sussy imposter hidden among us, but Setsu in particular is the 'main (non-gender-identifying word)' of the whole story that you're looping through all these rounds of traitor-hunting with. You wind up on the same side, or against each other, but always working together to unravel the mystery.
A character I’d love to see more people talk about related to this is Adira from Star Trek: Discovery. For a while it seemed like their story was a full “non-binary non-human” but I was pleasantly surprised when it wasn’t really the case. They’re the first (intentional) trans character on Star Trek and start using they/them pronouns when working on the USS Discovery. much of their plot line is their relationship with their transmasc boyfriend.
@@satinsquares If you do that, I'd suggest skipping the show's first two seasons (Adira and Gray aren't introduced until season 3). I think the show gets much better as it goes on. My thoughts on Discovery as a TV show honestly warrant their own long video essay but I would be delighted to see more people watch the show and talk about the franchise's queer characters
Thank you for the video! I'm thinking of adapting some of my academic-adjacent writing on transness into video form, and it's great to know there are other small (for now!) channels doing similar things. Relating to chapter 2 part 10, I'd be interested to know if you've read Susan Stryker's "My Words to Victor Frankenstein above the Village of Chamounix: Performing Transgender Rage"? It's about how we as trans people can engage with being cast as inhuman monsters by cis society-it's more focused on self-perception than this video's engagement with representation, but it's been part of a number of my thoughts on broader questions of how to think about existing as trans in a cis world. On a different note, I think that a lot of what you're talking about here is extremely interesting in a historical engagement (as I think is discussed in Trap Door, though it's been a while since I read it): seeing as we are currently existing in the age of the Trans Tipping Point (or the period of the backlash against it, depending on your categorization of trans history), it's interesting to think about how this current world was in some ways the goal of activists of the previous generation (despite various people warning against overvaluing visibility) and how that missed vision can inform current work relating to visibility and representation. Finally, my opinion overall: That this is a time to focus on supporting each other in community and protecting our joy in that form. Many of the promises of representation have been proven to be lies by recent history, and we can and should create both resources and art that are aimed at fellow trans and nonbinary people to foster our solidarity and resilience rather than trusting messages through the mainstream to cause more good than harm. As you indicated in reply to another comment, we are currently at the mercy of the childish whims of transphobes-and when such hyperscrutiny exists that no act will be accepted as nonthreatening, no representation as benign, the answer to me is to do our best to escape the fundamental power relation through community support rather than appease the ones with power over us. (I expect you'll disagree, but I'd be interested to hear your thoughts!)
never seen your channel before, but this video was an absolute banger! i really loved watching it :D great work!! also happy to see other non-binary people here making videos
Thank you so much :) I don't focus on Enby video essays a lot (this took 8 months to write 😂) but I can assure you I aim to do more in the future, just not yet as I have other more comedic projects planned first while I write my next essay
I'm only up to 17:40, but it occurred to me that in a fanfic I've been working on I may have accidentally subverted several of the tropes listed here. It's got an enby character who's a dragon, but nearly the entire cast is made up of dragons, and being enby doesn't make them seem any less human than any of the other dragons in the story. They're an activist, sure, but not for anything gender related. They're fighting for the rights of the dead (IE legalizing consensual necromancy). They might be a little arrogant, sure, but that's mostly related to the fact that they finally are in a position of power over two people who treated them terribly for years (for reasons completely unrelated to gender). Also they're quite wealthy and have some frighteningly powerful magical capabilities, which probably doesn't help with the arrogance aspect. And also, while they're considered an adult, they aren't physically fully grown yet, so one might be able to call them an "adolescent".
