#readthefaq

[carrtoonfreak]

F.A.Q Read this before you ask

Q. What is this?

This is a Steven Universe AU about my oc, Taaffeite, who was made to replace White to rule Homeworld

Q.Where can I start the comic and read in order?

You can start right HERE

Q.How often do you update the comic?

Every 10 days or so, I’ll alert you guys when i’m postponing it

Q. How did you come up with this AU?

I was thinking about a gem who was made by Pink tampering with the injector that was going to Earth  and that accidentally made this rare gem. And then after watching the SU movie, more ideas popped up and more ideas got added to the story!

Q. Why a Taaffeite?

When the comic was in the making, I researched gems rarer than a diamond and I found a Taaffeite (I also found a Painaite but further research concluded that Taaffeite is rarer and Painaite didn’t have a “ring” to it.

Q. What do you use to draw?

On my phone with Ibis Paint X with my finger. I recently got Medibang but I’ll stick with Ibis.

Q.Will Spinel be in your story?

Yes.

Q. Will most of the original cast be in your comic?

Yes!

Q. Will most of the stuff that happened in the show happen in your comic?

Absolutely! Most of what we saw in the show will happen but Taaffeite will now be in it so they’ll be a tad different. It’s only a matter of time.

Q. When does this AU take place?

7,000 years ago, 1,000 year before Pink got her colony and rebelled.

Q. Can I roleplay a gem in another au and send you an ask to roleplay?

I don’t want to answer asks about RP. I’m very busy and I don’t feel like changing the story line.

Q. Will Steven be in this AU?

Yes, but it’s going to take a while.

Q. Why can’t she shapeshift back? And if she poofs, can’t she turn back?

Well Taaffeite has some powers that she doesn’t even know she has, but her original powers, Shapeshifting, fusion,etc, are limited, so her powers can function without her getting tired. So when she shapeshifted, she used up all her shapeshifting abilities for that form (she’s pretty big) so going back might do some real damage

Q. Why does she have “all “ powers, isn't that a little dramatic?

It’s because White wanted a powerful diamond, so she made sure the diamond had every power to rule.

Q.If there are other Diamonds, how come they're not on Homeworld?

I’m actually making a comic that explains all that right here. Updates on Saturdays.

Q. Will your oc’s be in your story?

Yes yes yes (duh)

Q. Can I make fanart of your au?

Yes! Yes! Yes! Just tag it as #Rare Au and send me an ask or a message or Tumblr if you want me to see it!

Q. Are requests open?

Yes

Q. Do you do commissions?

Not now

Q. Why didn’t you answer me?

Maybe the question was answered in this F.A.Q or it was stupid.

Q. Why didn’t you update?

It’s pretty difficult making 2 of your own comics by yourself while juggling your social life and school. I try but it’s hard to keep up.

Q. How can I support you?

You can consider supporting me on Tapas!

#read the faq #F.A.Q #frequently asked questions #Rare au #Rare au related #su au #au #the rare au #readthefaq #i'll update this saturday #i'll probably make a patreon or a ko-fi soon

[permafusion-stevonnie]

Read the FAQ

F. A. Q. that means… if you ask it, I will probably ignore your ask

Q. What is this?

A: A Steven Universe AU where Stevonnie has become a permafusion and must now learn to live as themselves. It’ll be Part Storyline, part Ask Blog.

Q: What do we call this?

A: I’m running with “Together Forever AU”. Though I suppose Permafusion AU, PermStevonnieAU, or even Permafusion Stevonnie AU could also be used. We’ll see which tags become the most popular over time.

Q: Where can I start?

A: You can CLICK HERE to read from the beginning. Q: How often do you update the comic?

A: For the time being I’m trying to go for once a week, but I can’t promise that.

Q: Why don’t you update more often?!

A: Life. Work. Not enough hours in the day? Pick one you like.

Q: How did you come up with the idea for this AU? 

A: Where most of my ideas come from; late at night as I was drifting off to sleep, the question popped into my head “What if White had pulled the Gem out of Stevonnie?” the ideas snowballed from there. 

Q: How do you do these drawings?

A: I’m going to be honest, I mostly trace from screenshots of the show, then make changes to the sketches for facial expressions and clothing appropriate to the situation depicted and continuity of the story.

