I think itâs really cool that in Project Hail Mary the astrophage, which are literally killing all life by eating stars, arenât really treated as the villain or evil? From the very start Ryland is treating it with curiosity and fascination, wanting to understand more than destroy.
One of the most memorable scenes in the movie is when heâs IN the Petrova Line, and heâs having a moment. Because itâs beautiful. Itâs destroying galaxies, uncountable lives, but itâs still beautiful.
The astrophage is a problem, yes, but itâs treated as any other organism. Itâs just doing what it does, because itâs also alive and happens to eat stars. Ryland is just happy to have the chance to study it because itâs from space.
If you had told me 2 years ago that people were seriously, wholeheartedly cross shipping a character played by Markiplier and a character played by Ryan Gosling, there would be no fiber of my being that would ever believe you.
rocky switching between the dry sarcastic tone "i make chain. i make long chain." / you can do that? / *yes.* (like duh. in the book he says "obvious i can do that.")
AND
the slightly childlike "what's that?" tone when grace calls it fishing
AND
full on excited screaming when grace shows him what fishing is. "OOOHHHHH OHHHH!!!"
in the span of literally six seconds is what makes him the character of all time. he is a middle aged nerd mechanic pairbonded with a middle aged nerd scientist and they are scream besties and clock bros together
The Eridians, pointing proudly at their Human-Safe Biodome: thatâs where we keep Grace, who saved the stars and spends his time teaching our children about science. we owe him everything.
The Eridians: oh and also Simon. we found him in a blood-covered dumpster and we think he has rabies.
Yo if you are a Pre-T ftm dude and have strict and/or religious parent(s) I got some tips for you!!
Disclaimer: this is mostly what helps me and Iâm just dumping some ideas for yâall to try if youâre in the same boat. Everyoneâs different and what works for me might not for you
This will be a long post so here is the cut if interested lol
Hair problems:
~ lookup androgynous haircuts on Pinterest (cause that way you can save the pics you want and easily delete the search if you have parental controls) with the length you want and ask for that haircut. We want an androgynous look because stricter parents are more willing for that compared completely chopping it down.
~ if they say no like mine did or you want to keep like long for cultural reasons, throw it into a low ponytail or man bun. Just channel your inner metal head or hippy in you and youâre set man! You can even pull a Sally Face and throw them up in pigtails if you want to. Depending on your hair type you can also do certain types of braids that suit them.
~ HAIRSTYLES TO AVOID: a shag or layered bob, especially with bangs, frames the face too much in a âsoftâ way. Face framing layers, itâs like the oldest trick in the book to look more feminine, especially curtain bangs. Anything high on your head like ponytails or buns (this is coming from someone who has done a little cheer and dance before realizing theyâre trans and looked fem as hell like that). Highlights, avoid them like the plagueâwhen have we ever seen a dude with highlights in his hair??
~ HAIRSTYLES TO GET (if allowed): shaved sides, they emphasize your jawline and is a classic. Crew cuts give a more sharpened or âmilitaryâ look if you want that vibe. Do boxy/square-layer cuts if you do want to fame your face is better. If you want a Lord Farquad look, thatâs fine, do a blunt straight bob. Undercuts are masculinizing as hell and are just always a yummy option. Long, unlayered hair is actually surprisingly masc because itâs not styled. Micro bangs can also be seen as masc, most straight guys hate that shit so it must mean something, right?
Clothing issues:
~ If you have an older brother, try to see if you can sneak a hand-me-down or two here or there. If you are the oldest, try going to thrift stores to get them. You can buy them new, but if you are on a budget, thatâs my main recommendation!
~ Some parents (like mine) want to shop with you to get clothes. If thatâs the case, get things that may look fem, but can be styled masculine. For example, cargo pants, mid/low-rise pants, button up shirts, graphic tees, larger sweatshirts. Thereâs probably more, but you get the gist. Just make sure theyâre darker or more neutral colors
~ Shoes are another thing that really help. Converse, vans, and other sneakers can do wonder for feeling more masc. I got myself platform sneakers that gave me an extra inch or two of height and I wear them almost every day because of it. Sometimes Crocs are also good in case your parents donât like you wearing âboy shoesâ
~ Accessories are like little sprinkles. If you have any face piercings, most of them can also be seen as masculine, but maybe just wear stud earrings depending how many you have on each ear. Iâm all for funky earrings and jewelry, but most of the world still sorta thinks in binary even if subconsciously, so the more stereotypical the better. Keep your nails short and if you like nail polish, again neutral tones are best! A watch is peak masc accessorizing because Iâve hardly seen any watch ads targeted to women, itâs always men. Something that has always given me euphoria is a chain. It doesnât even have to be expensive. I diy-ed my wallet chain and got my necklace chain somewhere for under $15. Who cares if my skin turns green itâll just end up making me look like the Hulk!
