SHSL Pâtissier

Transgender means someone who identifies as a different gender from their assigned sex. Non-binary means a gender outside of the binary genders, male and female. Roleplaying a trans/non-binary character, in my opinion, is no different from playing a cisgender character. The only difference is that they might have a few extra worries to think about that factor into their story. If you think about it, though, in a life or death situation like Mutual Killing, worrying about 'passing' goes second to surviving.

Firstly, you should not base your character around the fact that they are trans. They are just a person, and although it is important to consider how they would handle all the things that come with being trans, they have to have other things in their backstory, their hobbies and their personality. They are a whole person, and they have to be interesting; being trans should not be your character's hooking point.

Don't try to point out explicitly that they're trans at every opportunity. This can get offensive, as it gives the impression that being trans defines their character. This can get even more offensive if you refer to their appearance. If you have a trans boy and you point out in a post that he has a "feminine, curvy figure" (as I have seen someone once do), that is only going to encourage people to judge a person's gender based on their body type and body stereotypes. Surely you can think of lots of different ways to describe your character's appearance that don't allude to their assigned sex.

Your character's personality should determine how they handle being trans. Body dysphoria is when a person is not comfortable with the body that they are in, which is something trans people often have, but not every trans person has this and can be content with not altering their body. Furthermore, some people are very anxious about 'passing' (being perceived as their gender in society), but some people are only mildly concerned. They may be too nervous to correct someone misgendering them in public, or they might get very angry and correct them. It all rests on how you think your character would react to certain situations; not all trans people react the same, or think the same things are offensive.

Remember that assigned sex is not binary, either.  Intersex is a general term used for a variety of conditions in which sexual anatomy doesn't seem to fit the standards of binary male or female. Intersex people often choose their own gender expression for themselves, whether it be a binary or non-binary gender. I haven't seen many intersex characters in this community, but be brave; everyone's representation is important.

Passing can be difficult for teenagers because they're not old enough to have hormone therapy or surgery in most countries. Hormone blockers can stop puberty and voice therapy can do a little to change their voice, but other than that, there aren't many options. They can change their name as a teenager in some countries; if you want to be really efficient, you could think of both a birth name and a new name they have chosen for your character (although a birth name does not really ever need to be mentioned).

Some things that DFAB (designated female at birth) people may worry about are:

Binding (They may not have found a binder that fits them. Binding can also leave someone short of breath, irritate skin or rub skin too much to leave bruises or scuffs. Binding should not be done for more than 12 hours, although 8 hours can be some people's limit.)

Clothing (They may wear baggy clothing to hide their figure, especially their chest and hips.)

Making their voice sound deeper or more androgynous (Doing this too much can make their throat sore, and in times of excitement or fear, their voice goes high again.)

Some things that DMAB (designated male at birth) people may worry about are:

Tucking (This can also be painful. It shouldn't be done for more than 8 hours, and some people's limit can be 4 hours.)

Clothing (Wearing more 'feminine' clothing can put them in danger or can cause them to be stereotyped with hurtful language.)

Making their voice sound higher or more androgynous (Doing this too much can, again, make their throat sore, and is typically strenuous to do all of the time.)

And, of course, they worry about being in danger if they do not 'pass'. What bathroom should they use? Where should they browse in a clothes store? What if they have to use a changing room or go swimming? Statistically, DMAB people tend to be in danger more of the time. It's important not to forget intersex people, too, as they may have more complex and specific worries that you need to research. On the other hand, your character may be completely confident and not worry about any of these things, no matter the consequences. Those kind of characters can often be quite positive role models.

Don't be afraid to research non-binary genders. There's agender, pangender, bigender, trigender, genderfluid... The list goes on, and it's fun to experiment with different pronouns. As sometimes it can be hard to find those specific non-binary people to ask about their expression, don't let that put you off. There are often different interpretations of non-binary genders.

If you think you may be being offensive, just ask a person you know that is trans/non-binary or knows about those things. They won't judge you and will probably be very happy that you're trying not to be offensive. They most likely will be willing to share their information and opinions, and it will make everyone content without you making any mistakes.

If you (understandably) feel offended or are made uncomfortable by misgendering, you could request for all other players to not make their characters misgender yours in the roleplay. If your character is not passing and is misgendered in-character, this is sadly realistic, but since this is an online roleplay, it doesn't have to happen if you don't want it to. However, if you know that your character is being intentionally misgendered by the other player because they don't understand or are against their gender identity, especially out-of-character, make sure to educate them as this is offensive behaviour, or tell a mod.