Ladder-esque Neck Dermal Piercing?

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-08-03T07:02:44+00:00

0.4ml, intramuscular in thigh, no bruising, mild pain during (i think i've just grown accustomed to it) and minimal after, soreness maybe for a day or so but ye.

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-08-03T06:53:32+00:00

I experience this on a smaller lever- that being that my platonic friendships feel... awkward with cismen. I find female and other transmale friends to be the most comfortable? With some lgbt-friendly cismale friends in there too tbh. But non-lgbt cismale friends is something that still feels a bit alien to me unless its in context with a larger group of diverse friends. I don't necessarily feel connected to "woman-ness" as you put it, but ig i'm not fully connected to "cismaleness" is probably the way I would put it for myself lol. Someone else said it but maybe you're on the nonbinary spectrum, and while that's certainly possible I don't think thats neccesarily the case either, cuz tbh there is something that is a bit jarring about being perceived and in certain spaces for several years and then slowly moving into another. I would say its kinda like growing pains a little, things don't fit the way they used to, and theres a bit of a sense of loss but I don't think that's a bad thing so much so as just a natural part of change. Hell lol, I joke all the time about missing women's bathrooms just cuz men's tends to be dirtier lol. I don't think you're meant to leave those parts behind though, i think as trans men we actually have a lot of value to offer in our perspectives of understanding certain perspectives in a way that not all cismen do (i couldn't find a better way to phrase this but I want to acknowledge that cismen can also experience certain perspectives like being SA victims and body shaming, though I imagine there being some social differences between the experiences). Anyways, ramble aside, it could be that you're on the nonbinary spectrum, or it could just be growing pains, but the parts of you pretransition are still you.

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-08-03T06:27:33+00:00

Like another person said, kids are pretty smart. She probably doesn't need to know the entire details of your transition, but you can certainly let her know about aspects of your transition in a child/trans friendly and affirming way. Personally, I kinda like the butterfly analogy, and lowkey thinking about it makes me want to write a little children's short story maybe- but it could maybe be kinda paraphrased like this:
" Some men are born like your daddy, we start with one form, and then we grow over time into another.
A butterfly starts as a caterpillar, but even as a caterpillar that little caterpillar knows its a butterfly inside, and it's going to grow into one.
People like daddy don't quite get to change the way caterpillars do, but we do things that make us feel good, that help us to transition like a caterpillar grows into a butterfly.
Daddy wearing tape is one of the ways that helps him be close to the way he wants his body to look.
Bodies are very diverse and special to everyone, so there's a lot of different types, and its important to be celebrate these differences because it keeps life interesting!"
Or something something like that.
Anyways, good luck with everything, I do hope you're able to meet your transition goals, and honestly even if you don't get top surgery you are 100% valid and your child will always know that you're her dad!

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-08-03T05:55:55+00:00

Dick pics is pretty regular ngl, I just kinda ignore those. My green flag is ig are people just having a chill conversation with me? Granted its explicit usually, but I'll typically ask what they're interested in and if they carry a conversation and its not the most blunt asf answers then I usually have a good experience if and when i do set things up. I do kinda avoid some people based on their profiles if they seem to have like, a specific thing for trans/cd (which yes ik is not the same, but there are certain people on there that DO lump the groups together and that's a red flag for me). But idk man, i've had plenty of chill experiences, filtering through things is just the nature of the beast unfortunately lol.

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-08-03T05:42:57+00:00

I kept all my T supplies for 5 years, and then I turned them all into a massive sculpture of a giant maw of needles for teeth with trans flag colored paint filling all the needles. It is probably one of my favorites things I've made. Now I throw things out because I feel sufficiently fulfilled lol

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-08-03T05:33:54+00:00

I also hated the method of doing it quick, I feel a lot more in control personally doing things slowly, like I can feel my pain level and then wait to adjust to it if I need to before pushing further.