Q: Don’t you think tracing is cheating?

A: A little, but my own artistic skill is terrible and I really wanted to tell this story. And I figure that if an artist like Greg Land can keep getting work with Marvel, despite always tracing from photographs, then I think it should be alright for me to draw my little tumblr comic using tracing techniques. And, at least, I’m not tracing from porn. I only use screenshots from the show, taken from the Steven Universe Wiki. I never use someone else’s artwork and trace that. 

Q: You, or a character, keeps referring to Stevonnie as “she” when their pronouns are "Them/They.” What gives?

A: When I do it, it’s a mistake, because I thought of Stevonnie as “she” before the them/they pronouns were confirmed within the last year or so (at the time of this writing -2019). That’s about five years of thinking about them one way, before being corrected. So it’s a bad habit I need to break and I ask for patience. When a character does it, it’s most likely because they don’t yet know or understand, that Stevonnie uses Them/They, as their personal pronouns, like the Diamonds, who are still coming to terms with the fact that Stevonnie isn’t just Pink Diamond in a new form.

I may make a mistake occasionally and have a character who would normally use the correct pronouns refer to Stevonnie as She or Her, and that is an error on my part that I’m working on fixing. I always double-check my work and have a proof-reader too. If any slip through the net, then we can only apologise and double our efforts to ensure the correct pronouns are used in the future.  

Q: Why doesn’t your “Previous” button take me to the right page?

A: I just copy and paste from a previous entry and fix it later, be patiant. Or you van click the link “Start Reading Here” on my main page and see all my comics in chronologial order.  OR, you can read the comic on tapas in chronological order.

Q: I asked a question, how come you never responded?

A: You didn't read the FAQ, so I ignored it,

Or, possibly, your question was dumb and I felt it didn’t deserve an answer. That hasn’t happened (yet,) but might in the future.

Or I’m waiting for the right time. Some questions have answers that will come up during the storyline of the comic itself. If you’re patient, then the questions will be answered when those comics are posted. Your question will even appear at the top of the page.

***

Q: What’s the timeline of your story?

A: We begin during the finale of the episode “Change Your Mind” and will be moving from there.

Q: Will your OCs be in this story?

A: I’m sticking to the canon cast.

Q: Will Spinel be in your story?

A: The answer is leaning towards no. If she is going to appear, it’ll be at least the two years in the future that she appeared in the show. That’ll only be if I keep the story going that long.

Q. I roleplay a gem/ another Steven in another AU/ white pearl etc… Can I send you an ask to roleplay as my character?

Unfortunately, I don’t want to answer RP asks right now. I have a storyline I’m trying to follow, and most of the time those type of asks try to take the story in their own direction, which puts a different spin on things. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just not my goal at the moment.

—— Q: I made you some fanart? How do I make sure you see it?

A: Please tag it as #PermAU fanart and, if you want to be sure, send me an ask (not anonymous) or a tumblr IM.

Q. How can I support you?

A: A patreon is available at:Patreon/Together_forever

If none of these are the questions you want to ask, feel free to send your ask!

#read the faq #readthefaq #FAQ #frequently asked questions #Stevonnie AU #Stevonnie Permafusion AU #Together forever AU #togetherforeverAU #PermafusionAU

[official-transsexual]

FAQ

(last updated September 11, 2019)

Q: What is dysphoria? A: Dysphoria is a diagnostic term meaning “profound distress or discomfort.” It is a common symptom of many psychiatric disorders. It's been used this way for over a century (example 1, example 2, example 3). “Gender dysphoria” refers to dysphoria that occurs as a result of incongruence between a person’s assigned sex and gender identity.  To meet the diagnostic criteria for the psychiatric disorder “Gender Dysphoria” the DSM-V specifically states that the incongruence must cause “significant distress or problems functioning.” Sex/gender incongruence that doesn’t cause this distress or dysfunction is NOT considered disordered.

