I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was

I'm a middle-aged geeky transguy programmer, loving life and trying to figure out what the future brings. I post a bit of everything, but don't be surprised if I share some more nsfw transitioning things.

[khiroptera]

Do you read good omens fanfiction? If you do, could you please recommend some?

oh my god I ABSOLUTELY DO i’ve pretty much read GO fanfiction every night for the past two months LOL i’ve read close to 250 different fics now and i still have so many marked for later omggg 

alright then here’s some fluffy ineffable husbands fics in no particular order, just stuff i keep coming back to

okay okay so NON-SEXY FICS:

A Burning Thing by spinninginfinityboy – dude it’s so short and sweet and idk why i keep coming back to it but the descriptions of their halos are so good and i love it???

Flightlessly by incredulousanteater – i love wings, i love grooming, i love kssing, i love softness, i love a little steam, I LOVE THIS FIC

Birds of a Feather by idiopathicsmile – okay so the idea is that angels nest and while that’s not my headcanon or anything I KEEP COMING BACK TO THIS FIC because it’s so cute and funny and has the barest hint of steam, i love it

one love (only for you) by weatheredlaw – it’s rated M but the sexual content is only implied, it’s a fairy tale style AU chock full of pining and some forlorn, hopelessly in love husbands. i’m dead and i love it AND ACTUALLY I LOVE ALL WEATHEREDLAW’S GO FICS but this one needs more love!!

The Demons Have the Phonebox by theplatinthehat – a Doctor Who crossover fic? in my recs??? it’s more likely than you think. donna and crowley team up to rescue the doctor and aziraphale, the plot and writing style are simple, but i mean that in a good way (like an old DW episode!), the last chapter makes me feel this quiet nostalgic longing, like i wish this fic would last forever TuT

and some SEXY FICS:

Anyone But Him by LollipopCop – i’ve read every single one of their GO stories and pretty much love all of them (even drew fanart for one!) but the sex scene in this one? just *chef’s kiss* it’s so soft and loving and so soooo good, that is exactly my idea of a top!aziraphale, just super gentle and desperately in love

there’s a riot in my head, demanding we do this forever by mygalfriday – it’s the wall scene, but with hot makeouts and grinding. need i even say more???

Spread Your Wings by Fafsernir – um i love wings during sex and this? this i love. a LOT. it feels intimate as FUCK

One Night In Bangor (And the World’s Your Oyster) by Atalan – okay it’s technically a crack fic but dude. DUDE. this fic is fun, fluffy, feelsy and the smut is nice! i literally enjoyed reading every freaking word and it had me feeling all sorts of ways by the end

The 21st Century, In Which They Finally Work It Out by chaya – this is a popular fic so i’m pretty sure everyone’s read it but mmmmm yep. the buildup is really fucking good, also super fluffy. that’s probably my ideal top!crowley tbh, he’s wrecked but he’s doing the best he can for his angel MMHMMM

[princenimoy]

K/S Quarantine 2020

You’ve heard of Killing Time (who hasn’t?), but did you know it’s available to read for free online at the Internet Archive? And, yes, I do mean the unedited first edition. ;)

In light of COVID-19, the Archive has temporarily lifted all waitlists (until June 30), which means you can read ALL novels with fan connections and ALL novelizations of the TOS movies online without having to wait your turn; usually, it works like a library. Why not replicate yourself some plomeek soup and get reading…

Novels with fan connections, like Killing Time (in order of year published):

The New Voyages Volume I (includes “The Winged Dreamers”) The New Voyages Volume II The Price of the Phoenix The Fate of the Phoenix (the sequel) The Prometheus Design Black Fire Triangle Web of the Romulans Yesterday’s Son Time for Yesterday (the sequel) The Wounded Sky The Vulcan Academy Murders Ishmael Killing Time: First Edition The IDIC Epidemic Strange New Worlds (this one is only on OpenLibrary for some reason idk)

Novelizations of the TOS movies:

