reliable with the ladies and the revolutionaries

“Combeferre, perhaps, preferred the pure radiance of the beautiful to the flaming glory of the sublime.”

i think the reason for enjolras and combeferre’s intimate friendship (enjolras is seen touching him casually more than anyone else, and even allows combeferre to “polarize” his views) is combeferre’s preference for human beauty over raging divinity. (it says it clearer in other translations. the one i’m looking at right now is kinda… meh.) he doesn’t idolize enjolras, he respects enjolras as an equal. he loves enjolras and enjolras loves him, and they can be human with each other. he taught enjolras how to be patient, and allowed enjolras to be beautiful without being severe. just a thought.

Here’s a transitioning starter pack for all my trans folk out there! 

Transfeminine resources:

Presentation:

Tucking

Chest area

Voice

Broad shoulders tips

Hair removal

Feminine walk

Curves

Waist training

Growing out your hair

Clothing

Makeup

Passing

Medical transitioning:

Not medically transitioning

Fertility

Puberty blockers

Estrogen & anti-androgens/testosterone blockers FAQ

The types of surgery available

Surgery: A guide for transfeminine people

Pumping (Silicone injections)

Facial Feminization Options

Breast Augmentation

Other:

Representation

Transfeminine period dysphoria

Yes, Transfeminine People Can Get Period Symptoms

Slipping into masculinity

Women’s restroom etiquette

Transfeminine people can breastfeed

Having sex or masturbating

Transmasculine resources:

Presentation:

Binding FAQ

Clothing

Facial hair

Masculine makeup

Getting short hair / Masculine long hair

If you can’t start T

Lowering your voice

Packing and standing to pee

Passing as male

Not shaving legs

Medical transitioning:

Not medically transitioning

Fertility

Puberty blockers

Testosterone FAQ

Top surgery

Facial masculinization surgery

Body masculinization surgery

Hysterectomy and oophorectomy

Bottom surgery (genital surgery)

Other:

Periods and related things

Help! I need to see a gyno

Pumping

Masturbation and sex

Using the men’s bathroom

Hudson’s FTM Guide

Height dysphoria

Hip dysphoria

More resources:

What gender am I? A brief intro to questioning

Trans 101 for trans people

What is the transgender umbrella?

How do I choose a name?

How do I come out at work/school or to family/friends?

Dysphoria info and tips page

Mental health coping page

Being trans in school

Non-binary resources

Resources to send allies/friends

A page to send to parents/guardians

Convincing someone to respect name/pronouns 

Here is how to get hormones in the US

Here is how to get hormones in the UK

The NHS’s Guide For Young Trans People in England

Here’s a US resource with info on changing legally changing your name and gender marker 

Here is a UK resource with info on changing legally changing your name and gender marker

What are the WPATH-SOC guidelines?

How to save money

How to buy a trans-related item online without parents knowing

I have to go swimming, what do I wear/do?

Trying to sleep when you have dysphoria

Airposts and traveling by plane

Gender neutral bathrooms

Getting insurance to cover your transition

Does transitioning help mental health?

Trans teen’s experiences with inpatient hospitalization

Trans identity isn’t a mental disorder

Vaping prevalence

Being religious and LGBT

Transgender Lives: Your Stories (to see trans adults) 

Gender neutral pronouns in Spanish

Gender Variance Around the World Over Time

A map of gender-diverse cultures

American LGBT history by the National Parks Service

Crisis help: Suicide and crisis hotlines

Please reblog to spread it! 

Also if you have more specific questions regarding the above and fitness, @thenonbinraywarrior is a great blog to check out! 

Me: ok

granted, i DO prefer a world that slaps "melancholic" on in place of "depression" or "post-birth hyper-grief parental syndrome" onto postpartum depression or whatever, as opposed to just calling everything depression and schizophrenia and ASPD, as if our own western psychiatric words are the """correct""" ones and would logically be emulated by the whole of any other universe.

However.

i think it is MORE useful to think FIRST about your fictional society's values. and the power structures in play, or lack thereof. and how elements like religion and spirituality and magic and sci-fi tech shape and influence everyday life.

mental disorders and neurodivergences are things that mark a person "other" from someone who is the """expected""" product of their environment. crucially, in our own western conceptions of mental health, there is a STORIED history of people being labeled Other because they did not cooperate with the oppressive social norms of the time. see: insane asylums, lobotomies, drapetomania. etc.

how does your fictional society treat people who are Other? is mental health treatment more focused on compliance and the erasure of symptoms, or on self-acceptance and accommodation? is there a taboo against being labeled Other? what is the history of self-advocacy and human rights for people in these groups?

you don't Have to go the pessimist route and write in, like, horrific atrocities as a backdrop for your story. especially if you are not a horror writer like me. LOL.

but i do think it's disingenuous not to think about these things on a structural level.

what would these people consider a mental health disorder / neurodivergence, and why? what thoughts or behaviors cause that to be labeled a mental health disorder?

how are neurodivergent people in this world supported or unsupported?

what are the consequences for having an untreated mental health issue in this world? are there reasons someone might hide their mental health issue, or is there a baseline of trust socially?

if there IS an automatic baseline of trust, what social norms enforce that trust? what are the expectations of conduct for both the mentally ill and those helping them? what happens if that trust is broken by a mental health professional or carer -- what recourse does the mentally ill person have?

are there any Pretty Shitty social norms that would be reflected or encouraged in the mental health system?

Me: ok

are you partway through doing something and you forgot? perhaps the laundry or some other timed event?

if not, that's fine, sorry to bother

waaaay ahead of you boss

if we ever needed to use coded messages it would be really easy. thinking about how incomprehensible this would probably be to anyone unknowing

i have not heard no

if we ever needed to use coded messages it would be really easy. thinking about how incomprehensible this would probably be to anyone unknowing

i have not heard no