#asklice

What variation/s do they have? Vida likely has CAH. I say "likely" because while she's made to be as such, she does live in a renaissance-type setting, so doctors are f'cking clueless as of yet.

Do they deal with any health issues related to their variation/s? So CAH really messes up the immune and autonomous system, but like I said, her world setting doesn't really help with it much. So she's sickly. There is healing magic, though… :') Which is probably the reason she's lived as long as she has.

How does their intersexuality interact with their gender / sexuality? Aside from her weakened health, she appears perisex and cis to people who don't get to have a closer look down there. She's got a family member who is a doctor, and she exclusively trusts him to check her health. Otherwise, nobody really gets to know. She considers herself a straight woman but turns the guys away anyway. I think if she didn't have to hide anything she may have been curious about girls, too. Alas, she doesn't allow anybody near.

Man. I didn't mean for her to sound so tragic. She's really sweet and loved, I promise. :')

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Now for Dinesh, he lives in a modern day setting instead. I'll include the questions from the second ask right away, too! :o

Did they grow up knowing about their variations? If yes, what was that like? If not, when did they learn? Dinesh, before puberty, thought he was a perisex boy. He had an opening that they closed directly after birth. The scar tissue would pull sometimes when growing up, but he didn't think it was anything abnormal.

It wasn't until (supposed) puberty that he noticed he didn't grow like the other guys and began feeling severe pains. It was when they examined that, that the whole thing came to light. His father insisted Dinesh had to be male. Which, at first, only made Dinesh hate masculinity more. For a while, Dinesh preferred "they" or even "she", only accepting "he" to conform to his father's expectations. As an adult he separated himself from his father and slowly began to reclaim masculinity, as the association with being forced began to fade. He became okay with being "he" again, but still accepts other pronouns.

Do they identify as intersex (or an equivalent term)? How do they see their variation/s? In English, he would say he's intersex and bigender. He feels more "both" than "in the middle" or "neither".

Now it's worth mentioning that in India he might be called "hijra" but this is an extremely sensitive term. Although reclaimed by many, it is also deemed a slur meant to categorize people as to oppress them and exclude them from society. Both sides of the argument make solid points but I am in no position to pick one side over the other tbh. On top of that, it is more often used for transfemmes than mascs. And is also often used to refer to people who have removed anything to do with their penis, or masculinity in general, which is not the case for Dinesh. So he doesn't really embrace the term. (No, I do not consider peni inherently masculine, but many of these people in question do. Hence the wording.)

What themes / motifs / imagery do you associate with this character? Do you associate any intersex symbols / imagery with them? Well, there is Ardhanarishvara. And considering you added this question extra for Dinesh, it makes me wonder if you already knew Ardhanarishvara and were expecting this answer. Dinesh's mother, who is supportive of him, has often made mention of Ardhanarishvara. Dinesh is not extremely religious, but appreciates it nonetheless. But his family has more of a history worshiping Vasuki, the snake around Shiva's neck.

I actually associate Dinesh more with Vasuki and naga/snakes than I do Ardhanarishvara. Which doesn't have to do with his intersexism or even any phallic reason. Dinesh is a Nair from Kerala, who have a history with snake worship. The snake themes mirror in Dinesh through his confidence and self-worth.

I also associate the colours gold and green with Dinesh, as well as malachite. Good rock. :) Nice rock--

What are their biggest pet peeves? How do they show it? Well, I suppose gender roles and expectations are more of a serious grief than a peeve. Though I guess disliking when people assume he's some kind of "inbetween" is a peeve. He feels like he is both, and not "part this and that", but fully both.

When it comes to more innocent peeves… he has a bit of a quirk where he hates symmetry. On days where he is in the mood for a braid, for example, his mother will correct him on wearing it off-center. He doesn't listen. :)

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