The Motion Picture The Wrath of Khan The Search for Spock The Voyage Home The Final Frontier The Undiscovered Country

Bonus:

Leonard: My Fifty Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man by William Shatner

Love you and llap

[khiroptera]

Do you have any fic recs? Smut preferably? If not it cool

this anon asked so long ago but i took forever bc i had to finish reading stuff! i feel like a librarian (in a good way). which speaking of librarians, have you pals checked out @aziraphales-library bc they got lots of fic recs over there too! never go a day without some peer-reviewed gomens fics LMAO

anyway, smutty fics ahead! heavy sexual content!! under a cut this time bc there’s quite a few in here.

Keep reading

[keyfeathers]

I often get comments about this little guide I did way back for a college assessment. Its a bit old and I’d like to do a new one eventually, but thought I’d share it here incase it helps anyone! 

Posted below, is what I had posted with my original DeviantART post, so apologies if some of the links are now dated or not working. 

Bird wing ref!  The three important points when illustrating wings are – 1) Feather placement! First primary goes UNDER the next feather from top view. First primary goes OVER second feather on underside view. 2) A bird wing is like a human arm in a lot of ways. Make sure you have the correct amount of bends- joints. If in doubt try posing your arm for ideas! 3) When folded, primaries tuck under the secondaries not the other way around! Sourced from many places, including illustrations and photos online, books, a dried wing I own and my parrot NC. It’s probably not the most amazing ref (and there may be mistakes atm *so tired* XD). But hopefully this will be of use to someone! Here are some usefull photos and illustrated refs that I have collected for my study. I am sure they will be of great help for those who wish to draw some wingsssss! Bones - http://academic.emporia.edu/sievertl/verstruc/birdbody2.JPG http://www.flickr.com/photos/21279442@N00/4301540128/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyborgsuzy/1455596431/ Feather illustrations -  http://featherfancy.com/images/wing_clips.gif http://www.twitt.org/LordsBird03.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Wingfeathers.png http://raptorrehab.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/bird_wing_by_lily.jpg (This one again shows the vital placement of the primary and secondaries!) Photos - (Seriously, look through flickr. You will find some awesome bird wing refs there!)  http://www.flickr.com/photos/jrnikon/3809206571/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahbelle1/144753429/ http://susty.com/image/legend-of-pale-male-red-tailed-hawk-wing-wave-central-park-building-beak-feather-new-york-city-nyc-sky-nature-wildlife-animal-raptor-bird-of-prey-photo.jpg http://www.dorlingkindersley-uk.co.uk/static/clipart/uk/dk/bird/image_bird003.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/daaynos/449276506/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/59303791@N00/3953343294/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/32081016@N07/3607434096/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/1stlady/644398880/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/50059444@N00/300765724/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/53898309@N00/2211304917/ 2 really good tutorials (much more in depth) others have made! -  http://unkraut.deviantart.com/art/Bird-s-wing-anatomy-30580013?q=boost%3Apopular%20bird%20wing%20tutorial&qo=5 http://theantimonyelement.deviantart.com/art/Bird-Wing-Tutorial-150844565?q=boost%3Apopular%20bird%20wing%20tutorial&qo=0

[eskiworks]

I found this compilation of material really useful!  I LOVE drawing wings, and this helped fill in some of my own knowledge gaps.  Might be useful to my followers as well.  :)

[reftastic]

Please don’t use those wings from that Maleficent movie as a ref! Use this stuff instead! Pleeeeeeease!

[green-blooded-computer]

Vulcan Salute

So…I know there’s a lot of people that get pissed off when people tuck their thumbs in doing a vulcan salute. Yes, this is incorrect, but I’m not sure a lot of people know why! I’m here to explain it!

So Vulcan philosophy is based on five main concepts, all of which are represented in the hand sign.

Nome: The ring finger represents Nome, meaning “all”. All things in the universe combined make existance worthwhile.

Idic: Invinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations. This is the pinky finger. To achieve knowledge, one must accept all diverse possibilities.

