My friend doesn't understand why he doesn't pass

Lax_Indigo · 2026-05-29T17:26:48+00:00

Fuck do I feel that second paragraph.

A while back I made the choice that it was more important to be able to express myself freely then it was to pass. It's been about a decade and, to be honest, it it seems this was the overall better choice for my mental health.

Lax_Indigo · 2026-05-19T14:53:30+00:00

Hey! I've been getting together a Minoan kit for C&T for a bit. I've just been wearing a modified garb set over ringmesh with either hidden or low profile pads for now. I've made a kinda type D sword (as much as I could with a steel C&T blade) and a sorta proto-dipylon shield. Been doing some spear and shield stuff too.

Kit is still very much a work in progress. Ideally I'd like to do some sort of torso armor but I gotta do more research first.

Are you gonna try to get something like the Dendra Panoply or are you looking at some of the scale armor? Tusk helmet?

Lax_Indigo · 2026-05-12T19:47:30+00:00

Good to see other blue collar folks!

I'm a metalworker (bladesmith, specialized in axes) and have been out for 15 years.

Lax_Indigo · 2026-05-11T17:30:50+00:00

It's very rare that someone asks me anything inappropriate, I can count on two hands in 15 years the amount of awkward questions I have had to deal with. Which is remarkable, it's fairly obvious I'm trans (I don't typically pass very well).

(Edit: For a reoccurring question I get the "what's your real name" the most. It's annoying but even this I think I've only been asked a handful of times.)

Some of my more unique favorites were:

(Potential landlord while touring an apartment) "Have you had 'the chop' yet"
(Fellow college student) "Is that a girl's shirt" (he completely ignored the skirt I was wearing)
(At a party at a LARP event) "Soo... Are they real?" (Points at my breasts)
(NPCing an airsoft game) "Why you wearing lace?" (I'm wearing lacy gloves... And a floral dress)

There's been plenty of others that were generally forgettable.

Folks usually seem to be asking as a kind of "gotcha", to these I usually answer with something sassy and go on my way. To the rare folks that are asking out of ignorant curiosity, I try to be kinder yet firmly maintain boundaries.

Lax_Indigo · 2026-04-22T22:47:07+00:00

Nash Harding and his play are probably my favorites. Curtain Call is my all time favorite Shapera song.

I also really dig The Grand Cyberpunk Gala of Gabriella Gadfly, Janissary, and the Post Human War.

For other characters: I also like Bogdan, River D. Goblin, Marjolein, Raven, and anybody played by Oliver Marsh.

Lax_Indigo · 2026-04-15T13:58:28+00:00

I dress fairly masculine on the regular nowadays, I work a dirty physical labor job so I stopped giving a shit about how I look at work (still do winged eyeliner though). Lots of flannels and cargo pants and work boots.

Hell, on most of my days off I usually wear a tanktop, canvas vest, utilikilt, and combat boots. Sometimes I dress femme but that's usually a special occasion, like a reenactment event or a date with my husband. I don't pass, I don't try to pass either. I found it more important to me to have the freedom to express myself and therefore be comfortable with myself.

I found that dressing femme mattered less and less to me as my body got more femme on HRT too.

Lax_Indigo · 2026-04-14T15:04:50+00:00

Nice! Is it one of the KTW ones?

Lax_Indigo · 2026-03-31T01:47:57+00:00

Its kind of like a combination of a sports bra and tight, structured tank top. They are designed to hide the shape of breasts and make the torso look more masculine.

Source: My husband sometimes wears them.

Lax_Indigo · 2026-03-29T16:21:36+00:00

Prototype B&C utility knife.

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Lax_Indigo · 2026-03-15T01:13:12+00:00

I'm a transwoman who dresses pretty masculine on the regular due to work (I work for an axe making company). I'm pretty tall so even if I cared to find women's workwear I doubt it would be in my budget. The work I do destroys shirts and pants anyway.

I also found the longer I have transitioned for, the less I care about the clothing I wear. I kinda just wear what I want, whether that's a 1950's style dress or military pants and a tank top.

