btw sometimes I think one of the surest signs of my gender transition is that now I find lesser women characters in stuff I'm watching far more interesting than any of the male leads. there's almost a sense of relief: "omg I don't _have_ to identify with this schmuck any more". Downside: getting pissed when it becomes plain that the designated audience-identification characters are dense as shit while the more interesting women characters languish in the shadows (rewatching "Kamen Rider Gaim" with @KaylinEvergreen was a lesson in that)
@kara_dreamer @KaylinEvergreen it's worse when they're obviously poorly written by men, because I end up yelling at the writers about why some character I'm now identifying with just does stupid stuff for men.