Wait, why do people have trans headcanons about Tobias? I love reading about trans headcanons. Soooooooo tell me about trans guy Tobias. ššš And link me to trans girl Tobias headcanons if you know where to find them!
Right, so, a lot of people read Tobiasā discomfort in his human body as gender dysphoria, or at least a pretty good sci-fi analogue, which I think is really cool! Ā I generally donāt write trans Tobias myself because...actually tbh I think Iāve never written a fic where Tobias took his shirt off and/or anything else that would make anatomy a real issue, so youāre totally within your rights to headcanon whatever you like. Ā My somewhat disinterested grasp on gender makes me a bad candidate to write trans stuff because. Ā Like. Ā Listen. Ā You can use whatever pronouns you want with me and I will absolutely not give a damn. Ā Iāve gone by five different first names falling everywhere from feminine to androgynous to masculine (some people call me Gabe), Iāve been called sir, miss, maāam, and you there, and honestly: I donāt care. Ā So like...I am not writing gender dysphoria stuff because I donāt have a good handle on gender in the first place. Ā
As far as the trans girl Tobias headcanons go, I donāt have any of them on deck to be linked because itās not my jam, but Iām sure someone will step up to the plate here. Ā I did read a really excellent fic one time where Tobias acquired Rachel and she and Rachel went to the mall on a date and it was pretty cute, but also it is lost to the depths of my AO3 history.
Regarding trans boy Tobias, on the other hand, I feel it a little more. Ā Hear me out here.
Tobias is literally flat out tortured by bullies at school (MM4), which, listen, I went to a really small parochial school where their handle on the concept of trans-ness was dubious at best. Ā First gym class, Tobias is basically screwed, even though his uncle probably doesnāt give enough of a damn to say what he can or canāt put on his paperwork.
Tobias mentions several times that his uncle doesnāt care about him, but was can all basically agree that heās probably also abusive as well as being neglectful. Ā More to the point, though, Tobias says that his aunt cared more when he was younger (before he came out maybe?) and that she mostly used him as free labor once he was older. Ā So in this situation I headcanon that the majority of the time, Tobiasā uncle doesnāt give a shit what Tobias calls himself and is therefore a nominal improvement on his aunt, who still calls him Tabitha and yells at him every time he cuts his hair off. Ā Tobias at some point tells Rachel offhand that, yeah, his uncle hit him from time to time, but at least he usually called him ākidā or whatever, and Rachel almost gets on a goddamn plane to go beat the shit out of his aunt. Ā (I firmly headcanon that in anyĀ universe, Tobias spends minimum one hour a month talking Rachel and eventually Ax out of hunting down his extended family.)
The Animorphs all know heās trans and are ready to Fight about it. Ā This is generally the reason that I prefer trans boy Tobias rather than trans girl Tobias, because I like AUs that fit reasonably well into canon and in order for Tobias to be a trans girl, he would have to be in the closet with literally every single person he knows. Ā He would be lying constantly to the Animorphs about who he is. Ā And honestly his life is so terrible that I canāt stand to put him through that, and moreover: donāt come here with your The Animorphs Donāt Really Trust Each Other nonsense. Ā Get out of my house with that. Ā I will talk for days about the breakdown of team dynamics toward the end of the war, but these kids would fucking die for each other, donāt come at me with your Jake Is Transphobic shit. Ā Iāll deck you, straight up.
BOOK 23 SPOILERS: The Ellimist shows Elfangor the future so that Elfangor knows to write his letter to his son and Tobias has to work really hard not to burst into tears in front of Visser Three about it. Ā Relatedly, Loren is a disabled woman who married an alien, I am 100% sure that Tobias coming out to her would be 0% of a problem. Ā āIām so glad you trusted me with this and I want you to be happy, but also we are at war so maybe this is not the best time to have a heart-to-heart.ā
Listen...Andalite culture is such a hidebound train wreck that I have no idea off the top of my head if they would be fine with the trans thing. Ā I have some strict-ish headcanons about how marriage works (literallyĀ intended for reproduction, as in: usually arranged, often a friendly formality that only lasts as long as thereās a child to raise, and structured so as to match couples based on their ability to parent together and their genetic compatibility), but nothing hard and fast about sex or gender. Ā Except that I will have my tragic gay aliens and therefore: same-gender love matches exist. Ā But even if Andalites arenāt down with the concept of the gender spectrum, Ax will have known Tobias for most of a year before Tobiasā biological sex becomes an issue that even exists in the physical world, and Iām pretty sure he could be talked around.
I feel like the morphing thing has great potential for transgender usage, which I guaran-damn-teeĀ you the Andalites have not thought of (I have a lot to say about how the Andalites seem...pretty uncreative with the morphing thing). Ā In a happier world, after the war Tobias admits publically that heās trans and that itās part of the reason heās uncomfortable in his human form, and FrolisĀ maneuvers himself a new human body that looks a lot like his old one with a few major exceptions. Ā A feather, or a silhouette of a hawk in flight, becomes a familiar Trans Pride mark, with people carrying flags and wearing tattoos at marches. Ā Rachel has never been more delighted with the world, and picks up a new crusade. Ā She only gets arrested a few times.
Oh, also let me take this moment to give you a few other headcanons about queer Animorphs.
Jake: actually Jake is straight because I have never seen someone who is so obviously a Straight Ally Doing His Very Best but in like every aspect of his life. Ā Heās doing a good job and heās the first person Marco comes out to.
Marco: B I S E X U A L as fuck and dtf basically anyone. Ā This is straight up canon, literally any given Marco book includes him commenting on at least one personās attractiveness. Ā I think the only Animorph who does not routinely get hit on is Tobias and Iām willing to ascribe that to Marcoās very understandable fear of death by acute grizzly bear.
Cassie: liāl bit bisexual, liāl bit gnc, lot bit too busy to care. Ā I feel like Cassie is also demisexual because...sheās so much about the person. Ā Whenever she talks about Jake and why sheās attracted to him, sure, sheāll talk about his eyes or his smile, but itās usually about how his real smiles are rare and therefore special, or about how he seems so confident and adaptable under the gun, or about how much he cares about his causes. Ā Thus: demi Cassie.
Rachel: listen I donāt know because I feel like Rachel probably wouldnāt bother to take the time to have an identity crisis ever, she would just be likeĀ āupdate everyone Iām also into girlsā and move on with her life. Ā People would ask her what her sexuality was and she would give them a disdainful look and sayĀ ānot your fucking concernā and go on about her day. Ā Rachel goes to her deathbed without ever giving a single fuck about anything, up to and including what she should or should not call herself. Ā (Oh but obviously Melissa Chapman is a lesbian and has been in love with Rachel since they were kids)
Ax: cinnamon buns are Axās One True Love and while I do feel like heās probably pansexual and kind of blithely disinterested in the human parameters of gender, I also feel like heās the kind of person to tell people out loud and in public that his sexuality is Cinnabon. Ā He learns this kind of joke from Marco and the others all immediately despair of them both. Ā Jake just. Ā Washes his hands of this whole situation. Ā Heās out. Ā Heās done. Ā Ax is beyond help.
Tobias: even in universes where I write Tobias as a cis boy, please assume that he is definitely bisexual and also likes to wear eyeliner. Ā It is the only makeup he can successfully apply except for lipstick (lipstick is pretty idiot-proof as long as you can match colors), but his winged eyeliner is so good that Rachel sometimes has him do hers.
