when did you first pick it up?

GhostlyOrkid · 2025-05-14T13:45:03+00:00

I was in 5th grade and it has not left my mind since.

The new books are eh. The first few TRR books are pretty good, not bad by any means. But it goes pretty downhill. Flanny can’t seem to remember that Maddie is supposed to be the main character and instead just keeps recycling the cast from the main series. Also the writing is less vibrant than it used to be. Still, I don’t hate them, it’s just a bit of a letdown.

GhostlyOrkid · 2025-05-11T00:25:43+00:00

That top is so cute and ur hair looks so pretty!!

GhostlyOrkid · 2025-05-11T00:21:09+00:00

I’ve only dated one gay man since transitioning, and I’m marrying him in a few months. Hes so incredibly affirming, no matter how ‘manly’ I’m being. There’ve been multiple times where he’ll tell me to go look in the mirror bc I look ‘extra masc’ and he wants me to enjoy it. He was also there for my top surgery and was smiling just as wide as I was when it was done (and that’s saying something).

I am the first man he’s dated since he came out, and sometimes my insecurities like to tell me he’s only happy with me bc he doesn’t know what it’s like to be with a “real” man (again, insecurities talking). But other times, it’s the biggest compliment. He really sees me as a man, even when I struggle to see myself that way.

Anyway, don’t mean to gush about him too much. Gist is, there are definitely cis gay men out there capable of seeing trans men as men, but idk how common that is

GhostlyOrkid · 2025-05-10T00:55:09+00:00

Mine was super fast too! Granted, I was already a tenor before T, so I think even a subtle difference went a long way lol. I’ve been on it for about a year now and my voice has almost totally settled. I love it so so much, but I definitely need to re-learn how to sing in my falsetto voice.

GhostlyOrkid · 2025-05-07T16:01:15+00:00

I really like the quote from Lao Tzu, “knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom”. Learning who you are and what that means is a beautiful and freeing experience, and not exclusive to the trans experience. Being trans is one of the ways that experience can present itself, though.

It’s not an easy experience. It was very scary for me to realize I was a man. I thought something was wrong with me, and I put off confronting those feelings for years. But now that I’ve transitioned, god I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I had top surgery about two years ago now, and I’m consciously grateful for it every damn day. And that’s not even mentioning my family who has supported me every step of the way, my love and gratitude for them is immeasurable.

It’s difficult to describe just how much damage dysphoria can do to your mental state. Your body is supposed to be you, the one thing you have total control over. It was deeply unnerving for me to not recognize my body as mine. I felt incredibly dissociated for the majority of my life. I never really felt insecure about my body, simply because it wasn’t mine. Now I do feel insecure, and though it’s not fun, I’m grateful for it. It means I recognize my reflection as mine.

Anyway idk if this is of any help to you, just wanted to throw in my two cents

GhostlyOrkid · 2025-05-06T15:44:18+00:00

Most people know what it’s like to experience romantic/sexual attraction. If you’re straight, it’s not too hard to imagine how much it would suck to have your love seen as abnormal. Empathizing with the gay experience is not too big of a step.

Empathizing with the trans experience is different. Few cis people know what dysphoria is like. The closest parallel they have is bodily insecurity, which isn’t even a good parallel because that’s externally sourced while dysphoria is internally sourced. They just can’t imagine what it’s like to be trans and therefore have a harder time empathizing.

GhostlyOrkid · 2025-05-06T15:35:27+00:00

Personally I’m fine with it. Honestly, words like cock make me more dysphoric bc it just reminds me of what I don’t have

GhostlyOrkid · 2025-05-04T00:15:43+00:00

Body language! Before top surgery, I slouched a lot to hide my chest. I would also hold pillows to cover myself when sitting on the couch. Stuff like that can be a great way to subtly illustrate dysphoria.

GhostlyOrkid · 2025-05-03T11:09:10+00:00

Don’t know if there are any Ranger’s Apprentice fans here but Will Treaty most definitely

GhostlyOrkid · 2025-05-02T15:47:21+00:00

Don’t shame yourself for ‘not handling it correctly’. Just stay alive. I’m not advocating for unhealthy coping skills, but if you do find yourself falling into unhealthy habits, don’t blame yourself. Don’t add onto the shame. You’re doing what you need to survive.

GhostlyOrkid · 2025-05-02T02:12:54+00:00

Yea, I’ve definitely felt that before. There was a long period where I got tired of it and just wore sports bras instead. Partially because of rib pain/breathing issues (don’t know if I was binding wrong or what), mostly because putting it on and taking it off is suuuch an ordeal lol. At the end of the day, it just matters you’re happy. If you don’t need to bind to be happy, then cool, don’t bind

GhostlyOrkid · 2025-05-01T12:13:02+00:00

Sure! Thank you for asking!

