[kimquatz]

here's a funny conversation topic i had a with a friend: if you're over the age of 25, when's the last time you really *ran* in a panic (like you were late, chasing after something, etc. things like a marathon don't count!) and what was it for?

[millenniumitem]

if you're over 25 what was the reason for the last time you were running in a panic

to catch the bus/train/other transit

running AWAY from something

something else

i dont run ever you cant make me

Voting ended onMar 26

[nothorses]

TransTape: A Guide

I've gotten a lot of asks about TransTape, and noticed a lot of gaps in knowledge. I've been binding with it for over a year now, and I thought a little guide might be helpful!

What is TransTape?

TransTape is an alternative to using a compression binder (like gc2b sells) that does not use compression; instead, a body-safe cloth tape is used to pull your chest underneath your armpits and stick them there against your skin.

Taken from the TransTape Instagram [IMAGES: Three shirtless people with rectangles of transtape pulling their chests flat and under their armpits, so they look more like pecs than breasts. /END]

TransTape was developed by trans people, for binding, from kinetic tape- which is used to treat physical injuries and disabilities in athletics. Though kinetic tape isn't proven to actually improve these problems, it is tested and safe to wear the way TransTape is worn.

Kinetic tape can be used as a cheaper alternative to TransTape, it just doesn't come in the sizes and nude colors generally preferable for binding.

Is It Safe?

Because TransTape doesn't use compression, it doesn't have an impact on your ribcage, lungs, or other internal organs like a compression binder does. It only interacts with your skin, which means short-term and long-term use will only impact your skin.

To the best of available knowledge, TransTape is safe as long as you apply it and remove it correctly. It can be worn while sleeping, exercising, showering/getting wet, and doing all of your other normal activities.

How long you can wear an application of TransTape depends on your lifestyle; the company recommends 3-5 days, with breaks of 1-2 days between applications.

Is It For Me?

Whether TransTape works for you depends on a lot of different factors, but the biggest deciding factor will likely be body type. Like any type of binding, larger chests are harder to flatten/masculinize, and the density of your chest can play a role as well. Skin sensitivity may also be a factor.

My recommendation is to try one roll, start with a test strip to check skin sensitivity, and give it at least 2 or 3 applications to check compatibility. You can check out TransTape's Instagram for some examples of different body types and the different ways people apply it.

The Brand

TransTape itself is expensive, and they've made some weird choices about things like essential oils. That said, they have the best guides and the most information on safe, correct use of binding tape.

You do not need to buy their products. The healing salve and removal oil in particular are more expensive than necessary. I recommend using lip balm in your nipple covers, baby oil for removal, and regular body lotion after removal instead of their products.

Application

TransTape has made a very detailed and comprehensive guide to safe application, which I recommend following.

Every body is different, and the method of application that works best for you may be different from what works best for other people. Experiment! It'll take a few tries to figure out what works for you; I took eight months to fine-tune my method.

Here's how I bind:

[IMAGE: A drawing of a torso with three strips of transtape: #1 is 3 sections long, starts 2 inches from the center of the chest, and the bottom edge of the tape runs over the bottom of the breast. #2 is 3 sections long, and overlapped on top of #1 where the nipple is. #3 is 3.5 sections long, placed directly over the middle of #1 and #2, and has one inch in front of and behind the ends of #1 and #2. The text says "Apply nipple covers, then strip 1, 2, then 3. Ensure ends of strip 3 both "anchor" on skin. /END]

I use a lot more tape than their method does, but this is easiest and flattest for me! It might be a good start for beginners.

Safety Tips

To ensure application is safe, remember to:

Apply nipple covers. Use 1/2 of a section of tape, with a square of toilet paper folded into thirds each way in the middle. Lip balm on your nipples and the toiler paper will keep your nipples hydrated.

Use a 1-2 inch "anchor" on both ends of the tape; this area of the tape should not be stretched. This prevents your skin from itching or getting shallow, surface-level abrasions while wearing.

Remove tape ASAP if you experience any amount of bleeding or pain. Itching is normal, especially with your first few applications, but shouldn't continue for more than a day or two of wear.

Never apply over wounds/scabs/abrasions. Scars are fine, but make sure your skin is healed before application.

Safe Removal

TransTape's how-to guide includes a section on safe application, which I recommend deferring to. Some basics:

Never remove tape dry. Always soak your tape thoroughly with oil before removal; removal oil and baby oil are preferable, and coconut oil is also safe, but will leave adhesive residue.

