Lurker > ElatedVenusaur

Kim Petras - Future Starts Now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNx0SL2nYVs

I'm out and proud, CE! Kim was one of the very first trans role models I had, picked up way before I ever admitted to myself I was trans. And her star seems to be shining bright these days, just as I've found myself.

You still got it girl!

We got robbed of her 100th birthday! Stupid damned universe!

But yeah, woman was a living legend for, like, the past 2-3 decades. That's beyond awesome and she earned it. Betty White enjoyed an extremely successful, long, and well-lived life on this Earth, and I hope there's a Heaven 'cause she deserves even better.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

Yup, it comes in an Amazon envelope/package/box. Nice and discreet that way. A lot of sex shops do discreet shipping too, is what some one else in this topic said (and it makes sense they would), but obviously that would go to your actual physical address.

And I have been blown away with how much love and positivity I'm receiving. I'm, like, ridiculously blessed to the point where it's almost kind of embarrassing, because I know most of my trans siblings, especially trans POC, don't get even half this much love and support.

Estradiol, spironolactone, and progesterone, for healthy body and mind!

The first I can remember is Super Mario Bros. on the NES. The SMB/Duck Hunt combo cart.

The Democrats have no steady message, in part because they, collectively, dont have an agenda. And they cant get much of anything done.
It doesnt help that it seems the lesson the Biden admin took from Trump dominating the 24-hour news cycle is that Presidents should be neither seen nor heard.
Basically, the Democrats have no positive argument to make to voters, and Republican gains down ballot in 2020 have allowed them to gerrymander a ton of states and further restrict voting rights, which will make voting that much harder in key states like Georgia.

So much work to do. Ugh

Rathinor posted...

To be fair, cases have gone way up, but hospitalizations and deaths, way down.

Seems like Omicron variant isn't nearly as dangerous as its predecessors

Actually, hospitalizations are going back up. Even if Omicron is, in fact, less lethal, its sheer virulence makes up for it.
And then there's the ticking time bomb of long COVID...
https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-long-covid

AngelicRadiance posted...

Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?

Nah, but forging a world of chaos with them was a blast in SMT IV.
I mean, aside from murdering Isabeau, they really nail that fight tonally.

RedLuigi posted...

Whats your favorite kind of cookie?

What clothing store do ya think has the vibe you like?

also, congrats - always nice to hear about people actualizing themselves into victory

I'm currently chilling in a bright red turtleneck I got from Land's End. Most of what I've gotten so far has been cheap stuff off Amazon: before I was out to my parents, shipping stuff to a locker was one of the few surefire ways I could get clothes without anyone being the wiser. I'll keep wearing my old clothes for now, since I don't make a ton of money, but I would like to start actually buying clothes in the store. Given how long I can look at cute clothes online, I understand now my lack of investment in clothes shopping was because I was buying the wrong clothes lol.
Kind of want to try going with my cis teacher friend. She mostly gets stuff from, like, WalMart and Target, and that's probably in line with my budget, though I would like to splurge here and there. What jewelry I have I've gotten off Etsy (you can get darling pride stuff on there!)

As for cookies, I'm an oatmeal girl, but I see no reason why you should put *only* raisins in them. Put in some nuts, put in chocolate chips, whatever you want. The best cookies I ever had were the ones I made with friends in college where we threw a half-dozen random things into them with a truly disgusting quantity of butter.
The follow-up to that is that my (then closeted) trans friend was out drinking, and came home absolutely smashed. They ate like half a dozen cookies, and then we made them play Donkey Kong Country, just so we could marvel at how drunk they were.

The ancient old lady cat probably wouldn't even wake up: she's pretty deaf, and would sleep blissfully in her favorite chair the entire time unless the burglar approached her. She would probably run away without hissing if disturbed.
The young boy cat would just go hide somewhere.

Pepys Monster posted...

A human can't eat more than their bodyweight in wood and rope.

Hanging is probably not nearly as bad as what that would do to your digestive tract.

DespondentDeity posted...

It definitely gets easier after the first time, and I feel like its more comfortable at places like Target and JC Penny; boutiques are a bit more intimidating but Ive had a lot of positive interactions in certain spaces, especially nail salons and tattoo / piercing shops. I feel like in general artists are pretty easy to interact with since their focus is helping others express themselves or feel beautiful. Also, when you start getting more into makeup, I have nothing but positive things to say about the people who work at Ulta, at least my local one, in a way theyve been my constant companions throughout the past year. It gets to a point where, you know this is their interest, and they get excited to see the progression of their customers skills or to share their knowledge on techniques and products.