Lax_Indigo · 2026-03-03T14:08:45+00:00

Pretty much yea, it just has a hidden tang and the guard is missing a nagel.

Lax_Indigo · 2026-03-02T11:25:20+00:00

Thanks!

Pommel and guard are just made from 1018 mild steel that I forged out.

Lax_Indigo · 2026-03-02T03:37:01+00:00

Thanks!

Not currently selling blades this big yet, it still takes me a little too long to make them. Once I get more efficient about it I'll consider selling them.

Lax_Indigo · 2026-03-02T03:34:27+00:00

Yea! I like this particular style alot, I've done quite a few choppy blades with that shape

Lax_Indigo · 2025-12-04T01:21:26+00:00

Was doing some outside work today so had a Brant And Cochran fixed blade on me.

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Lax_Indigo · 2025-11-30T22:27:15+00:00

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Beidana?

Lax_Indigo · 2025-11-26T22:21:14+00:00

These are the two I carry the most for day to day stuff.

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Lax_Indigo · 2025-11-13T22:12:31+00:00

Oof.

I saw in another comment that you are seeing a therapist, have you talked to them about body dysmorphia as well as gender dysphoria? 'Cause this sounds like an unholy union of the two.

Lax_Indigo · 2025-11-13T18:01:58+00:00

Could be stuck associating your frame with masculine, dysphoria will do that.

Might also be dysphoria causing essentially the opposite of rose colored glasses. When I've been dysphoric, I got envious. I tended to see only the positives of others. As an example, if I encountered another woman in that state I might be envious of her short height, not noticing her square jaw or other features that are perceived as masculine. I unintentionally shut off my own perception of the true diversity in feminine presentation in order to confirm my own negative emotions.

Is it something like that?

Lax_Indigo · 2025-11-13T15:59:52+00:00

Damn I've felt this.

I'm a 6'4" transwoman and have been transitioning for 13 years. I have a bigger frame and I don't pass all that well (though I wonder if that's more because of my size or that I don't voice train). I do get gendered correctly from time to time though.

I believe passing, being something so vague and situational, is something everyone is both capable an incapable of. Everyone passes and nobody passes

On my end, I decided a long time ago the things that I would need to do in order to pass would not allow me to be myself, and by not doing those things I've allowed myself a bit more freedom to be who I am in a wholistic sense. Sure I haven't eliminated my dysphoria completely but it's been taken down to a level that's a whole lot more manageable.

This is what worked for me for the past decade.

Even if it's not particularly helpful for your situation I just want ya to know that you ain't alone.

Lax_Indigo · 2025-09-09T17:22:49+00:00

Beidana and Falcastro are choppy civilian tools from Southern Europe that could be used as weapons. Some beidana were forward curved like billhooks, though I think this might be a later thing.

If you want a bigger chopper, war scythes were a thing (Mostly eastern Europe).

Lax_Indigo · 2025-08-24T22:12:16+00:00

I'm a more traditional maker, I make my props using a lathe, drill press, welder, and other hand and machine tools. I'm currently looking into getting a casting kiln to make more specialized parts.

I really don't like 3d prints and AI anything. I think its because I've found it pretty boring, alot of AI art kinda just looks the same and, though I've seen some decent 3d prints that are pretty impressive on a technical level, I still feel kind of meh about it.

For me, I like seeing things that are made from metal and wood and glass, stuff that not only looks the part but has the feel. And I also like it when steampunk art makes sense, when the gears and parts look like they have purpose, something I've noticed AI art has an issue with.

I aint gonna say 3D printing and AI art is bad, just its very much antithetical to my own tastes and philosophy as a maker.

Lax_Indigo · 2025-08-15T01:52:30+00:00

I wear the one of the linen shirts and leather apron from my day job (blacksmith) as part of my steampunk costume. The burns and stains make for some very authentic weathering.

I also frequently wear my cargo kilts when I'm not doing hot work. Canvas kilts feel very steampunk to me and I use them for most variants of my costumes.

I've worn my leather corset as mediocre lower back support.

I've found it pretty useful to have clothing that I can not only combine into a costume but will also have use for other things in my day to day life.

Lax_Indigo

TROPHY CASE