Rub tape off, don't peel. If you rub at the ends/edges of the tape while it's oiled, it'll start to come off on its own in about 2-5 minutes. This is the best way to ensure you don't damage your skin.

Removal should never hurt. Slow down if you're feeling more than, at most, a light sting here and there. It's okay if you get some redness or shallow abrasions, but you should go more slowly next time.

Let your skin rest! Give your skin a day or two of rest between wears, if possible. I usually wear a compression binder on those days, and the drastically reduced use of compression binders means I'm still avoiding the long-term risks they can come with.

Lotion & TLC: use lots of lotion on your chest between wears, and otherwise treat your skin nicely!

Removal is where the most damage to your skin can occur, so it's important that you follow safety instructions.

Managing Expectations

There is a learning curve with TransTape, and it takes a while to get the hang of it. A lot of people try it once and give up, but it will get easier and more effective with more attempts.

Here's some things to keep in mind:

Your first attempt will suck. Mine looked like I was just wearing a bra, and I felt incredibly dysphoric about it. The second attempt was a little better, and the third attempt was much better.

It takes a long time to get the hang of it. Like, months. You'll keep figuring out better methods and getting flatter over time.

You skin isn't used to this. Part of getting flatter is your skin learning to stretch a bit more over time.

Tightness. Your skin will feel tight in the center of your chest with your first few applications; this is normal, and it won't tear there.

Itching. Your skin will itch under the tape; I got it really badly around the second day of wear. This eases up and eventually stops after a couple of months of consistent use, as your skin adjusts.

Stretching. Your skin will stretch near the center of your chest, and you may notice a slight change in texture. This is normal, should be very subtle, and should go back to normal if you stop wearing tape for a long enough time.

"Masculinization" vs. Flattening: TransTape can get folks flat, but more often it's about re-shaping your chest to be more "masculine"/look like pecs rather than breasts. It just depends on your body type!

TransTape isn't for everyone, but it can be a really great alternative for a lot of folks, too. It might be worth a shot! Just be safe, manage your expectations, and try to give it a few applications before you give up on it.

[forystr]

feeling things and drawing stuff

[s-kinnaly]

A collection of Kay Vess x ND-5 from Star Wars Outlaw~ I need moooore~ Got any inspiration ideas? :D

[lilialunaa]

plsplspls

(also👀everyone w the little mermaid parallels)

[fairyrona]

This is giving me major 'messed up timeline' vibes.

Remember that milven wasn't supposed to kiss at the Snowball?

Basically, this is the timeline where Marty ended up kissing his mom at the dance, whereas his his mom and dad were supposed to kiss instead. (Figuratively speaking of course. I wouldn't expect Will and Mike kissing at the Snowball of '83.)

Further along, this cracks me up a bit because of fandom lore. (All the familial parallels between Mike and Jane VS. milvens theorizing that Will is milven's son from the future LMAO.)

[snivy]

literally everything is unisex if u stop giving a fuck

[kyrianne]

When I worked at Target, it was during the winter, and this guy comes up to my register with a neutral-colored beanie with a fake fur pompom on top. All embarrassed and cringing, asking me if it was a woman’s hat and if it would be weird for him to get it.

I was like, “It’s just a hat. If you like it and you wear it, it’s not a woman’s hat, it’s just your hat. You don’t need to follow what the tag says if you don’t want to.” And it was like I gave him some kind of awe-inspiring wisdom he’d never considered, and he left with that hat on his head.

More cishets need to hear and internalize this message because so many of them are avoiding things that would make them happy just because of it having a label on it for whatever gender.

[doodlemancy]

hello fellow artists. google has fallen. pinterest/duckduckgo AI filters don't work. do not despair; here is a list i made of places to find reference images without having to sift through piles of worthless garbage. (for future editing convenience i am just linking my blog post on dreamwidth.)

✨ good places to find art reference that are not full of AI trash 🌈

[ryotouzukai]

Haven't seen anyone talking about it here, but vocal transfeminist and writer Tara Knight has been sent a threat from the fbi insisting that she stop speaking about "radical gender ideology" and get rid of the past 3 years of her work.

A black trans woman is getting personally threatened by the fbi for being a transfeminist. What the fuck. Hopefully this gets more reach than my usual posts so that people who are able to can support her.

[downwards--spiral]

Support Tara Knight

Support Tara Knight

putting this here as well

[animbillasblog]

They said byler part of the fandom is too loud and they had to shut down the noise. To write their story the way it supposed to be.

