Yesss! Enjoy!! The effects on skin were one of the big aspects of hrt that I was super looking forward to! It was so frustrating having a dedicated skincare routine and constantly fighting all the issues that testosterone creates. One of my favorite things at the end of the day is just petting myself 🤭
I actually still own the TV and researched the issue off and on for years. It’s just a design flaw and why they were offered during that Black Friday sale. I’ve gone through every menu and upgraded the fw; it’s just the way it is 🤷♀️
For the most random reason, Borderline Forever. For the longest time, I only watched YouTube on my TV- it was one of my end of night routines, and I had a few channels that I always kept up to date with. Now, I have to note that the TV I owned, for many years, was a super cheap 50" TV I bought from Walmart during Black Friday . It wasn’t great, but it was the first TV I bought myself when I started living on my own. One of the quirks of that TV was that the bezel actually extended over the screen and covered some of it. It wasn’t ever really an issue, but every now and again, I’d be aware of it. So, you can imagine my absolute surprise to learn that the blue border which was on all his thumbnails was actually part of his videos as well- a whole episode to highlight something I had been completely unaware of for hundreds of episodes. I honestly don’t remember much of the episode, but it was a big reason I ended up buying a new TV 🤭
Sounds really nice, and based on the reviews, it seems like a very cozy and supportive place! The UI and overall design though 😬 It probably grows on you over time. Thank you for sharing 🩷 Saving to look more into later!
I know you’ve said that you’ve asked her, and she’s stated she’s fine, but I think it matters how you ask. Sit down with her, mention the behaviors you’ve observed, explain how these things make you feel (I assume you’re worried about a friend), and just let her know you’re there for her if she ever wants to talk. Try not to make it too much about yourself, but be honest with your emotions… and try not to offer fixes for anything unless she asks. Myself and a lot of other women aren’t always open with men, even friends, because it can be exhausting dealing with their problem solver personalities; we normally know how to fix things already, but doesn’t mean they don’t weigh on our minds.
Late 20s to early 30s. It was during lockdowns when I wasn’t interacting with irl society much - work was all remote, and all my interactions were online. I quickly realized that when I removed the pressure of having to conform to what I thought was expected of me, I was actually a completely different person. I started interacting with more queer people, especially trans individuals, and realized that there were a lot of parallels with how they felt about gender and all the other constructs of society which never really made sense to me. Honestly, I meant sooo many when I started FFXIV.
The idea that I could decide how I wanted to identify and be perceived by people never really occurred to me.
I had always disliked a lot of aspects about myself and tried to be as much of a ghost as possible. It rarely felt like I was living for me. As I slowly started to explore the things I truly liked - cute things, pink things, and soft things - I noticed my views of life started to brighten. I felt more excited about the things I was surrounding myself with, and I noticed people were interacting with me in a friendlier and warmer way. As I started to shine brighter, people around me started to shine brighter, too!
All that said - why didn’t I just lean into identifying as NB or just fully ignore gender as a whole? I did initially, but about those things which I didn’t like about myself - so many happened to be T driven. Thick body and facial hair- no thank you, thick/rough/acne prone skin- please go, body composition- wasn’t really liking how it fit in the dresses/skirts I wanted to wear, overall mindset and emotions (this changed a lot), etc. Obviously, all these things have taken time and additional effort, but it all feels so fulfilling.
I was initially worried about how people in my life would react/treat me, but I decided to start always putting my own feelings and desires first… no one else was going to. I will acknowledge that it’s bit easier for me to do that- my circle is incredibly small, I’ve been single for 5-6 years, I was working remotely, and I kind of rarely leave my home.
My question to people - if you had an irl character creator, how would you design yourself? How would you choose to move in the world if there were no expectations?