The Doctrine of the Domination of Logic: The middle finger is the belief that Logic should dictate every thought and action.

Reverence for Life: This is the index finger. Vulcans respect every aspect of life, no matter what the circumstances.

Privacy: This is the important part. The thumb stands alone to represent the high regard that the Vulcan people have for individual privacy.

Nome-Idic together is to represent the joining of diverse things in order to create more meaning. This is separated from Logic-Reverence for Life because Nome-Idic includes emotion. It recognizes that emotion creates meaning and beauty and is part of the Nome.

This solute, combined with the phrase “Dif tor heh smusma”(Live long and Prosper) is essentially a Vulcan telling you that you may believe anything you like and that he or she is respecting any opinion or way of life you may have. It is also them offering to teach you about themselves or anything they know, hoping for some knowledge in return, so both parties may better themselves.

Just thought this bit of information might be interesting/helpful!

Live long and prosper.

[micdotcom]

Watch: John Cena continues, “So, let’s try this one more time. Close your eyes.” 

[thatsthat24]

I wanna hug him. This was beautiful.

[vulcandroid]

i will never be over the fact that during first contact a human offered their hand to a vulcan and the vulcan was just like “wow humans are fucking wild” and took it

[roachpatrol]

Humanity’s first contact with Vulcans was some guy going “I’m down to fuck.”

Vulcans’ first contact with Humans was an emphatic “Sure.”

[lilian-cho]

@sineala

[star-lord]

#iiiiiiiiiiiiii mean vulcans had been watching humans for a long time#they knew the significance of a handshake but still#they had to find some fast and loose ambassador#willing to fuckin make out with a human for the sake of not offending them on first contact#lmao#star trek give me the story of this fast and loose vulcan

[moonsofavalon]

“sir…these…these humans…they greet each other by…” *glances around before furtively whispering* “by clasping hands…”

*prolonged silence* “oh my…”

“sir…sir how will we make first contact with them? surely we…we cannot refuse this handclasping ritual, they will take it as an insult, but what vulcan would agree to such a distasteful and uncomfortable ritual??”

*several pensive moments later* “contact the vulcan high command and tell them to send us kuvak. i once saw that crazy son of a bitch arm wrestle a klingon, he’ll put his hands on anything”

[evilminji]

Elsewhere, w/ kuvak: “….my day has come.”

[lierdumoa]

The vulcan who made first contact with humans is named Solkar guys. Y’all just be makin’ up names for characters that already have names.

Bonus: here’s a screencap of Solkar doing the “my body is ready” pose right before he shakes Zefram Cochrane’s hand:

[adreadfulidea-deactivated202402]

I swear Vulcans only come in two types and they are “distant xenophobes” or “horny on main for humanity”. Also apparently this guy is Spock’s great-grandfather and frankly that explains everything.

[kaijuerotica]

Hey so I looked into this at one point and that handshake literally created a lifelong telepathic bond between the two of them, and basically all of Solkar’s descendants were later obsessed with humans, including freaking SPOCK, so I’m not saying that handshake was so gay and good that it created an intergenerational telepathic bond between Solkar’s descendants and humans, but I’m also not….not….saying that.

[tanukiham]

actual footage of first contact makeouts

[s-trip-tease]

Bringing back to that one post that called “House of Sarek” the “Everytime I Touch a Human, I accidentally bond with them” house. 

[xanbuck]

Ive the logged this before, but it keeps getting better :D

[inwaitforsomethingbetter]

New favorite aesthetic - Janeway curled up or stretched out reading

Star Trek Voyager s05e11 Latent Image

[xanbuck]

<3

[clementive-deactivated20150318]

In Which Diversity Isn't a Myth

Ok. I’m tired of the typical vampire, werewolf and fairy.I’m also tired of the occidental-centrism in mythology. Hence, this list. 