And now byler theory based on your shitty ending all over the news.

So. How's shutting down the noise going, assholes?

[talisidekick]

If you want to stand up for transgender Canadians, then there's a petition to ask the federal government to repeal the acts signed into law that restrict transgender medical care for transgender youth:

You need only be a resident of Canada, not a citizen to sign. Please help us give transgender youth a fighting chance. Their medical care decisions should be between the handling physician and family only. This isn't a matter for politicians to decide.

[quasi-normalcy]

hey, so I would he grateful if people living in Canada could sign this and if non-Canadians could signal boost, please.

[gehayi]

The petition will be closed for signatures on February 16, 2026.

[codotafterdark]

This needs to be boosted.

[advoir]

I’m a few years older than the Duffer brothers. Of course Stranger Things feels like home to me. But I love the characters most.

Will and Mike were my favorites from the beginning. I relate to Will in a bunch of ways. Quiet. Creative. Nerdy. Honest. Supportive. When very young, called “sensitive”—a plea, sometimes an accusation. Read as gay. Survivor of bullying and abuse. Feeling unseen. Convinced there must be something wrong with me.

Mike’s love for Will, platonic or not, was sweet and wholesome. I loved how Mike was so tender and protective. They both flourished in that dynamic. I’ve been lucky to have that a couple times in my life and it was wonderful.

The writers did Will and Mike dirty. Don’t get me wrong, I mostly loved the concluding season, despite all the pointless, even malicious, loose ends. I’m not loud, but I shouted and cheered when Will broke those Demogorgons. But how could they end Will and Mike’s stories like that?

I’m supposed to accept that Will was repeatedly abused his entire childhood, convinced by Vickie and Vecna to get over his lifelong love within a mere couple days, coerced into coming out, and the best future we can imagine for him is meeting someone at a bar? His friend—no way… best friend!—doesn’t see him sharing his art with the world? There’s no chance Will might illustrate Mike’s stories?

Like it or not, it’s no coincidence such a large number of us read Mike as repressed: it’s the most charitable explanation for his actions. Now I’m supposed to accept that Mike was a piece of shit to his best friend and girlfriend for no reason? Because it’s not like he learned anything, ever, in the entire series. Even after Hopper counseled him to respect Jane’s autonomy and accept her decision, he didn’t. He couldn’t even imagine telling her he loved her!

I’m worried about the wider implications. Mike: It’s OK to never grow as a person, but to spend the rest of your life reminiscing until you turn into a sentimental version of your emotionally deadbeat parent. Will: If you’re queer, it’s OK if your friend treats you badly sometimes for no reason. The best you can hope for is moving to a new city and finding new friends. Don’t even daydream about reciprocated love.

To say nothing of the implication that sometimes the only way a teenager (Jane/El) can end the cycle of abuse is by suicide.

But, just… how they wrote Will and Mike makes me deeply sad. It reminds me of beautiful friendships I’ve lost and my deep fear that, because of who I am, I may never find something like them again, or anything that lasts.

[yuriartillery]

nice mechanical watches are wasted on wealthy men. a billionaire who will wear it once every four years and leave it in a case the rest of the time doesnt deserve a marvel of engineering like that. *i* deserve a watch like that because i get sexually aroused by clockwork

[storm-of-feathers]

we don't credit rebecca sugar enough for making the episode with the first gay wedding in a kids show extremely plot relevant so it could not be skipped or cut.

[emeraldspiral]

#rebecca sugar has gone on record saying that they knew from the beginning they wanted ruby and sapphire and they put every inch of planning#in to make sure that the studio could not take them out. sugar has said they’d compromised on hundreds of things they’d wanted for steven#so that they had the bargaining power specifically to keep ruby and sapphire’s relationship#and a number of ‘filler’ episodes were created just to establish counter-arguments that might come up when they pitched the wedding episode#the one that comes to mind is the episode about steven and connie getting lost in rose’s room steven’s central conflict about liking their#fave book series’ romantic ending was later weaponised when producer’s were like ‘oh but steven’s a boy he won’t be too interested in them#getting married’ sugar was able to be like ‘no. in this episode it’s established he loves romance and specifically weddings. and in these#episodes it’s shown how much steven cares about ruby and sapphire and their relationship and happiness. you cannot convince me this is not#good and necessary plot development#and they wrapped it up in the season finale and the big climactic point of the diamonds finally coming to attack earth to make the#episode integral to the series no skipping it without confusion. and had ruby wear a wedding dress because international censors took#advantage of her design to give her a masculine va#and sugar made certain that everybody knew This was a queer love story that an entire town supported and admired and that any child watchin#it at home would know they are not alone and that that support is waiting for them out there somewhere#sugar sacrificed the wider story they wanted to tell for that and it was a horrible decision to be given but they made the right choice

