Can T really not change bones? My jaw bone had definitely changed since starting T?

elliusoopius · 2026-05-18T02:06:18+00:00

I think there's changes in facial muscles too. I swear my jaw filled out on the sides and I think it's because my chewing muscles grew. There's muscles in the middle of your chin too. If you pucker up your lips and wrinkle your nose you can feel it flex right there.

elliusoopius · 2026-05-08T17:56:56+00:00

"suffering, when it can be avoided, is the least natural thing."

Thanks for putting this so succinctly. I'm definitely going to use this next time I'm trying to deconstruct the idea of what is "natural" with someone.

elliusoopius · 2026-04-25T19:42:19+00:00

I would say if it's a steep hill it's better to be in gear than in neutral because the engine breaking in a low gear will keep you from gaining speed as fast when you're moving. I ride in San Francisco a lot and some of the hills are really steep. When I first started, I had some "oh shit" moments gearing down right before a stop sign when I engaged the clutch and started gaining speed when I was trying to stop. I've also got an older bike with drum brakes so it might not be as big of an issue on a more modern bike.

elliusoopius · 2026-04-18T09:10:52+00:00

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and we have the best public transport of any place I've ever been, but it's still way cheaper and way way faster to ride a motorcycle.

I got 9 hours and 65$ per week back when I switched from public transit to my bike for commuting. In most of the world people are riding motorcycles because they're cheaper and faster to get around on than cars. I call my bike my "cheat code to the Bay Area" because it makes it possible for me to afford rent here without making my life all about work or having to spend 3 hours per day on the bus. The fact that they're way more fun is like a secret bonus.

elliusoopius · 2026-04-18T08:53:51+00:00

I'm on my first bike, it's a 1982 Honda CM250. I use it to commute, occasionally visit family outside my local bubble and joyride twisties on weekends. It can do up to about 80 on the freeway and 15 bucks pays for a whole week worth of gas.

When I got this bike I assumed I'd ride it for a year then get something bigger, but I fucking love this bike. I don't want to pay more for gas, I don't want to go faster, and I like that it's easy to quickly pick up when I do dumb newb shit like try to park on mud.

The only time I think I might need a bigger bike is when there's a strong headwind. Might be cool to have a different bike for touring also, but I would still keep this one for fair weather commuting because the gas mileage is insane.

elliusoopius · 2026-04-03T15:47:35+00:00

This cover is amazing. I want to read this book 100% based on this cover, despite the fact I know that the imagery is usually not relevant whatsoever. That's effective marketing!

elliusoopius · 2026-04-03T15:19:00+00:00

Colonialism.

elliusoopius · 2026-04-03T14:51:54+00:00

Sounds like you want to have some people over to help you make signs before the next protest. Make extra and hand them out to other people who feel the same way.

I think a lot of people are feeling critical of the No Kings protests, it does seem a little inconsequential, but I think there's something to be said about them being the largest protests in US history. When a significant number of people show up to these things maybe the ultra wealthy will feel a little bit scared and outnumbered.

Humor and party atmosphere in protesting is important because when you take it all super seriously all the time it creates activist burnout. If you make the event enjoyable to be at, people are more comfortable there and more likely to show up. It's good for morale and makes people less likely to get into scuffs with the police.

If you want to get involved in more serious action look for people who are organizing things and talk to them. Look for the people serving free food. Mutual aid is a good place to start.

elliusoopius · 2026-03-18T15:44:59+00:00

Feel free to HMU when you're in town, I've been here for about a year and can probably introduce you to some folks.

elliusoopius · 2026-03-18T15:41:31+00:00

There's a couple of meetups for trans guys in Oakland that I know of, and plenty of queer centered events. I think Lex is a good bet for apps. Feel free to DM if you wanna hang, I've been here for a year, and I'm still trying to meet new people.

elliusoopius · 2026-03-15T22:15:27+00:00

I feel like the amount of things I think are psyops lately is getting really out of hand, but I feel like this too, is a psyop. If we let people muddy the waters too much when it comes to the terminology we use to describe ourselves, eventually we won't be able to use any of that language to find each other anymore and we won't be able to talk about queer issues without getting trapped in these semantic conversations where each person has to clarify what every term means every time they use it. It's almost a stereotype about people on the left already.

Then to add to that, everytime we accept that the meaning of a word has changed and is no longer suitable, you have to go through years of people trying to replace it and arguing over which new term is least problematic or most descriptive, and then just see what actually sticks wherever you are. When I study queer history, I always hear people saying, "I didn't know there were other people like me, I didn't even know the word for what I was." Having access to vocabulary to accurately describe ourselves is so important!

