brockton bay, meet glam

[mxglam]

It's the anniversary. Glam would very much not like to celebrate.

It’s their last day on Winslow High - they’re being transferred to Arcadia on Monday - and also their last day without a patrol schedule assigned.

And the PRT released a small announcement on its website about Glam joining the Wards. Now their wiki page doesn’t get erased, of course - they’re no longer speculative. They wonder what it’s got on them.

Comments

[alicornucopia]

Glam is an ex-rogue Ward aged approximately seventeen. She is a shaker/blaster/mover, numerical ratings presently unassigned, and wears a white costume with a mask that rearranges itself to match her facial expressions. She's credited with a couple of moderately sized hits to Leviathan in Acapulco.

[mxglam]

She.

That was a bit more upsetting than they'd expected it to be.

They open a new tab and check the Brockton Bay subforum on Parahumans Online.

[alicornucopia]

They're talking about all the usual things: who would win in a fight? Beneficence is hawt. Somebody spotted Echo on patrol the other day. It's so sad Antares died, I had him on my favorite shirt, my sister had a crush on him. So there's this new Ward, she seems sort of neat. She? There was a news article about her a few weeks ago which said "he". Well, the press release says she. Maybe it was a typo. Maybe the article was a typo. Maybe your face is a typo.

[mxglam]

Wince. Very wince. They ponder saying something. Yates would be pissed if they started something there, though, and they're certain she keeps an eye on stuff like this.

...what if it was a dummy account?

A dummy account posts: Maybe they're neither.

[alicornucopia]

Nah Glam is a girl she's too hot to be a dude

wtf is "neither" supposed to mean like do you think they're one of lorica's robots or something that would actually be cool

This is a real thing. My friend's um sibling says so anyway? But I don't know if a typo in the paper is reason to actually think it?

representationnnnn

maybe shes just transexual and the paper was deadgendering her

[mxglam]

...

A new Glam appears.

With a laptop of their own.

Original Glam may not be able to use a conjured laptop (grumble grumble squinting rule grumble), but copy can do it. Copy uses their original account, which is technically not linked to their cape name and they don't want it to be.

Copy: How can you even tell they're hot? You can barely see them with that costume.

Original: neither as in, genderqueer. it'd make sense, with the costume

[alicornucopia]

Guys the press release says Glam's a girl how insensitive do you have to be to turn a typo in a stupid newspaper article into questioning her femininity. I mean what if she IS trans what if she reads this

It's the voice I heard her talking once she's totally a girl with like a phone sex voice

The costume is gender neutral, which means she could be anything, which means it makes most sense to go with what she officially told us

[mxglam]

...

.........

............................

Copy: Phone sex voice? Glam's seventeen for Scion's sake.

..............................................

Original twitches a bit.

[alicornucopia]

A moderator swoops in to agree: no creeping on Wards. The offending post is deleted.

[mxglam]

Original creates a new account: mxglam.

Original posts: Actually they're right.

[alicornucopia]

Who's right?

the protectorate press people obviously I don't think they could exactly mix this up!

Loricas_Bot has sent you a PM.

[mxglam]

They open the PM.

[alicornucopia]

Yates watches the boards, the bot says.

[mxglam]

Uggghhhhhh.

Ugh ugh ugh ugh.

"This isn't new information," copy points out when original reads the PM out loud. "We were considering it quite likely before."

"I know, but-" They gesture helplessly at the computer.

Copy sighs.

"Besides mxglam is not confirmed as a cape name. I could just be a troll."

"Whose IP can be tracked to the PHQ."

"Ugh!"

They look at new posts on the thread.

[alicornucopia]

is MX initials or something a cape wouldn't do that

New Wave would!

off topic, this thread isnt abou tthem

It's unconfirmed account it's just some rando hey mods over here

[mxglam]

...

Original posts on the dummy account: mx is the gender neutral version of mr and ms actually

[alicornucopia]

how the fuck do you pronounce htat

Now you're just making things up

you guys I'm really worried that glam is trans or something and will be really hurt when she sees this thread! she doesn't have to go around in pink or pick a really girly name to be a real girl!

[mxglam]

Are they damned? Will Yates burn them alive?

Original on mxglam account PMs Loricas_Bot back: this is more upsetting than I'd expected it to be

Copy, on the dummy account: but if they're in fact nonbinary they might be upset by being called 'she' by official media and the Protectorate

[alicornucopia]

Bot: Do you want me to send you Lorica?

Forum thread:

okay but the Protectorate has actually talked to her about it and we haven't!

I think Glam is actually male and pretending to the Protectorate as well as the rest of the world to be female in order to co-opt female privilege within the organization.

Oh my god stop making every thread about that.

Hey somebody call Loricas_Bot over. LORICAS_BOT LORICAS_BOT LORICAS_BOT

PM from bot: What do you want me to do?

[mxglam]

New Glam appears.

Original Glam goes to bed and curls up into a ball. "The fact that you two don't have qualia must be really great."

The two copies look at original and shrug. "It's not really anything," says two.

"Right. Go on, then."

Two sends a reply to bot: I don't know. Glam's curled up into a ball and made me because I don't have qualia. And they don't want you to get in trouble over this. They're pretty sure Yates is going to eat their heart for breakfast tomorrow.

One keeps watching the thread.

[alicornucopia]

Loricas_Bot posts in the thread shortly after the PM. I only know what Glam's happened to say around me, it demurs.

Yeah and that would be??

you guys this is such a stupid conversation what's next boots is a chick and miracle max is miracle maxine and miss militia was a typo it's supposed to be mister???

*something* was a typo

your face is a typo

That was funny once.

[mxglam]

Original doesn't react much when copy one reads the new posts.

Copy two, to Bot: What should I do? I shouldn't have even looked, this was bound to be awful.

Copy one, on Glam's first account: Are there even any officially nonbinary heroes anywhere at all?

[alicornucopia]

You can still log off, the bot reminds them.

Thread:

why would there be, people can be weird on their own time

the amazing made up genderperson

genderbread!

what?

Like gingerbread but genderbread? Maybe it was funnier in my head.

It IS a real thing but it's like REALLY rare there probably just aren't any.

[mxglam]

There's me, copy two posts from mxglam.

Copy one and its laptop vanish. Copy two - just copy, now - watches the thread in its stead.

[alicornucopia]

come back when you're verified

She's new maybe she just hasn't gotten around to getting verified? How does that even work anyway?

If you think mxglam is for real why are you saying she?

Because I think singular they is a crime against grammar.