[audii-the-starry-eyed-wise]

plot holes in stranger things

- Why was Will taken

- Why is the Upside Down stuck in Nov.6, 1983

- How was Will able to communicate to Joyce through the lights/phone

- Who opened the lock to the Byers house when Will went missing, cause demogorgans can't

- Where did Dr. Owens go

- Where did Suzie go, did she and Dustin break up

- What happened to the pregnant women in Hawkins Lab

- What was the stone Henry found in the cave

- Where was Patty

- Who was the guy with the stone that shot Henry

- Why did nobody talk about how Joyce knew Henry in highschool

- What happened to Terry Ives

- Why were they able to go into the Upside Down after everything was getting sucked unto the abyss

- What was that white melty stuff at Hawkins Lab

- Why did they put focus on the dial changing colours

- How come Vecna needed 12 kids

- How come the kids just woke up after the tubes were pulled out of their mouths, in s1 Will died and needed cpr

- What happened to the mindflayer dust that came out of the kids mouths when the tubes were removed, isnt that the same stuff that got Billy flayed cause it was left out in the open

- What happened to the demogorgans and demodogs once Vecna was defeated

- What happened in Wills visions that made him come out to everyone, literally went against show don't tell

- Why did they forget Wills birthday in s4 and why did Joyce say Will was 11 when he was taken (he was 12) is birthdaygate just forgotten

- Who was the traitor of the season that the cast was talking about

- Nancys s4 vision wasnt fulfilled, Her mum, dad, and sister were hurt but Mike was fine

- Why did they advertise the rubber chicken so much

- Why did they advertise the "For Will x" mixtape if it didn't exist

- Why is Max fine with Hopper being alive

- How did Hopper become chief of police again and be allowed back in society when he's meant to be dead

- What "dinner plans" was Finn alluding to

- Why is the school ok with Hellfire now when they still think its a sacrificial cult

- Does Hawkins know the real truth because that hasn't been explained

- Why has there been no confirmation to whether Mike knows about Will's feelings for him or not

- What on earth happened to the rest of the Turnbow family

- Why was the painting not adressed at all when Finn said it would pay off and it has become s5 merch. They did not forget about it because it was literally on Mike's wall.

- Why did Robin and Wills "signals" conversation amount to nothing. Where is the avalanche.

- Why did Will think he had a chance with Mike in vol 1

- Why did they parallel Mileven to a Stonathan (a crack ship)

- Why did Mike tell El: "friends dont lie", and focus on him saying that, if they were still a couple

- Why and when tf did Robin and Vickie break up

- Why did they pick and choose when Will felt pain through the hivemind

- How did El get to Iceland ffs

- How did Kali use her powers to help El. she was dead. (this is just mikes wishful thinking i fear)

im sure i could think of so much more and im not even going to talk about how byler did not lead up to anything despite all the proof and foreshadowing and how severly they butchered not only that but mike and wills friendship.

[kaliprasad]

Season 5 Finale, In Summary

Patty Newby wasn't important at all to the plot, I guess.

They made Will empathize with his abuser.

The painting lie was never addressed.

They gave Byler one solo scene where Mike gave a short apology and emphasized their super cool BEST FRIENDSHIP before they just moved the fuck on. It was never unpacked further one way or the other.

They couldn't even let Mike say he loved his girlfriend in the final moments they shared together, yet full-sent Mileven 'endgame' just to immediately kill her.

They have Eleven say Mike was the only person who understood her ever, as if that's not provably false by canon. They have written their darling main pairing into the ground so aggressively that Mike can't even express his love for her and hasn't kissed her once prior to her goodbye scene and we're supposed to believe this is the peak depiction of romance.

Eleven killed herself and Kali was left to bleed out slowly in the Upside Down, and we're supposed to think that's a huge win for abuse survivor rep.

They spent 45 minutes on an epilogue.

What the fuck happened to Suzie?

Not even the depressing epilogue boyfriend ending for Will was canon. We somehow got Mike's little daydream about a hypothetical epilogue boyfriend, all the while Rovickie is still found dead in a ditch.