I wanted to come back to this, because after browsing for a bit, this is really solid advice. I was looking on Kinks shop and they have a great selection of different styles of lingerie. Also, I wanted to point out for @ElatedVenusaur that they have good options for people who are in between sizes in the form of whats called a body stocking. Its pretty much a pair of tights that covers from your feet to your bust, so its really stretchy, and theyre also pretty inexpensive, so you wont have to feel bad when you size out of it. I havent gotten one to see the quality yet, but I do have experience with some of their sex toys and the quality on those has been high.

I did go get my haircut recently, presenting pretty fem(I was wearing a normal bra, and let me tell you: I have pretty noticeable breasts these days) and the stylist was super nice, even layered my hair so it wouldn't look boxy. Looks and feels good.

In any case, I actually did it. I changed by Facebook name, my profile pic, and posted about it just now. I'm going public and I'm definitely not crying.

DepreceV2 posted...

How would you describe the experience itself? Do you prefer it?

It wasnt much different than going in. Obviously easier, since I didnt go anywhere. But Ive gone in for consults (the first one and then a few times for shots) and of course my physical, and that was good too.
My doctor gave me a hug when I told her I had come out to my parents, so that was really sweet and you miss that doing it virtually, of course.

Dude sealioned into my AMA thread mad over something from a month ago. Or longer.
Just seems to hold weird grudges against (perceived) posting enemies.

I've had virtual consults for my hormones, including one instance where they reached out to me because my blood tests showed my esterase* levels were quite a bit higher than normal.

*esterase is the waste product that results from your liver breaking down estrogen you ingest. It's the nasty stuff that can cause blood clots.

So the prescribed me patches so they could reduce how much estrogen I'm getting from pills. Depending on how things go this time, I may need to just suck it up and go in so they can teach me how to inject it(you avoid much of the esterase problem by getting estrogen directly into the bloodstream).

Get the goods queen!

Freezepop - Queen of Tomorrow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEvMrHQ3s4I

Estrogen filled me with an urge to sing, and singing along with Liz enough convinced me that I'm the Queen of Tomorrow too.

It's meaty yet delicate, and turns a striking white when cooked. It's a bit like tuna, but definitely more mild. Be careful not to dry it out by overcooking it. Pairs best with lighter sauces and seasonings.

I really dont care about piercings either way.

MasterChief5000 posted...

It's not necesarily the sound of your voice that makes you feminine, it's how you use it..

Nah, see: I hate hearing my voice. My voice clocks me immediately. It bothers me deeply, and I cried tears of joy when I found Trans Voice Lessons and saw and heard for myself that I could totally sound the way I want to sound. That's valid.
Many trans people are fine with their voices as is, or alter them slightly and are happy with that, and that is also valid.

DespondentDeity posted...

How do you find a comfortable place to buy lingerie in person? I got a bustier set online and it makes me feel really sexy and confident but it was mostly a cheap experiment and the lace is already torn from the bodice just through normal wear, so Id like to get a higher quality set. I feel itd be much easier to find exactly what I want if I am able to try it on, but there are still certain womens spaces Im unbearably anxious about entering.

Hah, honey. I actually have yet to buy anything more than some nail polish, a woman's razor, and a hairbrush in person.
And then only at self-checkout. (I bought one bottle of nail polish along with cold medicine, which required the WalMart attendant's assistance. She looked at the polish and commented, "Oh honey, that's a really nice color." I share that because it was crazy wholesome")

I haven't had the nerve to buy women's clothing in public. I should corral one of my girlfriends for that, especially the first time. Having some feminine support should make it easier, for both of us.

Personally, I haven't bought any sets. I'm only six months in and my proportions are inevitably going to change a lot (it takes a full 2-3 years of HRT to "max out", so to speak) and I'm also working on losing weight, so I've been buying cheap stuff(and mostly sports bras, because keeping my growing breasts stealthed has been a priority up until this point) I must say, wearing panties felt super natural once I got some that fit well.