Q: I was told that the APA defined gender dysphoria as “conflict between a person’s physical or assigned gender and the gender with which he/she/they identify.” A: This particular line is a quote from a page on the APA website that was meant to briefly summarize the diagnostic criteria for Gender Dysphoria. It is not the full diagnostic criteria, which is described further down the page. Along with the checklist of traits, the diagnostic criteria for both children and adults include “distress or inpairment functioning” as specific necessary condition: “In adolescents and adults gender dysphoria diagnosis involves a difference between one’s experienced/expressed gender and assigned gender, and significant distress or problems functioning [...] In children, gender dysphoria diagnosis involves at least six of the following and an associated significant distress or impairment in function, lasting at least six months.” Again: that “distress or problems functioning” criteria is mandatory; this is why the line meant to summarize gender dysphoria uses the word “conflict” instead of a more neutral term like “incongruence” or even “difference.” The APA’s endorsed expert opinion on the subject states more explicitly that “not all transgender people suffer from gender dysphoria.” According to members of the APA workgroup responsible for writing the Gender Dysphoria diagnostic criteria, the term “dysphoria” was chosen based on the logic that “if the new diagnosis would focus more on the dysphoria aspect (e.g., in the name) than does the current one, no separate distress criterion would be necessary, because the distress would be defined as inherent to the diagnosis” (sci-hub pdf). Note that they ended up keeping the distress criterion in the diagnosis despite the redundancy, presumably because they were afraid that it might not be clear enough that they were referring to distress while using a medical term that literally means “significant distress.” The exact DSM-5 criteria (which I transcribe here) further makes it clear that gender dysphoria requires distress, rather than simply gender incongruence.

Q: Why does it matter how we define dysphoria? A: It’s a matter of relevance. When discussing gender dysphoria in the context of the medical model, the relevant definition is the one that gets used within the medical system.

Q: But what if we worked to change the medical definition of gender dysphoria? A: I’ve see this idea brought up in my notes a few times, and it’s honestly just a terrible idea. The overpathologization of distress responses is a huge concern within psychology, and it’s one of the reasons the medical definition of gender dysphoria is so limited. Extending that definition to include things like “feeling bad when you’re mistreated” is, at best, a step backward. 

Q: What makes a person transgender, if not dysphoria? A: An incongruence (mismatch) between their gender identity and their assigned sex category.

Q: How can someone know they're trans without dysphoria? A: Many non-dysphoric trans people cite "gender euphoria" as their main clue. Others simply describe feeling a strong desire to be a certain gender that differed from their assigned gender. 

Q: Isn't that just dysphoria? A: No. As I've already pointed out, dysphoria is a diagnostic term referring specifically to profound distress. While it's certainly common for these other signs of gender incongruence to be accompanied by distress or discomfort, these are not themselves always inherently distressing experiences. The very epicurian idea that gender euphoria is simply a result of gender dysphoria is a false dichotomy based on a zero-sum understanding of pain and pleasure.

Q: Does this mean being transgender is a choice for non-dysphoric trans people? A: No. While all of us, dysphoric or otherwise, have a choice in what labels we use & which identities we claim, the process through which gender identity is formed is incredibly complex and not incredibly well understood. Non-dysphoric trans people may have less incentive to come out or transition than those of us who do experience dysphoria, but this isn't the same thing as choosing to have a transgender identity.

Q: Why would someone who’s 100% comfortable with their body transition? A: First off, most people aren’t 100% comfortable with their bodies, and there’s a wide range of experiences that exist between” complete and total comfort” and “significant distress.” Non-dysphoric trans people seek out medical transition for various reasons, including legal barriers to social transition (eg medical requirements to update ID), feelings of euphoria associated with specific traits, or simply a desire to present in a way that is more congruent with their identities.

Q: But why would non-dysphoric trans people seek out treatment for a condition they don’t have? Isn’t that like a doctor prescribing chemo drugs to someone without cancer? A: Many people- cis and trans alike- take HRT for reasons other than treatment of a disorder, including preventive care against future poor health or the potential for quality of life improvements. As of 2016, an estimated 1.67% of adult men under the age of 65 were making insurance claims to cover testosterone supplements, most of whom are cis men; the authors note that men over the age cutoff of the paper were expected to use testosterone supplements at higher rates due to age-related hypogonadism (in this case, the natural, non-disordered decrease in testosterone production cis men experience as they age). Additionally, doctors actually do prescribe chemo drugs to people without cancer fairly regularly, it’s called “off-label use.” A common example of this is Methotrexate, a chemotherapy drug which is regularly prescribed to treat noncancerous conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and ectopic pregnancy. Hormonal transition is itself considered an off-label use of HRT, regardless of whether the person transitioning is dysphoric 