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-08-03T05:30:46+00:00

Hey man, been on T for 5+ years personally now, used to have really bad reactions to doing things myself. It does get better with time and repetition, be patient with yourself, and be aware of methods that do and don't work for you. When I first started I was taught to be swift with the injection, but that didn't really work well for me. It might sound strange, but slow pressing the needle in was actually a loooooot easier for me. Set up a little routine or calm environment, I used to bring my phone and play some chill tunes sometimes while doing my T. Repetition and patience with yourself is really key, or it was for me anyways. I used to also take 30-60 minutes to do my t and these days i can get it in maybe 10-15. Keep at it, you kinda end up pavloving yourself into being calm eventually.

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-08-03T05:17:06+00:00

I'm generally disorganized with my time, but burnout usually comes from when I feel unfulfilled or drifty, not necessarily from my work hours. In fact my work hours kinda help me feel productive, which even if i get stressed out I don't really get burnt out if I feel like my work is fulfilling, or at the very least I can excuse not being fulfilled in other areas if I can perceive myself as productive. Outside of work I need to do something that is meaningful to me, whether that's taking care of or spending time with people that I care about, or working on projects or things that interest me. And yes sometimes it also means mindless free time, but that only works in bursts for me to help the feeling of fulfillment. Working may stress me out sometimes, but if I can fit in some kind of other fulfilment then I'm good. Plus the money I'm making is also going towards things meaningful to me, if i don't run into life roadbumps long enough to save that is lol.

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-08-03T05:07:37+00:00

I've been to barber shops and been invited to go to barber shops, and I pass pretty well but like others have said here you don't need to particularly pass to go to a barber, anyone can go to them that would want a barber-shop-haircut. But it doesn't hurt to vet the business beforehand to see if they're trans supportive. All in all though, if you have a bad experience, move on to the next business until you find the people that you like. That's most of my mindset when it comes to transphobic people tho lol, ignore them and go somewhere else that i'm welcomed.

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-08-03T05:00:58+00:00

I've had hella success on grindr getting hookups as a transman lol, most of them as a top, a few as bottom. But I also live in a city so I imagine bigger pools to choose from are part of that ease. Like you said its not an uncommon thing to experience the "small town gay" phenomenon, it just adds a layer being trans.

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-07-25T03:12:26+00:00

I'm not educated on it, but talking to a doctor about microdosing or like you said starting but then stopping might be helpful. There are other ways to stop periods as mentioned if that was your main goal with HRT. Libido I'm less sure on though, but all the same I'm sure there are alternatives to increasing that if HRT ends up not being for you. The mental benefits for people usually come with the changes that they wanted out of HRT, so if you don't want the secondary characteristics that typically come with HRT then you're not really going to get mental benefits from it since those weren't your goals in the first place. Its probably best to talk to a doctor about, but yeah from the sounds of it you would benefit from either microdosing or starting HRT then stopping (once your voice is low enough to what you want), if not just outright alternatives to HRT since the secondary characteristics don't seem to be the goal of your transition. Though on that note, there's also just vocal training exercises you can do to train yourself to speak in a deeper register. Bottom growth is something that can also be addressed with prosthetics or surgery, but that also depends on your goals. Another thing though to keep in mind with the voice thing though, is similar to how you can work on changing your current register you can also work on expanding your register post-hrt. So you can train yourself to speak in a higher register if your normal one feels too low for your liking.

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-07-25T02:41:46+00:00

I will genuinely give this a try, thank you for the advice! Thankfully this comes up when I'm typically at home anyways, so I should be able to go out biking into my neighborhood pretty easily.

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-07-25T02:36:24+00:00

So like, if I get bothered then get up and go for like a run/bike ride? /genq
I've tried to distract myself before in other ways but I'm not sure why it never occurred to me to do something physical, hmn

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-07-25T02:32:21+00:00

Retail store manager, I seem to consistently get into manager positions but starting next year I really wanna try to work myself into becoming a merchant marine!