I tried to included as many cultural variants as I could find and think of. (Unfortunately, I was restricted by language. Some Russian creatures looked very interesting but I don’t speak Russian…) Please, add creatures from your culture when reblogguing (if not already present). It took me a while to gather all those sites but I know it could be more expansive. I intend on periodically editing this list. 

Of note: I did not include specific legendary creatures (Merlin, Pegasus, ect), gods/goddesses/deities and heroes.

Dragons

The Chinese Dragon

The Japanese Dragon

The Korean Dragon

The Vietnamese Dragon

The Greek Dragon

The Indian Dragon

The Polish Dragon

The Austrian Dragon

The British Dragon

The Ancient Dragon (Egypt, Babylon and Sumer)

The Spanish Basque Dragon

Of the Cockatrice (creature with the body of a dragon)

Alphabetical List of Dragons Across Myths (Great way to start)

Little creatures (without wings)

The Legend of the Leprechauns, The Leprechaun

Chanaque /Alux (the equivalent of leprechauns in Aztec/Mayan folklore)

Elves

Elves in Mythology and Fantasy

Elves in Germanic Mythology

Kabeiroi or Cabeiri (Dwarf-like minor gods in Greek mythology)

Norse Dwarves

The Myth of Loki and the Dwarves

Ten Types of Goblins

Goblins

Tengu: Japanese Goblins

Gnomes 

More on Gnomes

Pooka: an Irish phantom

Creatures with wings (except dragons)

Fairies

All sorts of Cultural Fairies

Fairies in Old French Mythology 

A Fairy List

Bendith Y Mamau (Welsh fairies)

Welsh Fairies

Peri (Persian fairies)

Yü Nü (Chinese fairies)

The Celtic Pixie

Angels in Judaism

Angels in Christianity

Hierarchy of Angels

Angels in Islam

Irish Sylph

Garuda (Bird-like creature in Hindu and Buddhist myths)

Bean Nighe (a Scottish fairy; the equivalent of a banshee in Celtic mythology)

Harpies

Spirited Creatures

Druids

Jinn (Genies in Arabic folklore)

Types of Djinns

Aisha Qandisha and Djinn in Moroccan Folklore

Oni (demons in Japanese folklore)

Nymphs

Spirits in Asturian Mythology

Valkyries

Lesovik

Boggarts: The British Poltergeist

Phantom black dogs (the Grim)

Demons in Babylonian and Assyrian Mythology (list)

Demons in the Americas (list)

European Demons (list)

Middle-East and Asia Demons (list)

Judeo-Christian Demons (list)

Nephilim, more on Nephilim

Mahaha (a demon in Inuit mythology)

Flying Head (a demon in Iroquois mythology)

Ghosts

Toyol (a dead baby ghost in Malay folklore)

Malay Ghosts

Yuki-onna (a ghost in Japanese folklore)

The Pontianak (a ghost in Malay mythology)

Funayurei (a ghost in Japanese folklore)

Zagaz (ghosts in Moroccan folklore)

Japanese Ghosts

Mexican Ghosts

Horse-like mythical creatures

Chinese Unicorns

Unicorns

The Kelpie (Could have also fitted in the sea creatures category)

The Centaur

The Female Centaur

Hippocamps (sea horses in Greek mythology)

Horse-like creatures (a list)

Karkadann, more on the Karkadann (a persian unicorn)

Ceffyl Dwfr (fairy-like water horse creatures in Cymric mythology)

Undead creatures

The Melanesian Vampire 

The Ewe Myth : Vampires

The Germanic Alp

The Indonesian Vampire

Asanbosam and Sasabonsam (Vampires from West Africa)

The Aswang: The Filipino Vampire

Folklore Vampires Versus Literary Vampires

Callicantzaros: The Greek Vampire

Vampires in Malaysia

Loogaroo/Socouyant: The Haitian Vampire

Incubi and Sucubi Across Cultures

Varacolaci: The Romanian Vampire

Brahmaparusha: The Indian Vampire

Genesis of the Word “Vampire”