Q: What sources say that you don’t need dysphoria to be transgender? (Note: this list is not intended to be exhaustive) A: The American Psychiatric Association explicitly says that dysphoria is not necessary “ Not all transgender people suffer from gender dysphoria and that distinction is important to keep in mind. Gender dysphoria and/or coming out as transgender can occur at any age.”  The World Health Organization's ICD-10 acknowledges the existence of non-dysphoric trans people with its description of "transsexualism" as "usually accompanied by a sense of discomfort... or inappropriateness." The American Psychological Association: “A psychological state is considered a mental disorder only if it causes significant distress or disability. Many transgender people do not experience their gender as distressing or disabling, which implies that identifying as transgender does not constitute a mental disorder.” The American Academy of Pediatrics describes gender dysphoria as a potential consequence of being trans: “ Some youths experience gender dysphoria when the incongruence between assigned sex at birth and asserted gender identity becomes so distressing that it impairs the youth in school, relationships and overall functioning... However, there is no evidence that risk for mental illness is inherently due to a gender-diverse identity.” The Canadian Paediatric Society provides this definition of Gender Dysphoria: “Describes the level of discomfort or suffering associated with the conflict that can exist between a person's assigned sex at birth and their true gender. Some transgender children experience no distress about their bodies, but others may be very uncomfortable with their assigned sex, especially at the start of puberty when their body starts to change.” The World Medical Association cites the APA definition of dysphoria: “The WMA asserts that gender incongruence is not in itself a mental disorder; however it can lead to discomfort or distress, which is referred to as gender dysphoria (DSM-5).” WPATH states that "the criteria currently listed for [Gender Dysphoria] are descriptive of many people who experience dissonance between their sex as assigned at birth and their gender identity... The DSM-5 descriptive criteria for gender dysphoria were developed to aid in diagnosis and treatment to alleviate the clinically significant distress and impairment that is frequently, though not universally, associated with transsexual and transgender conditions” (emphasis added). 

Q: I was told the American Psychiatric Association isn't trustworthy, so why do you use it as a source? A: I've written a big post here analyzing criticism of the APA (and particularly, their handling of trans identities); the short version is that the APA has been very heavily criticised in the past for supporting many of the same positions truscum advocate in favour of today. While the APA & DSM aren't perfect, they aren't exactly the mess truscum claim they are either.

Q: What about brain scan research? Doesn't that prove dysphoria is required? A: No. Brain sex research in interesting, but the results are nowhere near as clear-cut as many people believe. Yes, there's been studies that have observed similarities between the brains of dysphoric binary trans people and cisgender people who share their identities. This is correlational research that can't be used to infer causation without further evidence, and researchers still aren't sure what exactly it means. There's also the problem of attempting to apply a body of research to non-dysphoric trans people that includes few, if any, results from non-dysphoric trans participants.

Q: How can someone transition without a dysphoria diagnosis? A: Depending on where you are, there may be clinics in your area that operate on an informed consent model of transition. Unlike the traditional gatekeeper model of transition, informed consent models allow anyone who is competent to make their own medical decisions to receive transition care. Note that this does not mean that they block (or should block) mentally ill people from transitioning, even those with delusional disorders; instead, this is about ensuring that a transitioning person is capable of understanding the changes to their body that transition care would lead to, and minimizing the risk of a crisis during a dangerous situation.

Q: What about John Money/David Reimer? Is this evidence that gender is not actually a construct? A: John Money was a conversion therapy advocate who believed that he could force a child to identify with the gender of his choosing, and that there was no point in someone identifying as male without a functioning penis. Nothing about this disproves the idea that our genders are constructed, though it does demonstrate that the process of gender construction is beyond human control, at least on an individual level. Some of the terms Money coined may still be in use, but his claims about being able to force children to identify as a specific gender are pretty thoroughly rejected outside of the conversion therapy crowd. Additionally, bringing up the fact that certain terms were coined by Money without recognizing that those terms are currently used in a context that otherwise rejects his views is often used as an attempt to poison the well.

