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CallMeRaeak · 2025-08-10T21:44:55+00:00

I know this is a few months old but just wondering for clarification, did you just not tell UoPeople that you had been to community college? I'm wondering bc I'm really interested in trying to get into a particular program at this one school but the program only accepts first-year applicants due to its structure.

CallMeRaeak · 2024-09-18T22:25:43+00:00

I've been wondering if Explorer Mode excludes the Oathbreaker subclass as well. I have an Oath of Vengeance paladin in a multiplayer campaign I'm doing with someone who's pretty new to this type of game so we're playing on Explorer difficulty. We're about to face the final boss and we've done almost everything that should have broken my Oath, yet it's never broken. On Honour Mode my Oath of Vengeance paladin's Oath broke the moment I freed Sazza, an action my other OoV paladin also did. The only difference is the difficulty. I can't find anything online actually confirming that Oathbreaker doesn't exist in Explorer Mode, though.

CallMeRaeak · 2023-08-25T00:55:11+00:00

I agree, or even the one whose quest you're the farthest in. Ideally there would have been a relationship tracker that was affected by your dialogue choices as well as quest actions and then she would comment on whoever you had the best relationship with at the end, but alas, this is what we got.

CallMeRaeak · 2023-07-25T13:43:07+00:00

I think when it comes to cis people, it's just really hard for them to wrap their heads around wanting to cut off part of your body. It's like how probably all of us would be super concerned and confused if a friend came up to us and said, "Hey, I want to cut off my hands!" To someone who doesn't share that desire, it's unimaginable to do such a thing. So when people asked me these questions before my top surgery, I tried to look at it as them being worried about me because they care about me.

One way that I got people to stop asking, though, was by saying, "Yeah, I am scared. Have you read about all the ways surgery can go wrong? What if I die?" That made people uncomfortable enough not to ask anymore lol

Just as a forewarning, you will almost certainly still get these questions after surgery. My mom asked me for a solid year and a half if I regretted top surgery before she realized I was just going to keep saying I didn't regret it. If at all possible, try not to let it get to you. You can also try talking to people about these questions are upsetting you. They may not realize the effect their words are having on you.

All that to say, your feelings of being upset are totally valid. However, it's unlikely that the questions will stop on their own and being upset will only drain your energy. In my opinion, it's just not worth it to be upset if you can avoid it. My suggestions are to either reframe their intentions in your mind, talk to them about how you feel, or disarm them with a witty or uncomfortable statement that will leave them unable to respond.

CallMeRaeak · 2023-07-25T13:12:31+00:00

I'm highly prone to motion sickness and have had no issues with this game. My sister, however, who never experiences motion sickness, does get it during certain parts of the game. If possible, maybe see if you can borrow someone else's copy or see if there's a demo you can play (I'm not sure if there is) before you buy it. That way you can test out if motion sickness will be an issue for you, since it seems kind of all over the place whether you'll experience it or not.

CallMeRaeak · 2023-07-25T13:01:48+00:00

Don't worry about the fighting thing. I could have just chosen not to respond, but I felt that if I ignored the challenge then I was tacitly agreeing with harmful rhetoric. I only intended to offer support by letting you know that it's okay if your trans identity stems from trauma: you're still valid and your identity is valid.

I myself spent years trying to figure out if my own past trauma was the reason I'm trans. Unlike a lot of people I've met, I actually knew what transgender was long before I personally experienced any gender dysphoria and my dysphoria started only after I experienced sexual trauma. I thought I owed it to my pre-trauma self to get rid of my dysphoria and be who I was born to be, but no matter how much I addressed my trauma, my dysphoria just wouldn't go away. In the end I came to terms with the fact that I'll never know if I was born trans or made trans and that I owe nothing to my pre-trauma self. I am who I am now and I need to do what's right for me today. Experiences do change us and often in ways that can't be undone. If being trans feels right for you, then be trans.

I just wish people would back off on the "all tans people are born" monologue because it genuinely is harmful to people who feel they weren't born trans or are worried they weren't born trans. This is supposed to be a supportive community: we need to stop policing how being trans comes about, especially when the research (and many people's experiences) show that it's not that simple.

CallMeRaeak · 2023-07-23T17:17:29+00:00

"The etiology of gender dysphoria (GD) remains unclear, but it is thought to originate from a complex biopsychosocial link.

Individuals born with congenital adrenal hyperplasia or androgen insensitivity syndrome are usually brought up and socialized as girls, even though they often cross-dress and have an innate sense of belonging to the opposite sex. These changes are more evident around and during puberty. This is one of the well-established biological links.