The Ghoul in Middle East Mythology

Slavic Vampires

Vampires A-Z

The Medical Truth Behind the Vampire Myths

Zombies in Haitian Culture

Shape-shifters and half-human creatures (except mermaids) 

Satyrs (half-man, half-goat)

Sirens in Greek Mythology (half-woman and half-bird creatures)

The Original Werewolf in Greek Mythology

Werewolves Across Cultures

Werewolf Syndrome: A Medical Explanation to the Myth

Nagas Across Cultures

The Kumiho (half fox and half woman creatures)

The Sphinx

Criosphinx

Scorpion Men (warriors from Babylonian mythology)

Pooka: an Irish changelings

Domovoi (a shape-shifter in Russian folklore)

Aatxe (Basque mythology; red bull that can shift in a human)

Yech (Native American folklore)

Ijiraat (shapeshifters in Inuit mythology)

Sea creatures

Selkies (Norse mermaids)

Mermaids in many cultures

More about mermaids

Mermen

The Kraken (a sea monster)

Nuckelavee (a Scottish elf who mainly lives in the sea)

Lamiak (sea nymphs in Basque mythology)

Bunyip (sea monster in Aboriginal mythology)

Apkallu/abgal (Sumerian mermen)

An assemblage of myths and legends on water and water creatures

Slavic Water Creatures

The Encantado (water spirits in Ancient Amazon River mythology)

Zin (water spirit in Nigerian folklore)

Qallupilluk (sea creatures in Inuit mythology)

Monsters That Don’t Fit in Any Other Category

Aigamuxa, more details on Aigamuxa

Amphisabaena

Abere

Bonnacon

Myrmidons (ant warriors)

Troll, More on Trolls

Golems 

Golems in Judaism

Giants: The Mystery and the Myth (50 min long documentary)

Inupasugjuk (giants in Inuit mythology)

Fomorians (an Irish divine race of giants)

The Minotaur

The Manticore, The Manticore and The Leucrouta

The Ogre

The Orthus (two-headed serpent-tailed dog)

The Windigo

The Windigo Psychosis

Rakshasa (humanoids in Hindu and Buddhist mythology)

Yakshas (warriors in Hindu mythology)

Taqriaqsuit (“Shadow people” in Inuit mythology)

References on Folklore and Mythology Across the Globe

Creatures of Irish Folklore 

Folklore and Fairytales

An Overview of Persian Folklore

Filipino Folklore

Myths, Creatures and Folklore

Alaska Folklore

Spanish (Spain) Mythology

Mythical Archive

Mythology Dictionary

List of Medieval and Ancient Monsters

Native American Animals of Myth and Legends

Native American Myths

Bestiary of Ancient Greek Mythology

Mythology, Legend, Folklore and Ghosts

Angels and Demons

List of Sea Creatures

Yoruba Mythology

Ghosts Around the World, Ghosts From A to Z

Strange (Fantastic) Animals of Ancient Egypt

Egyptian Mythology

Creatures from West Africa

On the Legendary Creatures of Africa

Myths, Creatures and Folklore

References on writing a myth or mythical creatures

Writing a MYTHology in your novel?

How to Write a Myth

10 Steps to Creating Realistic Fantasy Creatures

Creating Fantasy Creatures or Alien Species

Legendary Creature Generator

Book Recommendations With Underrated Mythical Creatures

(I have stumbled upon web sites that believed some of these mythical creatures exist today… Especially dragons, in fact. I just had to share the love and scepticism.)

[wigmund]

Fearsome Critters - creatures of American frontier lore

Lists of Legendary Creatures

[spacedpanini]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS LIST

[oddmoy]

Rå (keepers of nature/places from Scandinavian folklore, several types exist)

[smuttine]

Thank you for this!

[xanbuck]

Reshaping because this is an awesome compilation!

[lady-silverbird-blog]

I will never be over the fact that in the two Star Trek films scored by James Horner, Wrath of Khan and Search for Spock, Kirk and Spock’s themes exist in a music theory relationship of a perfect inverse.

