Fics like The Matter of the Crystal Barrette

“There,” she says, snapping the barrette shut with a muffled click. She looks you over and nods approvingly. “See? I think it looks nice.” You shoot her a dubious look, so she pulls a handheld mirror out of her pocket and shows you. Looking down at it, you find your own image strangely unrecognizable for the briefest of moments. It should look like you: there’s your clay-brown skin and the scar on your cheek, your brown eyes, your shock of white hair that always got you in trouble back in school. But the way Zia has pulled your hair back with the barrette transforms the way your face is framed. It makes your cheekbones and even your jaw look softer, makes your eyes look wider and brighter. Your heart thumps in your chest, like something’s got you worked up. Then Zia says “See?” again, and you blink, and a light goes out of your eyes as you take another look at yourself. You realize that you’re just a guy with your hair pulled back by a girly barrette. (Or: Everyone on the Bastion is trans--the kid just hasn't realized it yet.)

Fics like The Matter of the Crystal Barrette

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