Also, I am naturally skeptical of any and all sabre-rattling. War is mass death, war is hell, and war with a nuclear power could lead to the extinction of the human race, and yet all too many people treat it lightly. They weigh lives like feathers and words like iron. I do not remain in topics unless I feel I have more to contribute to them.

Gawain791 posted...

Why do you support Russia and other authoritarian regimes today simply because they once had a communist government?

See now, this is bad faith. Clearly, you already know the answer to your own question, so why waste everyone's time with asking it?

Humble_Novice posted...

What do you make of the controversy involving Isabel Fall?

I had to look that up, because that meant nothing to me. For the benefit of others:
https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22543858/isabel-fall-attack-helicopter

Having read this, the trans community is (rightfully) fiercely defensive, because bad faith actors are everywhere, and allies tend to be protective, though sometimes in a performative and overly negative way. And what happened here was, quite frankly, tragic. It doesn't sound like the author has recovered from it, that the trauma has driven her to deny herself.

So my main takeaway is that, hard though it may be, it pays to be patient, and it pays to be kind, especially when you can't know where some one is coming from. Spare your ire for repeat offenders.
Certainly, my experience of Trans Twitter has been that it doesn't focus on transphobia, but on the positive aspects of our experience. It's the only way we can survive in a world that hates us.

Either the Senate will be abolished, or the 2nd Constitution of the American Republic will be.
The former may also occur some time after the latter.

Unknown5uspect posted...

Has anyone ever told you that you have good taste in Pokemon?

Because you do.

Nope, but I always knew it! What are your favorites?
Also afternoon CE is quite incurious...

Yeah, IIRC, Valhalla is just one of the places you can go that's good. Other Gods also seem to have offered afterlives that were good as well.

AngelicRadiance posted...

What's your favorite Pokemon?

I feel like your username may be giving it away

It doesn't: Venasaur is only my second favorite. Steelix is my favorite. Yanmega, Volcarona, and Houndoom round out the top 5.
Basically, Cynthia would eat my faves for lunch.

Evening bump. Please forgive the frost-bitten words I've said, CE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyw2qJ4k8Y4
This is Z's other YouTube channel.

Zikten posted...

We didn't fail until we left. The country had 20 years of freedom. We should have just stayed. It didn't cost that much money compared to our total budget

LOL. More like the country endured 20 years of aimless bombing campaigns and military raids that maybe secured some small amount of freedom for the people of Kabul at the cost of turning the countryside over warlords that made people nostalgic for the Taliban (and, in the end, made the Taliban vastly stronger than they were before we invaded!).

Again: how much blood must be spilled before women are free? How many wedding parties must be slaughtered? How many herdsmen and their wives have to be killed cowering in their homes or in ditches along the road to secure "freedom", whatever you think that means?

Alpha218 posted...

Fake Out is important for VGC doubles. Sturdy gives you focus sash without forcing you to hold the item. Both have competitive use - thats why theyre in the game

Yeah, and Sturdy was super lame when it just granted immunity to OHKO moves.

DrizztLink posted...

One fanmade game I've played had a team built around Sturdy.

I don't remember the composition but they used level 5 Sturdy Pokemon, that move that equalizes health bars, and Quick Attack.

If the regular games actually strategized with Sturdy I'd be fine with it.

Instead it's just "I'm a Hiker! I have 6 Sturdy Geodude that explode!"

Endeavour. That strat is easily defanged with entry hazards, Knock Off, and/or priority of your own.

Also I always felt bad for the one obligatory fisherman who can only catch Magikarp. He's trying so hard, he must be really upbeat and optimistic to keep on trying, but, at the end of the day, he's hopeless.

greyfox747 posted...

Oh heavens

She has Sekhmet tattooed on one of her arms, so she may literally be the lion-headed goddess incarnate.

I am currently reading The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls by Mona Eltahawy, a feminist activist and writer who got her arms broken in Tahrir Square and was arrested stateside for spraypainting over a racist AF pro-Israel ad in NYC(I mention that because I remember hearing about that long before I actually knew who she was).
If you're wondering about her style, on the cover, the "i" in "sins" is a middle finger.

I hate to break it to ya'll, but our endless drone campaign wasn't bringing women rights(it was putting them in graves though!). They had rights in Kabul, and that was about it, because the government we established had no legitimacy and immediately engaged in the most blatant and venal corruption imaginable and contracting out provincial "security" to equally corrupt and vastly more brutal warlords.