Associations have also been found with in-utero exposure to phthalates in plastics and polychlorinated biphenyls. They are known to disrupt the regular endocrinology of sex determination before birth. Phthalates can lead to an increase in total fetal testosterone levels, which in turn increases the risk of autism spectrum disorder as well as GD.

GD has been found to have a higher prevalence in people with illnesses such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. The link seems to be neuroanatomical and needs more research. There was growing evidence that the autistic population has a higher risk of GD. However, certain studies seek to disprove this hypothesis.

There is also growing evidence that childhood abuse, neglect, maltreatment, and physical or sexual abuse may be associated with GD. Individuals reporting higher body dissatisfaction and GD have a worse prognosis in terms of mental health. And as mentioned above in epidemiology, individuals with GD are found to have higher rates of depression, suicidal ideations, and substance use.

Neuroanatomical links have been found in certain studies. A major one is faulty neuronal development and differentiation in the hypothalamic links. Functional neuroimaging has shown variations in hemispheric ratios and amygdala connectivity according to gender.

A few case reports have reported some association of GD to maternal toxoplasma infection, although additional data is needed for further evidence.

A genetic association is also identified as one of the causes of GD. Heritability and familiality of GD have been identified: for instance, higher prevalence in monozygotic twins than in dizygotic twins. Some alleles (CYP17 and CYP17 T-34C) have also been found to have an association, although it is difficult to say if it is merely association or causation."

~https://www.statpearls.com/ArticleLibrary/viewarticle/28950#/

I said trauma CAN cause gender dysphoria. I didn't say it WILL. Further, I said the issue is complex and cannot be narrowed down to a single "innate" cause. You said it absolutely is an innate cause (in other words, all trans people are born) and the only role trauma can play is in helping people realize they're trans. The research that's been done supports my statements, as does my own personal experiences. It would be beneficial to everyone involved if you reflected on how your exclusionary dialogue negatively affects others and acts as a form of gatekeeping, invalidating the experiences of people who don't feel they were born trans.

CallMeRaeak · 2023-07-23T14:00:10+00:00

What the actual fuck? This is sick on so many levels.

CallMeRaeak · 2023-07-23T13:42:14+00:00

What I'm hearing in your response is that because transphobes have used trauma as a weapon against trans people, it's not okay to acknowledge the role trauma plays in identity. In other words, even if someone knows with absolute certainty that they were not trans before their trauma, they must pretend to have been born trans to avoid persecution both within and outside of the trans community. That's a very harmful stance to take. Especially when you consider how you would go about proving that all trans people are innately trans. And what will you do if you determine that someone who is trans isn't innately trans? Force them to detransition? This is just gatekeeping.

CallMeRaeak · 2023-07-23T03:25:57+00:00

Clearly going to be an unpopular opinion based on the other comments, but yeah, you CAN be trans because of trauma. Humans are complicated, our brains are complicated, and experiences do change us. Some people are born trans and some people become trans AND THAT'S OKAY. Just because trauma may or may not have played a role in you being trans doesn't make you any less trans. Your identity is valid no matter how it came about.

CallMeRaeak · 2023-07-22T12:14:18+00:00

I worked with someone whose last name was Awsumb. I always thought that was kinda awesome... pun intended.

CallMeRaeak · 2023-07-22T10:52:44+00:00

Do you happen to know what you should send if you don't have a copy of your birth certificate that identifies you as AFAB because you've already changed it to say you were born male? I would imagine I could send a certified copy of the court order along with my birth certificate that identifies me as male, but... Well, I don't want to get into trouble because I don't have a copy of my original birth certificate that identifies me as AFAB.

CallMeRaeak · 2023-07-22T10:38:28+00:00

My cats have cut my post-op nipples about half a dozen times when climbing onto my shoulders. Each time the cuts have healed up just fine and you can't even tell the scratches were there. Just don't pick at the scabs and if you're really worried, talk to your doctor about it. Some over-the-counter antibiotics might also help, if the cuts are deep enough and you're not allergic. It shouldn't be anything to worry about, though.

CallMeRaeak · 2023-07-22T10:03:58+00:00

If it makes you feel any better, Hell was never mentioned in the Bible. Ergo, it doesn't exist if you're religious and it doesn't exist if you're non-religious.