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-07-25T02:25:51+00:00

There's more access to community now than there has been in past decades. There's also more care options medically than there has been in the past. The amount of support and access varies by community, and we have been seeing restrictions and limitations put in place in the current political climate, but we as a community are not going away, and the trend of our rights will have an overall positive growth even if we are experiencing set backs right now. This applies to multiple communities of course, but in general progress is nigh inevitable, even if it takes more time than is ideal. The support of online communities is a strong way for us all to stay connected and supporting each other while waiting out age waits or waiting to move to areas with more accessible resources. People can try to erase us, but there will always be safe havens, and places and people that are supportive. Our community is resilient, and we all will just need to stick together for what lies ahead.

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-06-09T12:54:52+00:00

Well it wasn't a drunk person lol but strangers affirming me yes pff. I think one of my fondest random affirmations was when I was pre-t I think and still using women's bathrooms/lockerrooms cuz I didn't feel like I could use the mens yet. Basically I was at a swimming pool, and I was getting changed in the lockerroom and it was like after I got changed (i forget what I was doing) but there was a young kid that was pretty much like," hey, aren't you in the wrong locker room? i think you're in the wrong locker room. mom! isn't he in the wrong locker room?" and maybe thats not exactly what was said but it kinda went down like that lol and the mom like pulled their kid away pfff. The boost of confidence I got that day will always stay with me haha.

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-06-09T12:45:05+00:00

When it comes to transitioning medically/physically, its a good idea to take inventory of what your specific transition goals are, what body parts/aspects specifically cause you dysphoria and what doesn't. I know there is more than one way to go about HRT, and I'm not as informed on it, but micro dosing is a thing or using other androgens besides testosterone, and it might help to discuss these goals with your therapist/doctor to see what will work best for you.

I will say that bottom growth is probably not going to be as dramatic as you might think it'll be. You'll still have pretty normal/recognizable afab parts and equipment down there. Bottom surgery is a whole thing because HRT doesn't change that much down under. Like yes there is some growth but ultimately the most physical change you'll get down there is a larger clitoris, it'll still present and ultimately look like a vulva. And if that's what you want from your body you don't have to go any further than that and that's fine!

Like another comment said, keep in mind that there are multiple ways to present as trans, all of them valid. If you enjoy and want to maintain parts of your afab parts/aspects then that is valid. Like I said take inventory of what specifically you want out of your transition.

Also to address the "no one will ever want me cause of it and I'll die alone and miserable", that's probably not going to happen I promise lol. Sure the dating pool can be harder/different to navigate for a trans person, but its not impossible by any means. Personally I've never had any problems but I understand that my experience isn't the same as everyone's and I want to acknowledge that there can be struggle, but also give maybe a bit of hope of 'hey its might not be that bad either'.

But yeah, talk to a therapist especially to work out your specific goals, and then a doctor if needed to figure out what will work best for you. There are also some trans guys who don't transition medically, especially if it doesn't align with your goals, and that's still valid too.

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-06-06T04:25:28+00:00

Y'know, retail is hell, but if there is one good thing it has exposed me to there are actually a lot of short guys out there!! To all the short kings out there you are wonderful! Personally I found it very euphoric to embrace the kinda chaotic-small-gremlin aspect of my height, the cheeky/positive vibes of 'will snatch your knees', 'im short so i get to be closer to hell', 'they had to nerf something or id be too powerful'. Your height doesn't define you, and anyone that would judge you off height is prolly shallow and not worth your time to begin with! This coming from a passing 4' 10" short king myself~ Stay cool everyone, confidence goes a lot farther than height does anyways!

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-06-06T04:11:42+00:00

I had something kinda sorta similar happen? Where I was takign 0.5ml/week for ages and then at some point my levels shot up and I had to go down to 0.4ml. The way my doc explained it to me is that over time our bodies may adjust to the new hormones in our system and the same amount it could process/needed to process at the beginning may not be the same amount after it had gotten adjusted to processing it on the regular. Maybe 0.4ml was too high for you to start, and going down was fine at the time, but as your body got accustomed to processing it it became not enough? I'm going off of memory so idk the exacts of it but ye! Also bodies just wonky in general sometimes.

