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Taylor's carefully constructed life at MIT shatters when past meets present, leading to revelations that change everything he thought he knew.

The cruelest thing about finding yourself is realizing you might lose everyone who loved the person you were pretending to be.

EDIT: I changed the art on the last panel. I didn't like how the first try turned out!

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Diana Green

Damn, what a chapter! Lots of character development, massive progress in terms of Taylor's actualisation. And I feel really bad for Alicia :'( — let's hope that gets cleared up soon.

Gemma

What the…?! I never, in my wildest imagination would have foreseen this twist. Yet, once Abigail revealed herself it all makes sense. Abigail is amazing, a dream come through as a thoughtful guide, protector, nurturer and the unforeseen heroine of this story. Only Abigail, being who she is, could invite and ask Taylor to more openly explore possibilities around gender outside the rigid parameters he/ she had been locked into around personhood and identity. Another cliff hanger, I won’t even dare to predict where this next episode will go. Fantastic work Emory. P.S. I feel sorry for Alicia who became collateral damage in the fall out within this episode. Hopefully Taylor will also reach out and attend to her in the next episode.

Crewchick

OMG - WOW!!!!!!!! Holy Crap!!!!! The world did not just turn upside down, it did a freakin' 540 to get there! And of course after this emotional roller coaster ride you leave us on the end of another life shaking cliff hanger! What a powerful episode. I know Taylor's first thought was Maya and setting that relationship right, or at least as right as it can be made at this point. But I felt awful for Alicia. She truly was Taylor's only friend in high school and did not deserve to be treated as she was. I know Taylor was panicked and shutting down, but running into Taylor was not her fault. I truly hope Taylor reaches out to her to apologize and explain, and hopefully reconnect as friends. If anyone can appreciate Taylor's situation I think it would be her. She saw how Taylor was treated. She saw the baggy hoodies and that there was something Taylor was trying to hide. And she likely had some idea of Taylor's economic situation with a widowed Mom the only family support trying to raise two children and send them both to college. I think she would not only understand the intellectual and economic motivations for Taylor to go to this extreme to attend MIT, but also appreciate that assuming this persona has allowed Taylor to finally feel seen and appreciated for the first time in his/her life. It would be a different friendship than that of Abigail, but one that might compliment and support that relationship.

Maggie Heels

THAT WAS HEAVY !!!!!!!!........ My only hope is that we're seeing the version of multiverse where at some point in time we'll see a happy gathering of very close friends - Taylor, Maya, Abigail and Alicia as well of course... ❣️❣️❣️❣️

Kris Greg

Tough episode, but it's important for Taylor's growth. This sort of thing had to happen sooner or later. I look forward to seeing how things unfold.

Sam May

I seriously cant believe how good this story is

Omagathief

Wow poor Taylor, talk about the house of cards they had built coming crashing down in the most dramatic way possible 🫣

Jade Diaz

So wait, you’re just boldly, nakedly asserting that other trans woman can force feminize smart cis boys with massive tits? Boys who have a pretty workable femme voice, are willing and able to wear makeup, and femme clothes? Just like it’s no big deal? Big, if true. Because I have been a fan of Abigail refusing to take no for answer from the beginning of Taylor’s MIT journey.

Eva Grimm

Taaaaylooooor! Sweetie, just admit to yourself that you can be happy as Taylor the Girl! Maya, please help hug some sense into this precious, cracking egg! Uuugh, the 20th can't come soon enough!

Emory Ahlberg

Thank you so much Diana! Poor Taylor's whole story is this massive paradox. The lie he's living is forcing him to be more honest and vulnerable than he's ever been. And that Alicia scene... god, it just gutted me to write. She's like the ghost of his past life showing up. She was the one person who was kind to the boy he used to be, and in that moment of panic, he just completely fails her. It's not malicious at all, it's just that he isn't equipped to merge those two realities yet. I feel so bad for her too.... she went away thinking she messed up.

Emory Ahlberg

Thank you, Gemma! You're so right about Abigail being the only one who could push him. That question she asks - "Do you want it to be true?" - is the whole point now. As for Alicia, my heart just breaks for her. She's absolutely collateral damage. She represents the one good, kind thing from Taylor's old life, a connection he never even knew how to appreciate until it was too late. Hopefully he reaches out...