Firstly, that sounds like a really cool fanfic. And secondly, it does sound like you have subverted and avoided all the tropes perfectly. You can 100% have a non-binary character who is an adolescent, slightly arrogant activist (thats just personality) but the fact you aren't linking that to their identity, nor making them different or an outcast, is a brilliant portrayal that enbies are just like any other person (or dragon). If you do feel like watching some more, I mention in Chapter 3 how having non-binary characters whose identity is not a key character trait is good when the story does not require it. And from the sounds of it, your story has inclusive representation without needing to over-do it. Anyway, it sounds amazing and you are a thoughtful writer for not being stereotypical and instead really interesting and subversive in your characterisation :)
@@satinsquares Another thing I want to mention about this character: Their species (called Aer) already has a bit of a wonky relationship with gender, which makes it easier to portray this character's identity as something completely mundane (actually I haven't even directly said in the text that they're enby yet; they're just referred to as they/them). Adult Aer usually have a similar idea of gender to humans. However all Aer are born neuter, and develop into (usually) male or female during puberty. Because of this, they aren't given assigned genders at birth, but rather pick them during their teenage years. This character, Specter, if they were to choose a label, would probably describe themself as agender. Physically they're intersex, but they don't have the language to describe themself as such. They just didn't feel much of a connection to either gender, and since they couldn't tell from their anatomy which label they were "supposed" to use, they just decided to stay gender-neutral into adulthood. And Aer are already so androgynous that most other species can't clock their genders anyway (there's actually a short story by the author of the original novel, about a dragon of a different species who goes on a date with an Aer and doesn't realize until way later that he was dating a dude (which leads him to realize by the end of the short that he's actually bi)), so nobody really cares or event tends to notice that Specter is enby. Actually, in the fic there are two other characters currently living with Specter, and it's ambiguous at this point whether they even know if Specter is enby, or if they call Specter they/them because they haven't bothered to ask their gender. Also, I'd actually say that Specter *is* a bit of an outcast, but again not for gender-related reasons. They deliberately isolated themself to prevent their old boss (the leader of a massive organized crime group) from finding out that they were plotting to assassinate her. And they only worked for her in the first place to try to rescue someone who had saved their life in the past. The fic is on AO3 and is called *Ghostly Iron* (this is a play on the main characters' names, Specter and Ferric), and the novel it's based on is *Silver, Sand, and Silken Wings*, by Angaram. I highly recommend it, it's got lots of queer rep. Also there's a second book coming in probably the next year or so. As a final side note, the reason why Specter is intersex (from a writing perspective) is because I realized that a gender-apathetic Aer who ends up being intersex wouldn't have any societal pressure to stick with whatever gender they were assigned, given that they wouldn't have been assigned one to begin with. So I thought that would be an interesting character concept to work with-a character who neither knows nor cares what their gender is "supposed" to be. And I do plan to finish watching this video soon! It was around 2:00 AM when I posted my previous comment, but I plan to watch more tonight!
Actually, there's another story of mine that includes an actual nonbinary alien coming to earth. That story is a work of xenofiction (the alien in question is the main PoV character), and the only relevance of the fact that he's enby (he goes by he/him for personal reasons, despite not actually identifying as male) is that he finds it baffling that so many humans still have a problem just accepting enby people, when his world figured it out centuries ago. Especially since on his world they have multiple sapient species with differing physical capabilities, and as a result there's more fuel for essentialist rhetoric (which was a widespread problem earlier on during this character's abnormally long lifetime).
@@Kazelita Specter's magic allows them to communicate with the souls of the dead under certain circumstances, and to move souls around more broadly. They want to be able to use this power legally, so they can give some people who died fairly young a second chance at life.
No idea why this is recommended to me. But no “pOsItIvE rEp” is cus no one wants to deal w ppl who make it everyone else’s problem to refer to them as a they/them and change the basic structure of language. Nobody in the real world has time for that chronically online bs. And as an author who knows other authors, yeah. No positive rep from us is coming, even when we’re all lgbt. Gotta focus on real problems
"Change the basic structure of language by using they/them pronouns." Nevermind that those pronouns have been used for at least 648 years (source: published work William and the Werewolf and it's use of singular they/them) and that language is ever changing along with humans. Your inability to adapt and have empathy for others shows. You end up despising your fellow queer people in the same way as the people who shunned gay people in the not so distant past.
