I got a comment on a fic that is less than a year old and it was mostly an apology for being a comment on an "old fic" and how late they were in commenting.

Fandom is not trends.

Fandom is a cross between a library and having a slumber party with your friends.

example: on multiple occasions i've written characters who are almost certainly trans, but don't know it - either because their circumstances don't leave much space for introspection, or because they have no idea what being trans is (and even if they did, they wouldn't think to apply the concept to themselves). a trans reader might be able to pick up on the signs, but a cis reader wouldn't unless i pulled a Word of God.

other example: i've also written non-POV characters who are trans and stealth, and the topic simply doesn't come up - either because the protagonist doesn't realise, or because they don't care enough to mention it. again, the only way i can communicate that to an audience is by dropping hints, and again, the vast majority of cis people aren't going to pick up on that.

i don't know. i guess i feel mildly perturbed by the fact that if i want to have Subtly Trans characters, my only real options are:

describe a character's voice/appearance in such a way that makes it obvious they're trans (always feels a little bit slimy to me, although i'm sure there's a tasteful way to do it)

stage a tedious and out-of-character self-discovery arc where a kindly queer mentor explains the concept of pronouns

(if they're stealth): have them be publicly outed