HI!!

Yes he does! His transition stuff is actually a huge theme in the plot.

I give him top surgery scars usually, but I'm a little iffy on it occasionally. (I might make it more so a breast reduction than full on top surgery (#preservethemanboob) because it would be a lot easier for him to find a surgeon willing to agree to that.)

For lore on that — he saved up for a couple of years (Likely a mixture of college money/money from his job) and went out of state to get it done and that's actually part of the reason he's stuck in his state/town. The travel costs mixed with the surgery costs left him barely scraping by. (So even though Laura would happily let Lonnie live with her neither of them have the money to make that happen.)

As far as hormones go he's on testosterone… less than legally. ⚠️‼️ Warning for drugs and abusive relationships from here on out.

You know how he smokes weed?

Yeah…

He has a dealer that gets him both that and the hormones. It's an old friend from high school (People which he has mostly cut off) and their relationship is quite a “begrudging” one to say the least. The friend (Walter) is a real piece of work and sort of a parallel of some of Robert's worst traits. (Ex. He forced Lonnie to do coke before to “show that he won't snitch”.)

You could sort of argue that Lonnie sort of suffers from BWS and craves similar negative traits. (And who knows, maybe I will delve into that) But the difference is that Robert isn't as static as Walter and is willing to improve while Walter just gets… worse

I don't put all this in his story just to make him suffer, (as much as I joke about that kind of thing) forced drug use is far too common.

I also think that Robert's interest in pharmaceutical things may possibly lead him to being able to make a sort of Home-Brewed Testosterone which cuts out the need for the guy almost completely. (Though Robert isn't aware he exists until Walter cuts Lonnie off, again, lore.)

This is an element of his story I've been dying to talk about for awhile, since it affects… so much

Also your question didn't ask this, but an important point to mention is that he is still legally recognized as female. Whenever he goes to the DMV he fills with dread as he gets more and more masculine.

He avoids doctors as much and considers himself quite lucky as he hasn't gotten some sort of major injury as an adult, he also feels lucky that his job pays people in a less than formal way because they aren't clued in to his transness in the slightest.

I hope that helps clear things up LOL. I was hesitant on making him trans at first, but then realized I would have a very interesting story to tell if I made him trans… and I'm so glad I did 🏳️‍⚧️

another question?! CALL ME THE LUCKIEST GUY ON EARTH!!!!

i could rant about them for days… their dating life is actually more conventional than you would expect! (in some regards at least) though i would still say it is “untraditional”

sort of a full rundown of the timeline — after their first encounter would meet up and kiss and touch (but sort of in that brokeback mountain way where they do the gayest shit and pretend they didn't afterwards) eventually robert works up the courage to ask something personal about lonnie… though it's quite dumb and not a good conversation starter. (which, in irony works in his favor.) lonnie breaks out into a fit of laughter because of how bad robbie's social skills are. and then they just… talk, and they both realize that they like hearing each other talk like… a lot.

so next time they meet, instead of kissing or doing anything physical at all they sit on a park bench and just watch the stars. and on this bench they sit with distance between one another and simply talk. that distance brings them closer. their relationship thus far has been founded on them sort of dehumanizing one another. it's a lot harder to fall in love if you both keep your stories vague and reduce your exchanges to niceties or sexuality. and neither of them wanted to fall in love with the other.

i've said it so many times now, but being gay in rural 1980s idaho is hard. sure they had interest in one another and they found each other attractive, but letting that seriously develop? that is a dangerous game.

for robert, it comes down to issues with his sexuality and self acceptance. he’s never been interested in anyone, too buried in his work… but then he realizes he is only interested in men and he feels betrayed by his own sexuality almost. he was never interested in anyone and now he realizes that he is but it's only men…? what kind of sick joke is the world playing on him.

i've definitely toyed around with the idea of him being in a relationship with a woman and feeling absolutely nothing and he just thinks thats how things are supposed to be. i mean there's a reason lonnie's existence genuinely pisses him off at first, he feels like lonnie was sent by the government (or whoever) to out him as gay and it does take him a bit to get past that initial stage and even get into kissing… let alone love.

for lonnie however it's more from a place of reflection. he damn well knows he's into men but he's also aware of what can happen to people like that, so he tries his best to avoid seriously falling in love. he's fine with getting caught up in escapades, but love is a different story.

plus, despite him being sexually fluid it's not like lonnie can just “settle” down with a girl (and his coworkers trying to pressure him into this is a big strain for him.) he's trans after all! any romantic relationship he has comes with a risk of being killed, so he avoids them.

in someway being in a homosexual relationship is less risky for lonnie than being in a heterosexual one. when he feels affection for a man and he reciprocates, they both already have inherit queerness. but if he likes a woman and she reciprocates he really can't be sure of her views on such things, if she found out would she turn violent? would she tell? he doesn't know, truly.

but despite all this fear and pain lonnie is quite the romantical person, so when he feels that love has found him… well he acts like an over excited puppy dog!

which brings up back to the main point of their dating life, after their initial stargazing “date” (neither of them called it that!) in the park. lonnie asks him on a date proper this time. he knows it's risky, and he tells robert as much but he also says that he doesn't care if people get funny and suspect, he wants to be able to feel some sense of romance with him, even if they can't be overtly flirty or touchy he thinks that they deserve a chance to get to know each other better.

robert is kind of baffled at how wise lonnie and very graciously accepts the date and then things go on from there. they fall in love hard and fast. eventually robert eventually admits his interest in experimenting on lonnie (though he very clearly is self hating for it) and now lonnie is the one accepting graciously. the scientific / medical experimentation (or malpractice, depending on how you see it) becomes apart of their dating life as well. (i told you they were more normal than you'd expect, but that doesn't mean they are normal).

in the midst of all this, i don't think they ever officially say they were going to move in with each other but they definitely do. lonnie slowly brings over more and more of his things and before either of them know it they're falling asleep in each others arms every night.

in general, they refuse explanation of their relationship. weinling never says they're boyfriends or claims their relationship as exclusive because they don't need it to know that they mean the world to each other.

if you have questions about their relationship in other timelines (even the fan au ones) i am absolutely willing to answer, just ask separately because i have already said… a lot.

NOBODY HAS ASKED THIS!!! 😄 YAY. alright, so!

robert's favorite food is butter chicken and plain rice. (he can handle a bit of seasoning but i think fried rice would kill him.) the reason it's his fav is bc his mom used to take him to indian restaurants when he was a kid so he nostalgia for it but also the dish is a nice balance between complex and simple tastes which appeases what he values in food.

lonnie's favorite food is peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream!!! they have to be paired together ❤️

similar to robert he feels very nostalgic over this food. his mom used to make it and despite being happier being… himself he still feels a sense of longing for the nuclear family structure. also it just tastes really good.

evil question (i have thought of this myself)
definitely a “if you die i die” situation. i think when they eventually did pass he would probably cry at work :( i dont think anyone would bother him either, he has permanent RBF syndrome, so for something to make him cry… well it had to important to him, and he’s not very sociable to begin with… so most would assume that it’d be best to just let him deal with his emotions at his desk.

i do think some of his coworkers (mainly interns) really respect his work, and wouldn’t bother him but they would definitely do little things for him to show they care (get him gifts, do his paperwork for him, etc etc.)