#body swap plot

i wanted to play off the situation as somewhat comedic because their characters are so different, but have them bond and come to understand each other better. i wanted to make gender a big theme and show them both being sorta dysphoric over the sexes of these bodies and confused about how to navigate the world in them (but it being especially bad for J because it feels like a “regression”).

but i’m worried that some situations i’ve thought up for them could be potentially dicey narrative-wise. these characters don’t know each very well when this happens. G is supportive of trans people (they have a mutual trans friend who she stuck by during his transition) but ignorant of a lot of the details. i sort of wanted to use her ignorance for comedy, but have it be a learning experience for her too. i also wanted to use aspects of the story to explicitly refute the idea people have that cis women and trans men are “essentially the same” due to socialisation and agab.

would it be potentially bad if G finds out J is trans through the bodyswap? or at any point interacts with his genitals during the days/weeks spent in his body? (presumably they’d see each other’s bodies while they were inhabiting them) or should i leave it unaddressed? i’m also wondering whether to have them trying to live each other’s lives while they wait for the situation to be solved, or if that’s too potentially distressful from a gender standpoint.

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I think it would probably be best if they have an emergency conversation directly after the bodyswap where J lets G know about J being trans, and gives general instructions on how they do body stuff, if applicable. Like if someone swapped bodies with me, I’d let them know about my medications, including testosterone (and how to take it, or offer to help with it), and give them some other personal info about body upkeep. If they’re staying at my place where my body usually lives, I’d give them a tour of where I keep things like meds, menstrual products, which shampoos are mine, etc. 

In that kind of intro-to-living-in-my-body, having a conversation about consent and things like sex would probably be good, if those things are ever addressed after that. But if it doesn’t come up, I don’t see an issue with leaving that kind of conversation out, I just think it would be a good representation of the body-swap genre to talk about consent. If the characters want to have a “don’t ask/don’t tell” policy for things like jerking off, that’s still something important to establish as the case if applicable. 

I think if you’re being candid about these things in the plot, just try and make sure there’s a healthy sense of communication between the characters. Moreso than the amount of communication between sex partners, because there’s another layer of intimacy involved in straight-up living in somebody else’s body. I mean, you’re going to be pooping on someone else’s behalf. That’s… a lot. They’ll need to establish a sense of trust early on and go out on a limb for it because they don’t have a choice in the matter.

If J informs G of transness before the swap, that would also be fine, but I think at the latest, trying to prevent any more shock value than what would normally come with a coming-out would be ideal.

Trust your gut and put yourself in the shoes of the reader, the characters, as many people as possible here. If you’re worried a joke a character makes isn’t clear about what it’s poking fun at, have the character clarify, just to make sure whoever they are joking with knows just as much as the reader. Writers get told a lot to show and not tell but I think that’s over-used advice, especially when it comes to giving proper representation and depicting characters using basic communication skills with each other on things like consent. Don’t be afraid to tell things outright when you feel it helps.

-Optimus realizes that he is going to have to figure this out for himself.  Sighing hard, he struggles back to his feet and makes to walk back towards where he received Bumblebee's message from.

Stumbling along, completely unbalanced, Optimus comes across large rock formations, and looks around them for any signs of a base, but finds none.

After several hours of fruitless searching, Optimus stumbles gracelessly toward the town, unaware that the humans of this world do not know of his people.  He sees several motorists who have yet to notice him, and moves to call out to them when he pitches forward, bracing himself against the impending impact.

However, when he hits the ground, it's not sand, but metal that greets him.

Looking around, he sees he has landed in a hallway.-