They set up Will going to Robin asking for signs of romantic reciprocation, showed Mike doing those same things on several occasions, then just... left it there. Gave us the coming out scene and called Mike his Tammy then called it a day.

The only sapphic characters in the show were used as a vehicle for the gay boy protagonist just for neither of them to have explicit endgames in ANY capacity.

And Will's genuine feelings for his best friend were used as a plot device to further the main straight pairing. It was a human centipede of using queer stories as tools to further the story instead of genuine representation. And the ship they were helping further ended up half dead anyway so what was the fucking point in any of it.

November 6th was never mentioned in the finale.

The Melvald's inconsistency is literally never addressed once. The grocery store just sells milkshakes now.

The pregnant women just... died? Is that what happened?

While we're on that topic, what the fuck happened to the military? Did they evaporate? Weren't they holding everyone at gunpoint at the end? That's just never resolved?

Will genuinely said he loved getting lost in the woods during his coming out scene, as if that isn't how he got taken in S1? What am I smoking?

How old was Will when he went missing? 11 or 12? Make up your fucking minds.

Max just has absolutely no lasting injuries from getting Vecna'd? She's just back to tekdek-ing?

In the same vein, Karen literally had her throat slashed by that Demogorgon. We're expected to believe that in a year she recovered and had NO visible scarring?

Hopper lost both of his daughters and that's meant to be a fulfilling ending for his character.

Mind you, Hopper and El were made to parallel Joel and Ellie from the Last of Us. Joel Miller would never.

They contradict their characters own birthdays.

We were constantly told to 'pay attention to the details' only for the things we noticed to be genuine continuity errors left and right and not some grand plot with any sort of payoff.

The hivemind is only relevant to Will when the vibes require it. How the fuck did he not feel his mother beheading Vecna? He felt Henry having a panic attack.

They hyped up the final boss fight as this grand thing to look forward to and it took genuinely 5 minutes of screentime.

What was the 'most gorey death in the show' about? Was that supposed to be Vecna's death? That was what they were hyping up?

Max just never reacts to the fact that Hopper is alive somehow.

Nobody does. He has his old job back. Nobody bats an eye that a LEGALLY DEAD MAN is now the chief of police.

Mike is doomed to a life of searching for his long lost girlfriend he has convinced himself could've survived her suicide. That was his ending. After everything, that was what he was reduced to.

Even if Mike was right about Kali helping El escape and El being alive, that means they just left Kali alone in the Upside Down slowly bleeding out. All she has ever known is having her agency and community ripped from her. She is constantly retraumatized by her abusers and had to watch the only family besides El she's ever known be quartered and shot in front of her before being subjected to what is, by her own admission, her worst nightmare. And her ending was bleeding out alone in the Upside Down at the hands of her abusers. Abandoned. Left for fucking dead. They brought her back for that.

Do people... not care about Hellfire anymore... Dustin flashed his Hellfire Lives shirt in front of the whole crowd and flipped off the principal and no one had an issue with it? A pretty girl invited him to a PARTY even???

No resolution to what Dimension X even was or what it wanted, which was... the whole main plot.

No one had a fully satisfying ending. Some had it worse than others, but... we're supposed to be happy with this? This is the finale Shawn Levy said would go down as the 'greatest finale in television history'? Abuse survivors never escape the cycle, gay people don't get explicit happy endings and the 'details' they kept hammering into our heads to pay attention to were just stupid fucking mistakes?

[bebx]

I’m sorry but all these plot holes in Stranger Things 5 were insane. They said the finale would answer all the questions but not only did it barely answer anything, it just created dozens more

Also RIP to all those pregnant women in the lab who were literally blown up

[jediwill]

Nightwalker

AO3 | 17k words | Rated T

A violent screech pierced the air, and Mike grabbed Will, shielding him from something, but Will didn’t have the chance to react before that something punctured his stomach with blades of bone. He dropped to his knees, Mike’s arms halting his momentum.

“Will!” Mike shouted. His voice was raspy, strained, and frantic.

Heat spread from Will’s ears to his eyes, clouding his vision. He felt light enough to float. His consciousness left him slowly, slowly, then all at once—and he wasn’t cold anymore.

Or, Will is having nightmares of the Upside Down. His friends set out to figure out why.

Written for the @bylerbigbang 2025 with accompanying art by @faevont on Tumblr.