When I was growing up I sooo had this! It was a universe that had every character I liked from books, shows, movies, comics, etc. It lasted for well over a decade, but it became super draining on my mind as I got older since I couldn’t turn it off… And, most likely autism driven, I would often verbalize the sounds and actions playing in my mind. It took a lot of mental effort to finally end the story!
I use patches alongside spiro and progesterone. I can’t recommend patches enough! Injections give me crazy dysphoria, so I turned that option down immediately.
The only one I can guarantee is full-on actual yuri involving two girls exploring their feelings is Whisper Me a Love Song. I haven’t watched two of them, and the others ones I have watched might have super cute girl moments and some flirting, but I would not say they are yuri. I still think they are all worth watching, buuut just setting the right expectations.
I do understand your stance on this; the first rule does say women only… is it exclusive, oh definitely, but there are so many other communities that can support the same topics that are open to everyone. I think if the admins/mods of that community would like a space for women to talk to other women, we should just let them do their thing 🩷 I don’t think they are saying only women can like those things, but sometimes girls just want to have their own space (I’m one of those girls). Buut it’s a super new community, and they may rethink and adjust their rules!
That might be the case! It’s been super affordable for me vs the convenience of it all… and I’m currently unemployed and without insurance. I have too much dysphoria and trauma associated with pinning, so injections are a no-go for me. The patches that I am prescribed are just magic 🪄 They also have great discounts for labs, and goodrx super helps with the hrt costs.
I go through a service called Folx Health. They have been absolutely AMAZING for me. I would highly suggest anyone in the US to look into them. I had one video appointment, and that same day was picking up my HRT. Outside of labs once or twice a year, you’re only required to meet with them again annually for another video appointment. You can definitely setup more appointments and even use them for general care/pcp things - I just had one to get tretinoin prescribed to me. You can use insurance or not; I’m currently uninsured and paying out of pocket, and they have super reasonable prices. They can also provide lists and resources for different doctors if you choose to undergo any surgeries.
My body has always had trouble keeping on fat, and I was actually excited at the idea that my metabolism might change and help me gain some. I honestly haven’t noticed it slow down, BUT I can say that my breast growth definitely has not been impacted by this. I’ll also add that my eating habits are…less than ideal. I have a small breakfast around 11am and then a dinner of varying size in the evening (and usually some ice cream). I do try to get myself to snack and eat an additional meal, but it rarely happens as much as I’d like. Soooo, purely based on my experience, you should be okay 🩷 Just make sure to take a good multivitamin if you don’t have a super balanced diet!
Ahhh! I had a similar shift in mentality! Breast growth was probably the lowest thing on my list of desired changes. As my body, emotions, and mind started changing, my concerns/apprehension completely melted away. When they started to grow, it all just felt right and so normal. I think it also helped that I had a fairy built chest pre-transition, so as the muscle started to shrink and the fat started to redistribute, it wasn’t super noticeable or jarring. Now I’m in a headspace where I’m just excited to see how they change; if they get bigger, I’d love that, and if they don’t- that’ll make buying the clothes I like easier 🤭
This would be amazing! I’m an audiophile, and my best equipment is all connected to my PC. I’ve kind of avoided the voice apps for phones because I’d rather use my normal mic and audio chain. As for OS - Windows. All this said, there’s a variety of software that can chart frequency, pitch, etc from an input (mic in this case), BUT I’d love dedicated software for voice training and will be following along with your development 🩷
Late 20s to early 30s. It was during lockdowns when I wasn’t interacting with irl society much - work was all remote, and all my interactions were online. I quickly realized that when I removed the pressure of having to conform to what I thought was expected of me, I was actually a completely different person. I started interacting with more queer people, especially trans individuals, and realized that there were a lot of parallels with how they felt about gender and all the other constructs of society which never really made sense to me. Honestly, I meant sooo many when I started FFXIV.
The idea that I could decide how I wanted to identify and be perceived by people never really occurred to me.
I had always disliked a lot of aspects about myself and tried to be as much of a ghost as possible. It rarely felt like I was living for me. As I slowly started to explore the things I truly liked - cute things, pink things, and soft things - I noticed my views of life started to brighten. I felt more excited about the things I was surrounding myself with, and I noticed people were interacting with me in a friendlier and warmer way. As I started to shine brighter, people around me started to shine brighter, too!
All that said - why didn’t I just lean into identifying as NB or just fully ignore gender as a whole? I did initially, but about those things which I didn’t like about myself - so many happened to be T driven. Thick body and facial hair- no thank you, thick/rough/acne prone skin- please go, body composition- wasn’t really liking how it fit in the dresses/skirts I wanted to wear, overall mindset and emotions (this changed a lot), etc. Obviously, all these things have taken time and additional effort, but it all feels so fulfilling.