Did you even watch the whole video? If you didn't, then its ridiculous you are starting an argument about something I was never actually really claiming. If you did watch the whole thing, then firstly, congratulations on being the only person in history to see a thimbial of an hour long video of something you know you will hate and think "That seems like a good use of my meaningless existence" and secondly, did you not realise the key messages: Chapter 1 - non-binary people aren't activists and media fakes that identity, Chapter 2 - non-binary links to LGBTQ+ are not perfect, but from similarities in how they are viewed as trans and gay people by a stereotypical society Chapter 3-Stereotypical society masks all of that as not being important thus nobody outside hears about it, and conclusion- its all a negotiated reading where all of the representation is exaggerated bs but only hateful idiots will believe its a forced agenda that isn't real. Watch the video and see how the baseline of your point is just an extreme and hateful version of my point that positive rep is difficult and its purely because of ignorant people like yourself.
Tbh I don't really vibe with a lot of the criticism of these archetypes from the works you cite, as a lot of it seems to have an assimilationist undertone. Like "we're not really scary activists who shave our eyebrows and want to tear down the system! Just give us normal representation!" And I'm like, idk that first description sounds like me and a lot of my friends tbh.
That is understandable why you do not agree with it, and sorry if it felt like I was not being appreciative and respectful of the whole non-binary history, identities, and experiences. I mention at the start of Chapter 1 that I am regarding it in a "negotiated reading" of how stereotypes are most harmful when cisgenderist/transphobic people purposefully choose to misread a text. Furthermore, as I clarify at the start of Chapter 3, all of this is a result of cisnormitivity creating this assimilation with traditional culture, and not providing the words (or caring to take the time) to explain non-binary identities. You are absolutely right my position sounded very pessimistic and focused on cishet culture and readings, but that was by design as the main part of the discussion.
Do some non-binary people have shaved eyebrows, flamboyant clothing, particular make-up? Absolutely as you say yourself. Do some non-binary people want to tear down the system? Not just some, I would argue all enbies do, and identifying as non-binary is a stand that gender is not real, but if you force us into categories how about we make our own. But there is also the more personal aspects such as dysphoria and social exclusion. Not all non-binary people are going to parade around in Sam Smith's wardrobe declaring the end of the system, some just want to still be seen as people first. If cisgender people only see the activist ideas on media, they will feel like its a politicised attack. Will screaming at people that "Ugh, its N.B. Like Non-Binary person" make cisgender people understand or feel like it is an attack on them? My personal view is we need the calmer and simpler representation first, and if that means being a bit cisnormative in mainstream series, well, begrudgingly do it because it would at least show something. But with more Enby actors expressing themselves, and more people becoming aware and accepting of it, then these assimilationist mainstream examples will pave the slow way to proper examples where we can be as activist as we like.
In other words, children respond better to being slowly introduced a topic, rather than being screamed about what they should have done, even if they had not heard anout it before. I think we can both agree that transphobes are children, and we can't risk fuelling their belief, especially when not every Enby has the life where they can be comfortable to speak out and feel safe about it.
Also, finally, can I just say it is really interesting to talk to you and get your views. I hope my replies don't sound dismissive or like I am making excuses because I do agree with your points. Its really nice to get actual constructive criticism (every other time its just transphobes saying "ITS NOT REAL" and then crying when I give them any scientific study to google). So thank you so much for having something very interesting to say :)
Some nice analysis here. I know you can't deep dive into every piece of media you reference here, but including the nonbinary character Desire from The Sandman created by legendarily trans-inclusive comic book writer and showrunner Neil Gaiman as just one in a critical list of otherworldly enbies (mistakenly referring to their character as a "demon"), and not mentioning anything else took me right out of the video.
I think it would have been a good opportunity to talk about what I think is a pretty cool milestone for enby rep as a lead character in a mainstream TV show and give some flowers to Mason Alexander Park (who also formerly played Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch in the US touring production, which is pretty beloved in its niche despite all the problematic tropes you highlight in this video) and to Neil Gaiman for literally writing a comic with multiple queer and nonbinary characters in the 80s during the Thatcher administration.
Anyway, I appreciate your work here, always happy to see more enby video essayists talking about media theory.
Yeah, I completely agree that I made a few mistakes there. Unfortunately, I was limited by a word count as this was written for my BA(Hons) Dissertation, and so cut out a lot of my discussion into the positive aspects to keep it focused on pointing out the more academically discussed negative aspects.