If you listen to Kirk’s theme, the first two notes leaps from the tonic note to a major sixth. Spock’s theme does the exact and perfect opposite: Starting on tonic note and leaping down a minor third.

Funny thing is, if you play these two themes together, when they leap, regardless of where they started, or what interval they are leaping, the relationship is so perfect, they land on the same note.

And that is the most clever writing of a score I can ever think of to describe their relationship.

[lady-silverbird-blog]

I should add another layer to this bit of theory analysis, aside from what a couple of other people who reblogged this said.

Intervals have long held a lot of symbolism in music composition and writing, @highlyillogical mentioned that the major sixth is used plentifully in Romance music, (Tchaikovsky, we’re looking at you) and also in tender film scores, notably in William’s Star Wars score for Han and Leia’s theme.

The other really fun symbolism with the major sixth is that it is an expansive interval. It is a more expanded fifth, and symbolizes expressiveness and uplifting openness. Doesn’t that sound like a certain Admiral we all know?

The minor third is an interval that is reserved. unlike a major third, the minor is a half step closer to the tonic, symbolizing something more closed off, and confined. And if that doesn’t sound like Spock, I don’t know what does.

And yet, in relativity to the tonic note, the major sixth, emotional and expressive, and the minor third, reserved and reflective, meet perfectly together, in unison, when they make an inverse motion towards one another.

And I think that’s sauce for the goose, @lieutenant-sapphic.

[xanbuck]

<3

[the-errant-mycorrhizae]

First flower ever grown in space bloomed today!

[goose-dad]

Yay!

[riotbadgrrr]

Happy birthday, space flower!

[happy-kirk]

(source: gilderoys)

[lionescence]

KIRK IS HOLDING A ZINNIA. THE SAME FUCKING FLOWER.

FUCKING NASA MAN

[lionescence]

No. Nononono. You don’t understand. 

I am so mad about this. Like, not like I wanna kill someone, but mad, as in, hysterical?

They wanted to answer questions about plants in space, right? How biology and botany would work in space. Because then who knows? We could grow crops in space, or fix the atmosphere. Or create the perfect biome for plants that are now extinct. Who fucking knows, right?

They could have taken a food crop. Wheat, maybe. Or rice. Something they could observe to see if it would be possible to solve a food shortage or whatever. Maybe a small apple tree to see if it would bloom, and then see if there could be a way to make it fruit. 

Or, you know, go the genetics route and take a sweet pea. See if zero gravity does anything to how genes are passed on. Mendel did it in a shed, why not a tin shed in outer space, right? Oh the possibilities.

Was it so wrong to take the zinnia? No, of course not. In my little horticultural brain, I thought, oh how lovely! A splash of colour in the emptiness of space. Something bright and cheerful, something that gives hope. That must have been it, right? 

But no. 

SOMEONE went, “Nah, mate, here’s an episode of Star Trek where Kirk is holding a ZINNIA in a SPACE DESERT.”

I could scream. I don’t know if I love or hate these fucking nerds. Oh my gods. 

[tree-of-blue-squirrel]

NASA, YOU NEEEEERDS

[mrs-spockulous]

love these NASA nerds 

[cwote]

“Boys cry, girls masturbate, boys have feelings, girls get angry, boys can use makeup, girls can like porn, boys can like sewing, girls can get violent, boys can wear dresses, girls can be good at sciences, boys can like boys, girls can like girls, boys can like pink, girls can have body hair, boys don’t have to be muscular, girls don’t have to be curvy, boys don’t have to love sex, girls don’t have to be thin.”

— J.C (via enjoy-the-life-baby)

[xanbuck]

This

[ace-aro-fandroid]

^^^^ Literally one of my favorite Geordi and Data interactions for SO many reasons.

First, I love that Geordi will talk to Data about almost anything, but when Data starts in on some stupid joke, Geordi’s first instinct is “Oh, no…” followed by a sprint for the exit. Like he doesn’t even take his VISOR with him. He will do anything, pay anything, leave his sight behind to escape the monotone, hallmark humor he is about to be subjected to.