I guess the question is: how many more Afghans needed to die before women would be free?

Cocytus posted...

Cool, thanks for sharing.

I actually forgot to finish my answer: it was more a matter of understanding what I was feeling and admitting that that's what it was. Our society just doesn't put the language out there and paints being trans as being really negative. You have to find the language and the positivity yourself.

Yefoloogi posted...

Can I paint your nails?

Any time love. Lord knows I could use some pointers.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

Absolutely, though I have branched into sociology and feminist stuff too. It's all rooted in my desire to understand humanity. I got a book about Cyrus the Great and another about Babylon for Christmas (along with some novels).

Anyway, I'm going to go do some gaming. Have some baller waiting music for while I'm gone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-NmWxIeCSA
Courtney is gay.

Medussa posted...

i know a cis Amanda, and she always complains about it sounding like "a man, duh". i can't imagine it's a popular choice for trans women, lol.

In Latin it means "worthy to be loved". That's why it was considered. Maybe if I have a daughter some day, it will see the light of day...

Cocytus posted... How and when did you know?

Oh honey. It's not a matter of "knowing". If it was a matter of knowing, I would have started on HRT 10-15 years ago. Maybe even earlier! I knew I was a girl before I even fully understand what gender was. I was heartbroken when my grandmother stopped painting my nails, because I couldn't understand why boys it wasn't a thing boys did. I was probably 5 or 6.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

I tried two different ones, half-heartedly over the years. Amanda and Lauren, but neither felt right.
Ultimately just went with a name that has the same root as my dead name. Boring and unimaginative, I know, but it's definitely mine.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

Painting my nails. Shaving my body (it's starting to get a lot easier now, thankfully), moisturizing, brushing my ever-growing hair. Peaceful stuff.
But I also love just talking to and engaging with other women. I'm so much closer with my female friends now, it's just great that we're on the same wave-length.

gunplagirl posted...

It's the closest to phallic symbolism we have. And if you can't pick then congratulations on the saber because that's probably what type you are.

I'm going to have to give Sunny (not her real name lol) a stern talking to. She's been giving me the impression books and feminist literature are vital parts of the lesbian experience, to the exclusion of swords (I suppose I would go with a saber. Rapiers are ridiculous).
I let her borrow The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey Into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein (read it holy God it's great) and she was really happy with the cover and thought the author was cute.
Also her girlfriend apparently made happy sounds reading the back, so they're both going to read it.

Mr_Karate_II posted...
Favorite 80's movie?

Also, it's awesome your parents are accepting.

I really haven't seen many movies. Like, at all. I like watching them with people, because I'm weird.

PatrickMahomes posted...

pics?

lolno. I'm not anywhere near confident enough to freely share pics of myself. Even if I was inclined to.

gunplagirl posted...

How soon can we meet up irl to have a high stakes sword fight? And are you an epee or saber lesbian? Foils also count.

I didn't realize that being a lesbian was so...complicated. Those are types of...dueling swords, correct? Like, an epee is specifically a type of rapier, IIRC....uhhh....I really don't know. Those things seem kind of flimsy.
Also good morning everyone.

HagenEx posted...

Eh, it's aight, I used to pick Bulbasaur when I was a newbie too.

But then I found the powah of Wartortle's Bite and how it rolled over 3/4ths of Fire Red/Leaf Green, and never looked back.

RBY Razor Leaf is busted good. Slap Body Slam on your boy and you basically run a pain train on most of the game. Judicious use of Leech Seed and Sleep Powder help ease the rest. Just seed and/or sleep anything that cant one-shot your leafy boy if he cant kill it.

MabusIncarnate posted...

Cool, thanks. I played a lot of Stellaris so i'll check it out. A few people have recommended Life is Strange, I didn't give it much of a chance, maybe I should give it another try.

Stellaris recently (within the past year) launched what they call the Custodian Initiative. Basically, theyve dedicated an entire team (the size of which fluctuates but never falls to zero) entirely dedicated to fixing old bugs, getting the AI playing better, and fleshing out old stuff, including events, anomalies, and even old DLC. Its already paid immense dividends in terms of content, flavor, and a much friskier AI.

In any case, this girl needs to get to bed. But she did manage to briefly sound legit femme doing exercises today! I almost cried (being able to cry is great).I have such hope for a future where I am hot and also sound hot.