The demon labelling was my stupidity to not fact check, which I apologise about. It used to be part of a longer section that also mentioned Good Omens, and it was one of the last bits I cut out on my final edit and I guess I never thought "Joe, you are meant to be an academic, at least watch the last half of The Sandman to know the inclusion is correct" but I did think "I have been writting this for 8 months and I just want to watch a series that I am not making Enby notes on" 😂
And yes, I would have included more positivity if I didn't remove all of it from the final draft, as a 9000 word limit is surprisingly low for such a fascinating subject. The main reason I mentioned The Sandman (and by proxy Gaiman's other work of Good Omens) is only because it's a very common trope to have non-human characters as non-binary. As brilliant as it is to say canonically all angels and demons in Good Omens are genderqueer (and more specifically genderless), there is a seperation that the human characters are not. On the one hand, it could be said it implies non-binary people are holy entities and therefore extremely cool and powerful (the common joke that if god doesn't have a gender, I guess all enbies are gods too). Although on the other, its seen as inhuman, which is obviously the side I discussed.
But absolutely, similar to Asia Kate Dillon (especially in the example of John Wick) having Enby actors play Enby roles regardless of whether it is mentioned or not is brilliant, and same goes for Mason Alexander Park. Unfortunately, mentioning Hedwig and the theatrical runs does mean I should discuss Neil Patrick Harris also portraying Hedwig on Broadway, a mainstream gay actor on the most famous mainstream theatre place. Alas, brilliant actors good for the role get overshadowed by an erasure of those themes that audiences may misinterpret about being about homosexuality (like my discussion on Joy Ride).
Anyway, overall (to stop sounding like I am a miserable person who hates everything): I love Good Omens and think the genderless writting and portrayals are brilliant, and Mason Alexander Park should get more credit than just a short mislabeled clip. I am planning another video where I do use more positivity.
hell yeah so excited for their video essay era
Ayyy thanks, no promises it will be an era though. My video schedule is like putting all of Taylor Swift on shuffle, sometimes you get a beautifully crafted relatable allegory of the singers deepest insecurities in a melancholy tone that makes you cry, then you get Shake It Off 😂😂 But I can assure you more video essays are planned, just not too soon
It's a game sure, but shoutout to Gnosia not just for having the Werewolf/Mafia/Town of Salem gameplay that consumes my brain, but two canon nonbinary humans even in a sci-fi setting where they could have easily just made them aliens or whatever. It's not just implied, either, character files and dialogue in events state it openly, which is rare enough, but they're just... people too. Sometimes good to others, sometimes they're the sussy imposter hidden among us, but Setsu in particular is the 'main (non-gender-identifying word)' of the whole story that you're looping through all these rounds of traitor-hunting with. You wind up on the same side, or against each other, but always working together to unravel the mystery.
A character I’d love to see more people talk about related to this is Adira from Star Trek: Discovery. For a while it seemed like their story was a full “non-binary non-human” but I was pleasantly surprised when it wasn’t really the case. They’re the first (intentional) trans character on Star Trek and start using they/them pronouns when working on the USS Discovery. much of their plot line is their relationship with their transmasc boyfriend.
Ooooh, that sounds very interesting. Might have to watch that one next off my list because that does seem really cool. Thanks for the recommendation!
@@satinsquares If you do that, I'd suggest skipping the show's first two seasons (Adira and Gray aren't introduced until season 3). I think the show gets much better as it goes on. My thoughts on Discovery as a TV show honestly warrant their own long video essay but I would be delighted to see more people watch the show and talk about the franchise's queer characters
Oooh okay, thanks for the tip. And if you do make a video essay about it I would be excited to watch :)
Thank you for the video! I'm thinking of adapting some of my academic-adjacent writing on transness into video form, and it's great to know there are other small (for now!) channels doing similar things.
Relating to chapter 2 part 10, I'd be interested to know if you've read Susan Stryker's "My Words to Victor Frankenstein above the Village of Chamounix: Performing Transgender Rage"? It's about how we as trans people can engage with being cast as inhuman monsters by cis society-it's more focused on self-perception than this video's engagement with representation, but it's been part of a number of my thoughts on broader questions of how to think about existing as trans in a cis world.