I was initially worried about how people in my life would react/treat me, but I decided to start always putting my own feelings and desires first… no one else was going to. I will acknowledge that it’s bit easier for me to do that- my circle is incredibly small, I’ve been single for 5-6 years, I was working remotely, and I kind of rarely leave my home.
My question to people - if you had an irl character creator, how would you design yourself? How would you choose to move in the world if there were no expectations?
Yesss! Enjoy!! The effects on skin were one of the big aspects of hrt that I was super looking forward to! It was so frustrating having a dedicated skincare routine and constantly fighting all the issues that testosterone creates. One of my favorite things at the end of the day is just petting myself 🤭
I attended an oddities and curiosities expo with some friends a few weeks ago. I dressed up as ‘alt’ as I could in my pink and purple Liz Lisa and DearMyLove clothes. OMG, the other women who were at the expo just slaying in their all black goth/scene/alt outfits just had me melting 😭 Every time we had girl moments complimenting each other’s fits, I was a mess 🫠 Like ahhh, the hair, makeup, the everything just ended me!!
No experiences with stage fright after starting HRT (mainly because I haven’t been on stage for anything 🤭), but there are a variety of other feelings and experiences that are different!
There’s a lot of physical changes, but these are the more mental/unexpected ones for me:
• Just happier and more positive; life feels brighter
• Less physical anxiety symptoms overall (think there’s a lot of reasons for this)
• My cannabis tolerance reset in the first month (super did not expect that)
• Libido/desire is absolutely gone (I’m hoping it’s more that I haven’t been in a situation that ignites that within me… because I miss those feelings)
• There’s a general edge that is no longer there (it’s like there used to be this weight that was always present that I wasn’t aware of - hard to describe!)
• I’ve always connected to people more emotionally, but now it’s waaay more important - drifted apart from some friends who are more closed off in that regard
There’s more, but it’s late, and my brain is melty 🫠
Omg sooo true. I clear my calendar for an entire week after each session. The healing process is just ughhhh!!
I think these types of feelings tend to come from a bunch of different places for everyone, and it takes each of us different amounts of time and effort to push through them. It’s all super overwhelming, especially starting, and sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint what’s fear, anxiety, embarrassment, or some mental construct that society has programmed into us. It’s all new, and sometimes learning and the fear of not being good at something will manifest as different negative emotions (thanks education system).
When you can, try to focus on every small victory! It’s silly, but honestly, it is often one step at a time! Shaving different parts of your body and enjoying how smooth your skin is, starting your skincare routine/ritual, researching a new fashion aesthetic and buying your first pieces of clothing, or to make it easier - wearing colors which you may have avoided before, styling your hair differently, getting your nails painted, etc. Each little thing will feel like a huge mountain, but like anything, as you do them more, they’ll start to feel more natural 🩷 You will stumble, but just do your best to be patient with yourself! Clothing might not fit or look quite right, that cute hairstyle might not fit your face quite yet, your hands will be a bit clumsy with that make-up brush - all these things are sooo normal, but we’re just so used to only being exposed to the curated, 100th take, years of experience, perfect versions of others through social media.
Something that helped me was expanding my circle a bit and being present in queer spaces - physically or digitally. My ideas of gender completely crumbled as I started interacting with gender diverse people and people on their own journey exploring their gender identity. This will also help you find events or friends that will offer a safe space for you to build confidence outside of your home!
Every one of my previous relationships 😭 I just love making my partners feel happy and comfortable, but I’d love an experience that doesn’t leave me feeling greedy not being the lead 🥹
I’ve loved the decreased heart rate and running cooler overall, but ugh, my metabolism has not changed at all! Like, I’m happy I can keep enjoying food, but I’d love to be a bit more soft and fluffy 🐇 my skin though, omg it’s just amazingly soft now!!
Just to add more options to this image- I’ve also enjoyed The Moon on a Rainy Night, A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow, Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon, Whisper Me a Love Song, and currently reading through I Can’t Say No to the Lonely Girl and How Do We Relationship. Also kind of liked Handsome Girl and Sheltered Girl (the premise is not really it for me, but I did like it for the most part)
Personally, my desire pretty much disappeared… sometimes it super bothers me, especially since I know things need to stay engaged down there if I ever opt for certain surgeries. It’s not bothersome enough that I’ve seriously brought it up with my doctor, but I did ask to be prescribed progesterone to help as I’ve seen many anecdotes about it increasing sex drive and desire…zero change so far. I’d say it’s pretty nice for the most part as there’s this edge which is no longer there, buuuut I do sometimes miss actually feeling that type of desire. I have read that it just randomly returns eventually, so just doing my best to enjoy whatever this is for now 🤭
I’ve had amazing success with the tucking panties from tcomfifits. I just can’t do the tape method, and these always hold everything in place when I’m out! I’ll wear them the entire day and rarely feel any discomfort. My only wish is that they had a few more styles, buuut I received an email from them recently that made it seem like they might be expanding their options!