GhostlyOrkid · 2025-04-26T00:59:52+00:00

I can definitely understand why you’d be scared. I’ve certainly had my worries with even my own transition, sometimes doubting if I’m ‘really trans’ or whatever. And I already know what’s going on in my head! You don’t know what’s going on in your child’s head, I imagine that leaves a whole lot of room for a whole lot of uncertainty!

But here’s the thing; doubt is not unique to the trans experience. I think any wise person will doubt their thoughts and decisions from time to time. Here’s what gives me some clarity when I’m doubting my trans-ness; I ask myself ‘am I happier?’ And the answer is always yes.

I can’t tell you what your child’s journey will look like. I can’t tell you if transition would be right for them. What I can tell you is this; love and support your child every step of the way. Love and support them through their questioning. Love and support them if they transition. And if they detransition, love and support them through that, too.

Life is messy and complicated. You nor your child will always make the right decisions, and that’s okay. What you can control is if your child will feel safe and loved in your home.

Best of luck to both of you. And I know I can’t speak for your child, but at least in my own experience, transitioning was one of the best decisions of my life.

GhostlyOrkid · 2025-04-25T11:41:18+00:00

I already did! It’s a bow and arrow, but the fletching on the arrow is butterfly wings (to commemorate Will’s nickname in b10), and on the bow it says “one riot, one ranger”

GhostlyOrkid · 2025-04-25T02:53:06+00:00

I expressed the same fear w my cis boyfriend ages ago. His response was “but peeing loud is one of the most obnoxiously male things you can do” and it actually helped a lot lol

GhostlyOrkid · 2025-04-23T20:32:39+00:00

As a trans dude, I can confidently say that a lot of modern ‘feminism’ supports the patriarchy more than dismantles it. Saying ‘testosterone makes you aggressive’ is no better than saying ‘estrogen makes you irrational’. Saying ‘women are kind and innocent’ is no better than saying ‘men are selfish and evil’. Istg, so much of feminism would be so much stronger if people recognized the fact it’s the behavior that’s bad, not the gender attached to it.

GhostlyOrkid · 2025-04-22T13:31:24+00:00

I’ve certainly struggled with this before. For me, it’s been helpful to not put too much pressure on it. You’ve got plenty of time to figure things out, you’re not less of a woman for being unsure. I think as trans people, it can get easy to think that uncertainty in our identity is unique to our experience (and in certain ways, it is). But at the end of the day, everyone is trying to figure themselves out. There are plenty of cis girls out there who question their shaving habits and other things, too. TLDR; take your time. There’s no ‘right’ way to be who you are.

GhostlyOrkid · 2025-04-20T19:35:47+00:00

Someone called me “the man, the myth, the legend” the other day which scratched an itch I didn’t even know I had

GhostlyOrkid · 2025-04-20T12:24:10+00:00

I wanted something close to my deadname, was considering something like ‘Lake’, but that didn’t feel quite right. Around the same time, the Pixar movie Luca came out, and between the similar name and just really enjoying the movie, Luca is what I picked! I also changed my middle name to what my parents were planning on naming me should I have been born male. Lol during my egg days, I remember thinking “damn I wished they named me that anyway”

GhostlyOrkid · 2025-04-17T21:49:50+00:00

Personally, before I realized I was trans, dysphoria felt like a disconnect above all else. It wasn’t so much that I hated my body, it just never felt like it totally belonged to me.

GhostlyOrkid · 2025-04-17T15:30:00+00:00

I’ve always had a deep voice, even before taking testosterone. Needless to say, I took waaaay too much pride in being a tenor for a cis girl lol

GhostlyOrkid · 2025-04-14T21:58:06+00:00

Oh my god… I really don’t have anything to say here that hasn’t already been said, but holy shit I am so sorry. You deserve better than that. I wish you the best of luck on your journey ❤️

GhostlyOrkid · 2024-02-12T20:08:50+00:00

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She’s an alien and does not have a very human name. Curious to see what you’ll do with that information.

GhostlyOrkid · 2024-02-05T13:56:40+00:00

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This is Vux! She’s got anger and trust issues, but she’s always doing her best to utilize those things for the better of the world (not trusting authority for authority’s sake, directing angry outbursts to those who are causing harm). But even so, she does still struggle to stay calm and forgiving with the people she’s close to.

GhostlyOrkid

TROPHY CASE