November 14th, 2017
And here I thought it was some bizarre style of male corset, but I was like eh, why would Quentin care about having an elegant hourglass figure? Turns out it has quite the opposite effect!
posted at 1:03pm on November 16th, 2017
Male corset would make sense, the Order is obviously very.... aesthetic. Quentin in particular doesn't seem to be, so the specific application would be weird, but it would also make sense for a guy who lets himself fall completely to pieces in every other area of life have *one* thing that he'll never let go of.
Ironically, I actually headcannoned Esra as trans a loong time ago. I can't remember my reasoning (or if I even had any), but it made so much sense at the time.
posted at 1:26pm on November 16th, 2017
You know, I can see how you headcannoned Esra as transgender; he's got that pointy chin and he's apparently short (seriously, I can't believe 5'7" is short for guys in America - my dad is 5'6" and that's pretty standard where I live!). But he's also got stubby fingers and small fingernails, which are uncommon in women. Quentin, on the other hand, has that awkward, lanky figure and slender hands (though my dad has hands like that...), and this totally explains why he doesn't have a Gandalf beard from lack of bodily maintenance, as his hair has otherwise just been allowed to go completely out of control.
But I always thought his face was quite masculine, I think it's the large chin or the long nose, and he's so damn tall! So it was a twist I totally wasn't expecting, however many signs suggested it.
posted at 4:18am on November 17th, 2017
Ditto on Quentin's masculine features. The beard thing is a good point, but some men just don't beard easily, and obviously he DOES put some effort into his personal appearance, or he wouldn't be wearing a binder... late at night... while highly stressed and in an uncomfortable position... and completely in private. Or at least, that's what I would assume - the only friend I know who binds her chest (not transgendered, just agendered) will only do so for short periods of time. I can barely stand wearing a stiff bra if I don't have to.
I disagree on Esra's hands, though. They are a little big for a woman's, but Quentin's are bigger and more prominent.
(Conversations this reveal has prompted:
Exact body proportions by sex
Hair growth and personal appearance
Cultural differences in undergarments)
posted at 2:26pm on November 17th, 2017
Somebody, I'm female but I used to wish I was male (I say 'used to' because I'm trying to change my mind, and I've mostly gotten over it at this point), and it's not so much about PHYSICAL comfort versus discomfort as it is just being happy with how you look. I'd do everything I could to flatten my chest so I could be psychologically comfortable while sitting in my room at home, but I'd stop when going out because I didn't want anyone to notice. Sometimes it'd get hard to breathe but I really didn't care; I stopped when I started to worry I'd permanently damage something. I don't have a binder, so my 'creative' solutions became terribly painful after an hour or so. It depends on how much you care - how much you can stand to know you look like a woman sitting at that desk when you don't believe you are.
Some people are also just less concerned with discomfort, though. I used to wear my bra to bed, too lazy to take it off. Some people think the suffering is worth it.
posted at 8:37am on November 18th, 2017
I hope I don’t sound rude here, but I feel as though I should point out something. The two of you kept referring to cisgender men and cisgender women as simply men and women, respectively. I find this a bit bothersome because it would seem to imply that transgender men are not men and transgender women are not women, which simply is NOT true.
Being a transgender person who identifies as non-binary, I have a problem with people talking in such a manner. Also, an agendered person would probably not like being referred to as her. Although, I realize that some non-binary people use male and/or female pronouns, so that may not be the case here.
Also, it is very dangerous to wear a makeshift binder for any length of time because it can do serious and permanent damage to the human body. Even whilst wearing a proper binder, one should NOT wear it for any extended period of time.
And I have just one more thing to say. This is only directed at you, The Wing: It sounds to me like maybe you might be transgender, either male or non-binary. Also, plenty of people wear binders in public. I realize you might be scared to wear one in public. It takes time to become comfortable with being your true self around others. If you’re still figuring out your gender identity, I would strongly recommend talking to a close friend about it. Or maybe even talking to other people on a web forum designed specifically for that purpose. That’s what I did.
I apologize if I overstepped here, but I felt as though I could not let it go unnoticed.
Now, back to talking about the webcomic. I too thought that Quentin was merely wearing a corset. Men and women have been wearing them for centuries, maybe even millennia. It’s good to have a transgender character in a webcomic. This way, the transgender community is well-represented too.
Other webcomics which feature at least one transgender character: Witchy, O Human Star, Questionable Content, & Monsterkind.
posted at 4:19am on November 21st, 2017
I'm sorry to have offended you, Jess.
posted at 8:51pm on November 21st, 2017
Jess: I'm sorry about the "Men" versus "transmen" and "cismen" thing! I didn't even notice I was doing that. Given that the context here was explicitly about trans versus cis anatomy and clothing, that was a bad word choice, obscured my intent, and was quite needlessly insensitive. I apologize.
With regards to my agendered friend, though: she's my best friend, and I continue to refer to her with feminine pronouns not out of laziness or disrespect but because that's simply what we refer to her by. :P The only alternative she's found any preference for is phraseology that avoids using pronouns at all (which is somewhat impractical in instances like this). She presents as female more often than not just out of social convention and unconcern.
The Wing: That comment on binders and bras does put things a bit more in perspective. Most of the ladies I know will absolutely not wear a bra if not wearing a bra is a viable option.
posted at 4:25am on November 22nd, 2017
No need to apologize. I realize now that it was unintentional. It’s just the heteronormative world in which we all live, I suppose.
posted at 3:34am on November 23rd, 2017
I assumed it was a kind of sleeveless t-shirt too.
The lines along it kinda look like folds from a loose garment if you're not paying attention
(lots of people overlooked Xira loosing a finger, so I think subtlety in comics is really hard to balance)
posted at 2:43pm on November 16th, 2017
Yeah, I had to go back to both of those pages, once I read what I had missed. I was thinking, “How did I miss that?” I’m usually rather observant. For example, I can sometimes decipher what Jonan is trying to say when his mouth is magically sealed. This is because the words are there, but are merely scribbled to indicate that he’s mumbling.
posted at 3:39am on November 23rd, 2017
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posted at 6:42pm on January 12th, 2021
Comment by Somebody
That was a binder? I honestly just assumed it was a typical undergarment in-world. It seemed perfectly reasonable for him to be wearing an undershirt under his fancy uniform, especially since I don't think we've seen anybody shirtless except the obvious outlier, Sev. Who knows what these people layer under their clothes.
That's a cool detail, though! Except that I had been imagining him with an abnormally deep bass voice, which now seems unlikely. *Le Sigh*
(....I haven't commented in a while but I really love where this has been going and I'm really glad we got to see more of the Order and I'm excited and thanks so much for writing all of this <3 <3 <3 <3)
posted at 10:52pm on November 15th, 2017