This place is heavily millennial and we skew liberal and left pretty decisively.

HagenEx posted...

Why did you choose the most horrible starter evolution as your username on GameFAQs.Gamespot.Com?

You keep Venasaur's name out of your whore mouth! Bulbasaur is #1 for a reason, because it owns bones, and Venasaur owns bones and is cool and good and his fat mega evolution was stronk.
Just the idea the lizard with a bulb on its back that grows with it was cool and interesting, and love the utility grass types typically have. My favorite Pokemon is actually Steelix though lol.

MabusIncarnate posted...

What's a good indie game you can recommend?

Hmm, is Paradox Interactive indie anymore? I'm not sure. I'm a junkie, in any case, and Europa Universalis IV, bloated though it is, is my poison of choice, though they did also manage to make Stellaris really good finally too, even though the Dolphinoids promote unrealistic body standards.
Other than that, really loved Life Is Strange, Transistor, FTL (I'm like the billionth person to rec that, I know), and Sunless Sea is neato even if it can be a bit repetitive. Oh, and I think I like Shadowrun : Dragonfall even slightly better than those!

greyfox747 posted...

Well, Im happy to hear that they were accepting and Sorry to hear that it hasnt always been that good

Oh no! Heh, I do that sometimes: I meant that it's been easier from that point on, not that things have been worse. But the meaning there is very ambiguous and I should have chosen my words more carefully to ensure an accurate conveyance of what I meant. I've met with uniform acceptance so far, though as I have gotten into the periphery I've encountered some confusion.
But no hostility. My sister and my cousin want to teach me how to do makeup, which is good, because I still know nothing.

greyfox747 posted...

Yeah, it really does get easier, doesnt it? I remember melting down for months when faced with the prospect of coming out to anyone at all

I mean, I've had a great therapist, and the first 7 were all super supportive. Among those 7 are(inclusive):

• 3 lesbians
• 4 women
• 2 enbies
• one cis dude

An extremely normal cis friend group for a cisgender "dude" (LOL). Then I came out to my parents, which I expected to go well because they knew one of the enbies and were very good to them, and it did go great. It's all been downhill from there.

greyfox747 posted... How many swords do you own? How do you feel about frogs? How do you feel about coming out?

I don't own any swords and I'm neutral on the subject of frogs.
As for coming out, well...I've done a lot of that already. I used to be super anxious about it. It was so hard to tell my first friend, all those months ago when I met her in a parking lot to get the candles she made me for my birthday. She was fumbling with her trunk and cursing out her wife, and I struggled for a good five to ten seconds to blurt it out. It ended with her giving me a hug and asking about my name and pronouns. Each subsequent coming out has been easier. I've done it two dozen times by now. Almost.

And I'm really damned tired of telling people. I want to just show the world the truth and be done with it.

Unknown5uspect posted...

Do you prefer cucumbers or pickles?

Oh my God pickles. I need pickles to live. Side effect of spironolactone, according to non-binary chemist friend who has been doing this for almost a decade. Peeing a lot is also a side effect of spiro. Spiro kind of makes me really want an orchiectomy.

Smackems posted...

Last time you made some soup?

Good question. I like using broth (nothing like some nice warm chicken broth to pour into a dish when you're feeling under the weather) and turkey broth is fire (and its season is passed now :(), but I don't really make soup. Just the occasional brothy sauce for noodles or pasta, really.

nfearurspecimn posted...

why did you make two topics about the same thing?!

My browser sticks on GameFAQs when posting, for some reason. This rarely results in double posts.

David1988 posted...

How nervous/anxious are you? Do you think your friends and family will take it well?

Not very. I am out to basically everyone important. At least the ones who live around here, and I literally have yet to experience a negative reaction. I have a phenomenally robust social support system, and in that regard, I am ridiculously fortunate. Most trans women have a much harder time than I have had so far.

Well, not anything. Be polite. And I mean IRL, I've been out here for quite some time. With this coming semester off, I'm going to get to work on quite a few things, like spending more time with Z here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PNnBRBfOVY
She's gorgeous but her ability to demonstrate basically any combination of pitch, vocal weight, and resonance is...profoundly unnerving.

Flauros posted...

im guessing that entails a guy aimlessly wandering with a bottle of watered down bleach just kinda spritzing whatever he pleases?

Its 100% that, yes. At best.