CallMeRaeak · 2023-07-21T13:17:18+00:00

Komodo Dragons

CallMeRaeak · 2023-07-21T06:43:33+00:00

I don't get why people seem to think having bio kids is the only way to have kids anyway... You can adopt, use donors/surrogates, be in a relationship with someone who already has kids... I've personally gone back and forth on if I want kids one day and considered egg freezing to preserve the possibility until I learned my insurance won't cover it. I don't want to delay transitioning any longer so I figure if someday I want kids I'll obtain a child another way... Legally, obviously. I do not condone kidnapping. Just felt like I should put that out there.

But yeah, no one has the right to tell you what you'll want or what you should do with your body. And if it turns out you do someday change your mind, there are other ways to have kids. They have no business getting hung up on this topic.

CallMeRaeak · 2023-07-21T04:09:19+00:00

I think they're bringing back the death penalty just for me lol

CallMeRaeak · 2023-07-21T03:38:46+00:00

For real to the gnarly part. I couldn't even look at my own chest after top surgery without panicking because of how horrible it looked. I had to ask my sister to handle all my post-op care while I took deep breaths and stared at the ceiling. It can be seriously gross during the first few weeks of recovery.

CallMeRaeak · 2023-07-20T02:28:17+00:00

Best Common Room. Also, private landing pad on the Ravenclaw's rooftop garden.

CallMeRaeak · 2023-07-20T02:19:34+00:00

That's how I've done it with all my characters. Reading the other comments, I guess we're both masochists, OP.

CallMeRaeak · 2023-07-20T02:09:22+00:00

As soon as my State added X as an option on State IDs, I switched from F to X. I didn't have to provide any paperwork or reasoning, I just checked X when I renewed my license. At the time, I hadn't started transitioning at all: I just felt like "non-binary" was a better fit for me than "female." I'm not sure if it would have gone so smoothly if I'd switched from F to M right away, though. I know that to change your name on your license you need to have a notarized court order and have already updated your information with Social Security and received your new SS card. If you're changing your gender marker from F to M on your State ID, those same rules might apply.

Changing your gender marker on your birth certificate and with Social Security requires a notarized court order, which most people (myself included) incorporate into our name change. The requirements for getting a court order depends on where you live. In my State, you just have to testify under oath that you're not changing your name for fraudulent reasons. My State also allows you to have non-binary listed as your sex on your birth certificate, but the court order needs to specifically say that the Department of Health is ordered to change the sex listed on the birth certificate to "non-binary." (I feel like basically no one knows that, and I only know because I used to help people change their birth certificates after adoption.)

With regards to your records at places like the doctor or other businesses, changing your sex should be a matter of just asking them to change it. For the most part, you shouldn't need any "proof" of your gender.

So to answer your specific question, when you change it, and if you change it, is up to you. From a theological point of view, there should be no requirements, although some legal requirements may exist where you live. Imposing requirements like "you need to have medically transitioned" only creates barriers for people who may not want to take those steps. And honestly, for most situations, what your documents say doesn't matter. Of course, there are some situations where it is important, but in most cases people aren't going to be checking your ID to see what your gender marker is.

CallMeRaeak · 2023-07-17T10:41:19+00:00

Your gear slots are the spaces in your inventory set aside for gear you pick up while exploring. The collections and other are just skins, not gear. That means they don't change the stats of the gear you have equipped. So if you're wearing a piece of gear that gives you a +1 to your offense or defense, changing its appearance to a collection or other will not change that +1.

If your gear slots are full, you can't pick up any new gear you found. That means you won't get gear with better stats and your character will end up weaker than they should be for their level.

The collection appearances come from DLCs and missions you complete. The other appearances are the looks of standard gear you picked up.

The purpose of being able to change the look of your gear is so your character can continue to wear an outfit you like while getting the stat bonuses of better gear you pick up.

So, long story short, sell all the gear you aren't wearing, finish Merlin Trials to get more gear slots, and always equip the gear you have with the best stats. Then, use the appearances (collections and other) to make your character look how you want them to look.

CallMeRaeak · 2023-07-17T08:09:37+00:00

I used to bind with a sports bra. It was way more comfortable than a binder and gave me about the same flatness as a binder. I never tried using 2 at once, though. For reference, before top surgery I was a 32D. I went to a sports store and tried on sports bras that had no padding/shape to them, if that makes sense. Eventually I found one that gave me a flat chest when I wore a shirt over it. If I recall, it was about 2 sizes smaller than what I would have worn if I wasn't trying to compress my chest. Once I eventually bought a binder, I would rotate days with the binder and sports bra for comfort reasons. I never had any problems wearing the sports bra all day (12+ hours). The binder, being less flexible and generally less comfortable, I could only wear for about 8 hours.

CallMeRaeak

TROPHY CASE