On a different note, I think that a lot of what you're talking about here is extremely interesting in a historical engagement (as I think is discussed in Trap Door, though it's been a while since I read it): seeing as we are currently existing in the age of the Trans Tipping Point (or the period of the backlash against it, depending on your categorization of trans history), it's interesting to think about how this current world was in some ways the goal of activists of the previous generation (despite various people warning against overvaluing visibility) and how that missed vision can inform current work relating to visibility and representation.
Finally, my opinion overall: That this is a time to focus on supporting each other in community and protecting our joy in that form. Many of the promises of representation have been proven to be lies by recent history, and we can and should create both resources and art that are aimed at fellow trans and nonbinary people to foster our solidarity and resilience rather than trusting messages through the mainstream to cause more good than harm. As you indicated in reply to another comment, we are currently at the mercy of the childish whims of transphobes-and when such hyperscrutiny exists that no act will be accepted as nonthreatening, no representation as benign, the answer to me is to do our best to escape the fundamental power relation through community support rather than appease the ones with power over us. (I expect you'll disagree, but I'd be interested to hear your thoughts!)
I like how the background plays with the lined notebook paper look!
Enby here with nothing meaningful to say except: 1) Thanks for the video! and 2) I loved Double Trouble in She-Ra even though they were antagonistic.
never seen your channel before, but this video was an absolute banger! i really loved watching it :D great work!! also happy to see other non-binary people here making videos
Thank you so much :) I don't focus on Enby video essays a lot (this took 8 months to write 😂) but I can assure you I aim to do more in the future, just not yet as I have other more comedic projects planned first while I write my next essay
@@satinsquares It took 8 months to write because it included a lot of information! Your video is great!
the enby erasure really sickens me.
just let people live.
Exactly! We are not reductionist stereotypes or hidden easter eggs!
I'm only up to 17:40, but it occurred to me that in a fanfic I've been working on I may have accidentally subverted several of the tropes listed here. It's got an enby character who's a dragon, but nearly the entire cast is made up of dragons, and being enby doesn't make them seem any less human than any of the other dragons in the story. They're an activist, sure, but not for anything gender related. They're fighting for the rights of the dead (IE legalizing consensual necromancy). They might be a little arrogant, sure, but that's mostly related to the fact that they finally are in a position of power over two people who treated them terribly for years (for reasons completely unrelated to gender). Also they're quite wealthy and have some frighteningly powerful magical capabilities, which probably doesn't help with the arrogance aspect. And also, while they're considered an adult, they aren't physically fully grown yet, so one might be able to call them an "adolescent".
Firstly, that sounds like a really cool fanfic. And secondly, it does sound like you have subverted and avoided all the tropes perfectly. You can 100% have a non-binary character who is an adolescent, slightly arrogant activist (thats just personality) but the fact you aren't linking that to their identity, nor making them different or an outcast, is a brilliant portrayal that enbies are just like any other person (or dragon). If you do feel like watching some more, I mention in Chapter 3 how having non-binary characters whose identity is not a key character trait is good when the story does not require it. And from the sounds of it, your story has inclusive representation without needing to over-do it. Anyway, it sounds amazing and you are a thoughtful writer for not being stereotypical and instead really interesting and subversive in your characterisation :)
@@satinsquares Another thing I want to mention about this character: Their species (called Aer) already has a bit of a wonky relationship with gender, which makes it easier to portray this character's identity as something completely mundane (actually I haven't even directly said in the text that they're enby yet; they're just referred to as they/them). Adult Aer usually have a similar idea of gender to humans. However all Aer are born neuter, and develop into (usually) male or female during puberty. Because of this, they aren't given assigned genders at birth, but rather pick them during their teenage years.
This character, Specter, if they were to choose a label, would probably describe themself as agender. Physically they're intersex, but they don't have the language to describe themself as such. They just didn't feel much of a connection to either gender, and since they couldn't tell from their anatomy which label they were "supposed" to use, they just decided to stay gender-neutral into adulthood. And Aer are already so androgynous that most other species can't clock their genders anyway (there's actually a short story by the author of the original novel, about a dragon of a different species who goes on a date with an Aer and doesn't realize until way later that he was dating a dude (which leads him to realize by the end of the short that he's actually bi)), so nobody really cares or event tends to notice that Specter is enby. Actually, in the fic there are two other characters currently living with Specter, and it's ambiguous at this point whether they even know if Specter is enby, or if they call Specter they/them because they haven't bothered to ask their gender.