Emory Ahlberg

Thank you so much, Diana! LOL "540" is a perfect way to describe it. Seriously, my heart just breaks for Alicia in that scene. It was so painful to write because she was the one person who was kind without wanting anything in return. In fact, it seemed like she maybe even was interested in him - and he just completely short-circuited. And, yeah, she's the only person who has the context for both Taylors. She saw the pain, the hiding, the reasons he'd be desperate enough to do something like this. She's the bridge between the boy he was and the person he's becoming. A friendship with her would be so different from his friendship with Abigail. The friendship with Abigail is about becoming, but I think a friendship with Alicia would be about healing. But for that to happen, Taylor has to be ready to face that past, and right now, he's terrified of it.

Emory Ahlberg

Thank you so much, Maggie! 💖 It was a heavy one to write, for sure. My heart was pounding the whole time. I love that you brought up the multiverse. That's Taylor's ultimate escape hatch, isn't it? The idea that somewhere out there is a version of this story that isn't so painful. That happy gathering you're hoping for is the "best timeline" ending.

Emory Ahlberg

Thank you, Kris! Yeah, that secret was a pressure cooker, and it was always going to explode. I knew from the beginning that Taylor's new world couldn't exist in a vacuum. It had to collide with their old one, and it had to be messy. Maybe this is the moment the real growth starts. Everything up to this point has been about building a very convincing, very fragile shell. But you can't grow inside a shell forever. It has to crack. 😉

Emory Ahlberg

Aw, thank you so much, Sam! 💖 I'm loving writing it for you.

Emory Ahlberg

Well-said, Omaga. Too bad that house of cards was the first home they'd ever felt safe in.

Emory Ahlberg

Haha, god, when you put it like that, my master plan is exposed! Of course poor Abigail genuinely believed she was saving a sister who's too scared to save herself. She's a bulldozer of a friend, and I love her for it.

Emory Ahlberg

Ugh, I know, right?! The tragedy for Taylor is that they've spent their entire life believing that logic is the only thing that's real. Feelings are messy, unreliable data. But now, this new life is giving them all this undeniable proof - happiness, connection, that kiss with Maya - and it completely contradicts their core thesis about themself. But so far every moment of joy feels stolen. The better it feels, the more fraudulent they feel. 😔

Claire

A couple of things… I didn’t think I could love Abigail more. I was wrong. Amazing young woman. I literally cried though this brief chapter. The same goes for Taylor. Just trying to figure out just who they are. Secondly, thank you for these stories. I found you through “Jack and Jill” and stay for stories like “Taylor Made” and “Anywhere but Boring”. I absolutely LOVE these stories. They resonate in ways I can’t describe. I can’t wait for more from Taylor and Abigail… and I can’t wait to see what else you come up with. Thank you.

SingularCurve

Ooo Twists and twists and twists and turns! Abigail is fucking amazing! Taylor needs to feel, and not be such a vulcan. Oh all the feels!

Samantha Louise

I do say that this radical honesty with Maya is in a way a form of self harm to blow up everything good in their life because they deserve it.

Lionel Rockman

You are a genuine writer and truly enjoy your stories. It takes me back to a time in Paris when I first came accross trans women & grew to love them.

Tato

Just when I thought I couldn't love Abigail more...

Emory Ahlberg

Wow, thank you, Claire! I'm so glad you see that in Abigail. She's such a fierce, protective friend, but that scene is where her armor cracks. It's messy and painful and comes from a place of absolute love. And Taylor... god, they're just a raw nerve right now. They've been running on pure logic and survival instinct, and now they're being forced to confront pure emotion. It's a whole new operating system, and it's full of bugs. Hearing that these stories resonate with you is honestly why I do this. I write about these messy, in-between spaces because that's where so many of us live. These are the stories I wish I'd had when I was trying to figure out my own place in the world. Knowing they're finding a home with you is just... everything. Thank you. 💖

Emory Ahlberg

Thank you, Singular! Abigail is the ultimate emotional catalyst. She's here to break Taylor's Vulcan logic with pure, chaotic feeling.

Emory Ahlberg

Absolutely correct, Samantha. It's a preemptive strike born from self-loathing. They're forcing the rejection they feel they deserve. 😔

Emory Ahlberg

Wow, thank you for sharing that beautiful memory. That's the love I'm writing toward. ☺️

Lionel Rockman

Yes, the way I became aware and grew to adore trans people is a story in itself. If we had a private chat somewhere, I could lay out the story in full for you. Then you would be able to write and illustrate a great tale of transformation.

SteveP

Wow. Just wow.