I think I’m still trying to get past some of that myself to some extent… I was into alternate universe stuff when I was like 14 or 15, and just randomly one day I thought of the universe where I was a girl and I came to the conclusion that I would be happier and more attractive in that universe… unfortunately I hadn’t had any exposure to trans people outside of the mockery present in pop culture, so I forgot about it and a few years later started accepting trans people (except I was always confused by trans men for some reason…). Then at the start of this year, after already questioning my gender for about another year, I remembered that conclusion…

It gets fun when the side thought is longer than the original and starts getting side thoughts of its own. The context needs more context or nobody will get it.