Also, I'd actually say that Specter *is* a bit of an outcast, but again not for gender-related reasons. They deliberately isolated themself to prevent their old boss (the leader of a massive organized crime group) from finding out that they were plotting to assassinate her. And they only worked for her in the first place to try to rescue someone who had saved their life in the past.
The fic is on AO3 and is called *Ghostly Iron* (this is a play on the main characters' names, Specter and Ferric), and the novel it's based on is *Silver, Sand, and Silken Wings*, by Angaram. I highly recommend it, it's got lots of queer rep. Also there's a second book coming in probably the next year or so.
As a final side note, the reason why Specter is intersex (from a writing perspective) is because I realized that a gender-apathetic Aer who ends up being intersex wouldn't have any societal pressure to stick with whatever gender they were assigned, given that they wouldn't have been assigned one to begin with. So I thought that would be an interesting character concept to work with-a character who neither knows nor cares what their gender is "supposed" to be.
And I do plan to finish watching this video soon! It was around 2:00 AM when I posted my previous comment, but I plan to watch more tonight!
Actually, there's another story of mine that includes an actual nonbinary alien coming to earth. That story is a work of xenofiction (the alien in question is the main PoV character), and the only relevance of the fact that he's enby (he goes by he/him for personal reasons, despite not actually identifying as male) is that he finds it baffling that so many humans still have a problem just accepting enby people, when his world figured it out centuries ago. Especially since on his world they have multiple sapient species with differing physical capabilities, and as a result there's more fuel for essentialist rhetoric (which was a widespread problem earlier on during this character's abnormally long lifetime).
I've never heard the concept of Consensual Necromancy, it's such an interesting topic imo.
It also sounds like a cool band name
@@Kazelita Specter's magic allows them to communicate with the souls of the dead under certain circumstances, and to move souls around more broadly. They want to be able to use this power legally, so they can give some people who died fairly young a second chance at life.
Enby here with academic degrees, excellent video 😎👍
Ayyy, amazing! Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed it :)
28:55 i'm sorry but i can't avoid just picturing the titular cartoon Gaul waving a trans flag
Autistic enby here. Subbed!
Ayyy, thank you :)
No idea why this is recommended to me. But no “pOsItIvE rEp” is cus no one wants to deal w ppl who make it everyone else’s problem to refer to them as a they/them and change the basic structure of language. Nobody in the real world has time for that chronically online bs. And as an author who knows other authors, yeah. No positive rep from us is coming, even when we’re all lgbt. Gotta focus on real problems
Skill issue
They/them being used as pronouns has been a thing for hundreds of years. Also language changes and evolves over time. That's literally how it works
"Change the basic structure of language by using they/them pronouns." Nevermind that those pronouns have been used for at least 648 years (source: published work William and the Werewolf and it's use of singular they/them) and that language is ever changing along with humans. Your inability to adapt and have empathy for others shows. You end up despising your fellow queer people in the same way as the people who shunned gay people in the not so distant past.
Did you even watch the whole video? If you didn't, then its ridiculous you are starting an argument about something I was never actually really claiming. If you did watch the whole thing, then firstly, congratulations on being the only person in history to see a thimbial of an hour long video of something you know you will hate and think "That seems like a good use of my meaningless existence" and secondly, did you not realise the key messages: Chapter 1 - non-binary people aren't activists and media fakes that identity, Chapter 2 - non-binary links to LGBTQ+ are not perfect, but from similarities in how they are viewed as trans and gay people by a stereotypical society Chapter 3-Stereotypical society masks all of that as not being important thus nobody outside hears about it, and conclusion- its all a negotiated reading where all of the representation is exaggerated bs but only hateful idiots will believe its a forced agenda that isn't real. Watch the video and see how the baseline of your point is just an extreme and hateful version of my point that positive rep is difficult and its purely because of ignorant people like yourself.
terf brainrot