Fiction: Lydian Women (Omphale / mtf!Herakles)

Hello my lovelies,

first off, I am a cis woman writing a trans story, so if it doesn't work for you, I hope you can forgive me. I did my best but I want to be clear about this not being an "own story" situation. Personally, I firmly believe that the empathy that is created by writing characters different from myself far outweigh the cringe it sometimes produces but you may disagree and that's OK. My goal is to tell a story of trans joy and, hopefully, a relatable male-to-female trans Herakles. Transitioning in ancient times is limited (unless you involve a god), without hormone replacement therapy and plastic surgery available. But not all trans people can or want to go this route, so it's not like medical intervention is needed to transition. Trans people have always existed and I'm certain they found ways to live joyfully, even if they didn't have the same options modern trans folks have.

This story was chosen from four different trans stories based on Greek mythology. In the original mythology, Herakles is forced to wear female clothes and do female work as a slave which is supposed to be funny because a manly man like Herakles wearing women's clothes? An evergreen of comedy AmIRite? I was inspired by stories of trans women going through a hypermasculine phase before discovering that they are trans, so a lot of them join the military or sports or other activities that are considered masculine. Herakles is considered the manliest man who ever manned this earth, with "lovers beyond counting" and superhuman strength. In modern adaptations, his male lovers never show up because modern masculinity is threatend by sex with other men, not boosted like it was in ancient Greece. So what if this manly man is in denial about being trans?

If you're not a member already, you can start a free trial during Pride Month or buy this story as an eBook here. All proceeds will be donated to The Good Law Project to fight against the Supreme Court's recent anti trans ruling in the UK.

The illustration for this story was created by Topher, who is well-known among my readers for creating the Hades Game Stripper AU Club Olympus. Find the illustrated version here ❤