Second, I love that Data’s first instinct, when his friend begins to flee from his attempt at humor is to block his only route of escape. As if Geordi is being crazy and he just doesn’t understand how hilarious this joke is going to be. He must tell his best friend his new joke, no matter the cost.

Third, I love that then he slowly pushes his friend back into the room as he recites his stupid, centuries-old joke in a complete monotone. This is what the rise of robots will look like. Not Skynet. Not the Matrix. Just socially awkward, pale androids locking us in a room and forcing us to listen to their bad jokes.

And finally, I love that Geordi listens, then just shakes his head, and Data shakes his head, too. Like I can’t tell if Data is following Geordi’s head movements like a kitten or if he’s shaking his head because deep down he knew it wasn’t a good joke and Geordi is just confirming his suspicions.

I JUST LOVE THESE TWO SO MUCH

[xanbuck]

This.

[lavncelot1-deactivated20170507]

Genderfluid God by Mica K

[durnesque-esque]

It is also worth noting that the God of Genesis is plural. God says “let US make humankind in our image, according to OUR likeness.”

I feel like this is a bit that gets missed a lot.

God is not one thing. God is many things.

You, whomever you are, however you are: you are made in the image of God: I AM, She Who Is, They Who Are.

[xanbuck]

Love this, even if I’m not very theistic.

[trans-girl-nausicaa]

content warning for transphobia

first of all look at this terrible URL

furthermore it’s interesting and extremely telling that their idea of mental health is that “people who are mentally ill don’t know what’s best for them, we need to have doctors unilaterally decide what should be done”

i mean obviously i don’t believe that being transgender is a pathology. like literally we should not have gender dysphoria in the DSM. that’s part of a power dynamic where the authority to grant access to various medical/legal/social transition services rests in the hands of medical and legal professionals and they don’t have a consistent incentive to be responsible and empathetic with that power.

ultimately i don’t give a shit about being “diagnoseable” or not. i would prefer to not be forced to do psychological assessments about my gender at all. doesn’t that sound kinda fucked up, out of context? that i’m not allowed to do what i want with my body and my name and my Legal Designation unless i submit to psychological testing?

yeah. if i could get my medical services without seeing a psychologist I would.

i mean, for HRT i specifically sought out a clinic where i only had to talk to the endocrinologist about HRT, there was no psychological test applied, our discussion was 90% about the medical effects, and i was not made to feel that they would deny me treatment based on my identity or presentation. i had 2 or 3 appointments, including discussion of medical information, medical testing, and screening for possible health risks, and then i got my prescription.

whereas…

to change my gender marker on state ID and passport i had to procure a signed affidavit or whatever from my endocrinologist “certifying that i had undergone medical transition” which, thankfully, is vague enough for me to not have to disclose my genital configuration to a fucking bureaucrat.

on the other hand. when i started on my journey of seeking vaginoplasty i had to seek out and undergo a psychological assessment from a psychologist (signed letter #1), a letter from my endocrinologist (signed letter #2), a letter from my therapist (signed letter #3), and another psychological assessment with a psychologist contracted by my surgeon’s office (signed letter #4). and i had to have multiple phone conversations with my insurance provider trying to find a surgeon, trying to figure out exactly what procedures were covered and what weren’t, and, well, THESE conversations were very… awkward for me because my insurance doesn’t seem to have people on staff who know anything about transgender people.

since my surgeon is 3,000 miles away from me, this whole process has required me to take eh… 3 or 4 round-trip 7 hour flights.

in this process, in my life, i’ve undertaken so much medical research! because medical transition services are not things that everyone in the medical industry knows about or understands, these are things that are very niche and extremely taboo in society and it’s not really stuff that we’re taught in school or anything like that. so yeah i’ve had to become an expert in my own care.

i’m so tired of people acting like medical transition is especially “dangerous.”

statistically it ain’t.