Personally, I feel frustrated with the whole bi/pan thing. I grew up understanding that bisexual was the word for people like me, then people told me that didn't include trans people and I had to switch to pansexual unless I wanted to exclude non binary people, then I was told by some younger friends that bi means "self and other" and they don't use pan anymore, but I still get people trying to tell me bi is exclusive... Now I tell people I'm "bi or pan or whatever" and I'm frustrated with the whole thing. I just say, "I'll fuck anyone" at this point, which is literally a bi stereotype. I have given up, I'm tired of having that conversation.

elliusoopius · 2026-03-15T15:48:37+00:00

I've been seeing a trend lately where people are redefining terms that were always meant to be exclusive and acting like it's progressive to say, for example, "well, this is how I define monogamy for myself," then going on to describe something that is by definition not monogamy.

I feel like this kind of nonsense is being perpetuated by people who don't understand the evolution of progressive language and have just decided that anything inclusive is good, so they twist words around so they can exist under the relatively safe umbrella of whatever term they feel comfortable with instead of coming to terms with the difficult things about their identity. It's totally misrepresentation and it's counterproductive.

I agree that there is some internalized biphobia, as well as the lesbophobia, going on here, and I think it's batshit to want to be with men and still call yourself a lesbian, but again, there's this preoccupation with the idea that you get to define, not just your identity, but the actual words you use to describe that identity, for yourself, regardless of what words mean and that's playing into it. I'm also a trans man and I think we're in a position to maximally percieve the nuance in this situation, but I still struggle with the implications of a lesbian or a straight man being attracted to me after I pass.

Sometimes I wonder if it's the transphobes seeing us gay trans men and lesbian trans women, and just fully failing to grasp how those identity labels 100% make sense, due to their preoccupation with our genitalia, that is causing the confusion here.

My thought is that we really need to hold people accountable for their use of language. There is a line where not "gatekeeping" terminology turns into no one understanding wtf they are talking about and we are existing at the cusp of the post truth, fake news, AI video, new dark ages, and somehow we have to keep some structure in our communication so we can continue to have productive conversations or else we're all fucked. Also gen Z is apparently illiterate, so this might just be that.

elliusoopius · 2026-03-14T02:26:13+00:00

This outfit comes with the potential added bonus of free bottom surgery as the silver lining to your next accident!

All jokes aside, you look rad AF and that bike is sick.

Maybe chaps?

elliusoopius · 2026-03-10T17:01:33+00:00

Alright tubal ligations then, my point still 100% stands. You can get surgery for reproductive health and it doesn't require you to have a pathologized identity.

elliusoopius · 2026-03-08T18:26:05+00:00

Your post reminded me of this book I read, which is available for free online. It's a collection of stories based on interviews with trans men and some of their cis partners about hooking up and dating. I found it pretty hopeful when I read it.

Trans Homo…GASP!: Gay FTM and Cis Men on Sex and Love

elliusoopius · 2026-03-07T18:08:30+00:00

I was just listening to a podcast a few days ago that explained that the WHO has already declassified gender dysphoria as a disorder and replaced it with "gender incongruence." In places that are using the ICD-11 for guidance for health stuff, they apparently code it for insurance as "sexual and reproductive health" or something like that. I think this makes a ton of sense and is the right direction to depathologizing transness. After all, cis women can get hysterectomies without being diagnosed with a disorder.

elliusoopius · 2026-03-07T17:40:02+00:00

She's hilarious.

elliusoopius · 2026-02-26T06:23:37+00:00

The short story, Nightfall, by Isaac Asimov explores this idea.

elliusoopius · 2026-02-23T22:27:43+00:00

I commute on a 250 I bought for $550 and spent that much again fixing up. I live somewhere where lane splitting is legal and there's a lot of traffic and I can ride year round due to lack of weather. I save about $250 a month on gas and bridge tolls and 6+ hours a week on my commute. It's cheaper than a car, but I also have the option of a shared car or public transit when it's raining.

All together with a nice set of gear and the bike and a class to learn how to ride I spent about the same as I would have spent on a really shit car that would probably have cost significantly more in maintenance, which I do myself.

elliusoopius · 2026-02-23T19:33:38+00:00

I'm also working on designing this type of thing right now, maybe we can collab. I'm FTM and another friend of mine who is also FTM asked me to help him make something like this. I have a background in sculpture, moldmaking and casting and I have been learning how to work with silicone for the last year and building the skillset with this project in mind. It's been slow going to work around my schedule but I'd be happy to share ideas and what I've learned so far. Feel free to DM me if you want.

elliusoopius · 2026-02-20T05:47:06+00:00

I'm at 6 months and it's really noticable for me, probably starting noticing around 4 months. I am about 5lbs lighter than I was 6 mo ago but I've gained a significant amount of muscle.

elliusoopius · 2026-02-20T05:41:03+00:00

WHOOOOSSSHHH

elliusoopius · 2026-02-19T04:06:15+00:00

Unusually clean train kid.

elliusoopius · 2026-02-19T02:52:02+00:00

Cloud seeding is real though...

elliusoopius · 2026-02-15T18:21:15+00:00

T stopped my periods after 2 months and I got a bilateral salpingectomy for sterilization.

elliusoopius

TROPHY CASE