Makeup things:
~ Whether you prefer or (like me) was forced into wearing makeup, I got tips. Now, I donât do contour because I want as little makeup as possible on my face due to sensory issues, but I can help with other things. To start, ditch the blush. I only keep mine when going to formal events because I am still in the closet and canât safely transition or come out yet. But blush and highlighter is the most feminizing thing you can do to yourself.
~ I only use concealer and a finishing powder, but donât forget to use setting spray and a good primer. I like to use e.l.f. but everyoneâs skin is different and what works for you might not work for someone else. Use the bare minimum of concealer to cover your more reddish/uneven tones of your face if you have any. After that, just grab a bunch of that powder and put it on, it typically reduces the shine and we want that because shiny faces typically = feminine. You can use a little concealer on your lips to reduce the redness there too, but only apply chapstick if you need something to help with dryness.
~ Iâm not one for eyeliner because I donât want to stab my eye out, but when it comes to mascara, just get the thickening version. I use drugstore makeup if itâs not an e.l.f. product and so I donât really know if they have the same brand i have currently. But thicker typically can be seen as shorter and straighter, giving a more masculine look. I tried to skip out on that, but my mom doesnât allow that (I know Iâm a pushover) so if your mom is the same than always go for the thicker than the longer.
Other things:
~ posture, fix it. Yes, I know slouching feels better in terms of hiding your chest. But, come on, dude. Youâre a man! Men have confident postures, or at least laidback. Watch the men in your life and on the street and watch how they walk and carry themselves.
~ Speaking and how to change that. Iâve only recently started doing voice training, but if you canât do that for whatever reason, talk more from the jaw/chest than the nose/head. Look it up if it seems confusing because it is sort of hard to explain. But it works in singing too, you have a chest voice and a head voice and so if you just figure out how to transfer singing from your chest to talking, it might help.
~ For the love of God, work out your shoulders and biceps. At the very least do that and build out your back. Even if it makes you look butch until you fully come out. A bigger back and broader shoulders are typically tied to masculine traits. And also, if you are a ftm guy who already has big shoulders, I am so jealous and you need to seriously hit the gym. Or look up at home work outs (again, on Pinterest and make a board for it) and follow that!
~ Now you may be asking, why am I pushing so much of the Pinterest research? Well, on my phone, I have parental controls that donât allow me to delete search history if they ever want to go through my phone. If they already know about Pinterest and that itâs where you get recipes and outfit inspos they probably wonât check it. You can also delete search history there too on the app, making it easier to cover your tracks. Another thing, even though I HATE ai, the app for ChatGPT can work as a make-shift search engine for yourself if you have any lgbtqia+ questions that can also be easily deleted. Iâve manage to find out that Spencerâs sells cheap binders for $20 or so and that they work pretty well. I actually found a video on Pinterest when looking for binders and searched up the price on ChatGPT. So they work pretty well hand in hand when in a pinch.
~ Find queer friends and tell them that you are questioning if youâre not 100% confident, but also let them know about your situation with your parents. Iâve had some queer friends where we both had strict parents, but weâre figuring out that I was bi and they were pan. We never dated, but to have someone to talk to and just say âHey, I tried this and I feel like this. Do you ever feel like that or is this just me?â can honestly be so good for you. Or you can already be confident in your identity which is fantastic because then you can be your authentic self around them. Now, thatâs not to say you canât have straight friends who can also be there for you. However, especially when you live in the Midwest or the Bible Belt in America (like me) there is a lot of religious/queerphobic people that makes it harder to see whoâs more open minded and accepting. Now, sometimes there are homo/transphobic queer people out there too. Personally Iâve had better experiences with feeling more comfortable around queer people than straight people, but everyoneâs different.
But yeah, that should be it! Please let me know if you have any other questions and I will gladly help out in the best way possible!!