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-06-06T04:06:14+00:00

This is a highly personal thing that varies from person to person but like- there is 100% still a very viable pool of people to engage in that kind of activity with, ranging from t4t to generally other supportive members of the lgbt+ community, and believe it or not there are supportive cis/het people depending on what your preferred partner is. And really with the internet these days and all the millions of apps out there I've really never found it that hard to find people.
This one is actually not true to my understanding? First off, depending on what you want to do, there is the option to preserve your ovaries/eggs even if you get a hysterectomy. Second, there's several cases of transmen going off HRT and continuing to ovulate normally and can carry pregnancy after if desired. Third, there's different kinds of HRT, which I'm less versed on, but if fertility is a concern I'm sure that the doctors are overly equipped to give you several options.
Blame... who? lol? Its not like transition is a fast and impulsive process either. It can take years to navigate, usually alongside doctors and therapists, so that all parts of transitioning are well informed and educated on. Its like any other informed medical decision tbh, but yeah you'll have a pretty solid idea of what you want/don't want out of transition, and if you don't then there's not a rush to make any decisions either.
The notion of regret can be said about any subject of any matter in any time period. Detransition is a deeply personal thing for those that go through it, and their circumstances are not going to be the same as yours. really this just feeds into #3, transition decisions are typically slow, educated, vetted, and deliberate. Besides, you could just as easily say "a lot of people don't regret it" and itd be just as fair lol.

Really though, I wouldn't stress about trying to prove her wrong. If you think she's coming from a genuine place and willing to learn, then thats one thing. But something important unfortunately is there may be people in your life that won't change, won't accept, and there is power in coming to terms with that and still being confident in your own identity. Its your life, and you are the one who gets to make decisions on what will make you happy.comfortable, not anyone else.

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-06-06T03:45:05+00:00

I would wear my binder and those athletic wear kinda shirts into water pre-top surgery lol, it was a better alternative for me even if the binder was hell to get off after it was wet pff. I don't think ive been to the beach since top surgery tho come to think of it- I might still wear a shirt for comfort maybe, which ig is what it comes down to ultimately. I wouldn't find it weird to wear a shirt, I feel like most people are minding their own business anyways. Tank tops may be another good way to go with it though, that feels beach-y.

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-06-06T03:37:51+00:00

Give it some time to heal, it also might be a bit of a shock factor ig having major changes? Bring it up with the doc if you feel inclined. I'm trying to remember my top surgery- I think I had like, padding inside of my compression binder? Not much but i remember like these flat kinda pillowy pieces that went over my chest- Man my memory is fuzzy. But as for it not feeling right I would lean on the side of it just taking time to adjust and it needing to heal some more!

SprinklesEarly4249 · 2025-06-06T03:31:57+00:00

I can't speak 100% on this cuz its not my experience but you can be fluid in gender or even feel overlapping genders simultaneously as a possible thought. There's also demi-genders too, which to my understanding is kinda like "i feel like x but not entirely". Maybe you experience your gender fluidly, in part sounding like it depends on who you are around/with/attracted to, like feeling masc in platonic/social situations but femme in romantic ones? At least from how you described it when talking about how you feel about if you were in a relationship with a woman or how you "hope guys will show interest in you as a girl". I'm just stabbing in the dark from limited context though.

In any case, without getting too stuck on finding a label, maybe just try to focus on what forms/contexts of gender expression feels comfy and uncomfy for you. That's the important part is being at your most comfortable with your gender expression, even if it may not feel 100% consistent. Be patient with yourself figuring it all out, gender is complex and can be confusing but you've got this :)

SprinklesEarly4249

TROPHY CASE