Q: What does "radscum" mean? A: it's an old term for the category of rad/fem than includes what we now call "TE/RFs" and "SW/ERFs." It was still commonly used when the term "truscum" was coined to refer to post-HBS transmedicalism. In the communities I was active in, the term "truscum" caught on specifically because of how it reflected the relationship between the two groups (transmeds and radscum have a long history of co-operation, regardless of how any individual truscum today feels about that).

Q: Is it true that the person who coined the word “tucute” was a cis woman pretending to be trans? A: No, it’s not.

Q: Why did you remove my response with sources from the replies of your post? A: I didn’t.

Q: Will you promo my discourse blog? A: Sorry, no.

Q: Will you promo my fundraiser?  A: Please add a link to this post as a reblog or comment instead of messaging me. About the mod:

Q: what are your pronouns? A: Ey/em (like “they” without the “th-”)

Q: Why do you call yourself "transsexual"? A: I've been using the term transsexual for myself for roughly a decade, and I refuse to give it up because some kids decided they own that word now.

Q: Do you ID as queer? A: That's one of the labels I use, yes.

Q: What other identity labels do you use? A: I'm being intentionally vague about certain aspects of my ID on this blog because it's interesting to watch what assumptions truscum make, but in general I'm neither straight nor cis & I use a variety of labels depending on the context I'm speaking in and the information I'm trying to communicate to my audience.

Q: How old are you? A: Over 30 (which is part of the reason why I stick to responding to people who interact with me first instead of seeking out bad posts to argue against)

#faq #ReadTheFAQ #op

[progressivejudaism]

Hi! I've been seriously thinking about conversion, but there's a few problems. I'm a minor and my family is really Catholic. Any advice on what I should do? Or just any resources where I can learn more about the history and culture? Thank you!

Hi there friend,

I think you might not have seen a few similar questions that I have received tonight on the same subject.  Please send me a direct/private message so that I can best support you.  Please note that the following message is not solely due to your message, but due to the high frequency of messages with your same question.

I think that it might be helpful to publicly parse some of the reasons why I feel very uncomfortable answering questions like this in the anonymous format. (See below)

-Josh

1). You deserve a thoughtful answer- and in order to give you one, I am going to need to know a bit more about you, your understanding of the world, and all of the factors related to this challenge.  There is no way that I can fully understand who you are or what you need without discussing in a direct/private message,

2) You deserve to have this information remain in private.  You are unique, special, and (probably) fabulous.  And therefore, you deserve for your personal understanding of the universe to remain private.

3). You deserve individual attention.  I am studying to be a rabbi and a Jewish educator - I am training in school every day to learn how to work with people just like you!  And as a part of my training in school, I am learning how to provide folks with individual, private, and thoughtful attention.  And not only individual attention, but personalized resources.  Are you interested in learning about something specific?  I probably have a resource to help.

4) And most importantly, I am not going to use @progressivejudaism as a platform to provide respond to questions that are answered on my FAQ page- ESPECIALLY because before submitting asks, followers are explicitly asked if they read on this page.  The basic, vanilla answer to this question is actually located on the FAQ page.  But the more in-depth answer to this question can be found after having a thoughtful conversation with me via DM/PM.

#readthefaq #ask #faq #pjblog

[askhogwartstuck-blog]

Who are you looking for and how often do you have to be open for this?

Also in the FAQ. 😅 We’re looking for all the kids and Alpha and Beta trolls, as of currently. You have to be on at least once a month.

#ooc #readthefaq #nthehowtoaudition #ty👍

[thecolorless4komagallery]

A strip from the deadly duo, Ecstasy and Kirn! 

#thecolorless #4koma #shovel #readthefaq

[official-transsexual]

Hi, I'm not trying to start an argument but as a dysphoric trans man I don't see how you can be trans without dysphoria. Isn't the act of saying "I don't feel like my agab" considered dysphoria? Gender euphoria implys being uncomfortable with your agab. I just don't see how you can be trans without any sort of dysphoria

I see you haven't read my FAQ. That would be a good place to start: https://official-transsexual.tumblr.com/tagged/ReadTheFAQ

Points 1 through 7 address the medical definition of dysphoria, including its historical use, context for understanding the use of the term by the APA on their website, and commentary on the assumptions underlying the claim that gender euphoria implies dysphoria.