HRT compared to other prescription medications? not that dangerous. just like anything else, it has specific health risks and things to watch out for. but these are things you can talk to your doctor about and may be able to mitigate. some people have medical conditions that preclude this treatment but that doesn’t make it “so Dangerous” to attach that stigma to it.

top surgery (reduction or implants) are not especially dangerous. these are extremely commonly performed surgeries.

vaginoplasty and phalloplasty are not especially dangerous surgeries. satisfaction rates are in the 95% and up, according to most surveys. much higher than satisfaction rates for practically every other surgery. that should say something.

complication rates are extremely low. prognosis is generally very good.

these are things that improve people’s lives. they are medically healthy.

i don’t know as much about the history of phalloplasty, but vaginoplasty has almost a century of medical development under its belt. there are now multiple different types of surgeries for vaginoplasty that have developed, continuously being innovated and improved on. these procedures are held to the same safety standards as any other type of surgery.

if you get, say, an appendectomy, then you’re trusting in essentially the same medical standards and best practices that approved the currently performed vaginoplasty and phalloplasty procedures.

specifically i hear a lot of “radical feminists” refer to a neo-vagina as an “open wound” or some such, in reference to the fact that it needs to be periodically dilated.

the dilation has nothing to do with healing, and everything to do with maintaining vaginal depth and ensuring that your body’s muscles are accepting the essentially new body cavity. but the vaginal walls are made from existing penile tissue as well as, in some cases, scrotal or abdominal tissue that can form a mucous membrane identical to a natal vagina.

but you’re idiots who don’t care about being factually correct, you’re fine with creating fake-ass stigmatization against anyone who gets a vaginoplasty, trans… or cis.

why do i mention cis women when talking about vaginoplasty? well… many victims of genital mutilation, or cisgender women who have vaginal agenesis or Mayer Rokitansky Küster Hauser Syndrome (MRKH) elect for procedures to improve their sexual functioning. there are a lot of fundamental similarities in surgical techniques and practices between these procedures and vaginoplasty for transgender women.

stop condescending to us. stop pretending to care. stop trying to make a hot take about how “society wnats to make the problem disappear with surgery”

i don’t have a problem.

it’s society that has the problem.

YOU are the problem.

surgery is not inherently bad.

“but what if we could eliminate dysphoria without surgery?”

there are plenty of transgender people who don’t want surgery.

there are plenty of transgender people you could go ASK about this, and i say ASK because you do not even understand the basics of transgender health.

THEN you might understand that everyone is different. You cannot assume a one-size-fits-all approach.

On top of everything, you are still approaching being transgender as a pathology which you want to cure.

I do not see it like that.

It is a uniqueness.

It is a divergence from the norm. But not a sickness. To say that would be to uncritically accept and naturalize the edicts of patriarchal society, which is essentially what people do when they pathologize transgender people.

There are medical professionals who oppose this pathologization, just as I do. I have talked to them in medical, professional, and informal contexts.

I am not anti-science. I want medicine and science to be practiced correctly and fairly.

There are people who have attempted to “cure” people of being transgender through therapy. These are also well known as pray-away-the-gay camps. Essentially, child abuse and medical abuse that seeks to reinforce gender conformity. Those are the problem who agree with you about dysphoria universally being a mental disorder that you can just treat without any medical transition services.

Would transgender people benefit from meeting with ACTUAL therapists?

Yes, probably, but personally I see a therapist, and I believe that MOST people could benefit from seeing a therapist.

A good therapist.

Not a therapist who wants to change who you are.

A therapist who wants you to be happy.

My therapist has no problem with me being transgender and does not see that as a problem.

[xanbuck]

I wish everyone could read this.

[eorzean-cabbage]

You like hurt/comfort because you like the idea that someone will comfort you when you are in pain.

[kurosmind]

[xanbuck]

...

[vortexsophia-deactivated2022110]

[geekygothgirl]

I don’t know what we did to deserve Mr. Rogers but I’m so glad we had him.