>> headcanon.akechi
PEARLY. Headcanon time!
Akechi is transmasculine. This is a huge aspect of how I play him, especially post-Royal as he learns to dig for his "true self".
When he was younger, he had a lot of dysphoria and wore baggy clothes as a result. This dysphoria carried on even after he was picked up by Shido and granted the resources to socially transition into the Detective Prince. He overwears his binder sometimes. Oops!
Though Akechi is "lucky" enough that he wasn't reliant on Shido for testosterone, he was keenly aware of the debt he owed the man for helping him change his registry and erase all trace of the dead girl he once was. In turn, Shido was given free reign to shape Akechi's identity, choosing his haircut, his presentation, whether he could medically transition, and even his given name. Akechi has come to despise "Goro", never once viewing it as his name, grimacing whenever he's referred to with it.
The presentation Shido gave Akechi was a sort of "soft masculinity", trying to appeal to both men and women via a gentle, non-threatening look. He wore those boxy suits and sweater vests largely to hide his figure.
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Post-Royal, he changes his name to Aizou (愛造). These kanji in particular have the meanings of "love" and "to build/make/construct"-- he chose to represent the bonds he struggled with and ultimately succeeded in building with his own given name. In addition, he begins to dress more sharply, exchanging the idea of hiding his body for looking right and feeling comfortable in his clothing. He shifts toward a darker, more alternative look, and gets his ears pierced. Embracing a bit of his femininity lessens his dysphoria, because it's on his own terms.
