there's no right or wrong when it comes to gender hcs for characters whose genders don't influence their writing so transmasc blade is just as real as anything else and i’m still glad to have more people see my vision!! i don't talk about it a lot publicly for the same reasons i don't talk about kafblade as much as i want to but the idea of blade exploring gender through learning about and being a part of the experiences and expressions of those closest to her means a lot to me bc i’ve felt more secure in my own identity through having discussions and experiences with my trans and lesbian peers. firefly and blade's friendship in particular is so significant to me bc of their similarities and differences and i hc firefly's exploration of gender being something that's very important and personal to her in her journey to define herself so when i think about blade and their conversations about life and death i can see gender identity and expression being topics that come up as well. i also think her relationship with kafka, who i hc as nonbinary spectrum but aligned with femininity and comfortable with gendered words, would give her a space to explore gender and femininity safely too. and ofc gender doesn't exist in hsr in the same way it does irl so when i say “safely” i mean her mutual affection with kafka gives her room to navigate her own humanity despite the discomfort caused by how that contradicts her view of herself as a weapon. gender identity, experiences and expressions are a part of personhood so i think applying any concepts of identity to herself would be something that she simultaneously struggles with and finds some comfort in within the context of her personal healing from her unique trauma. i love her lots