SS6 05 Nikki's Dilemma
skyangel on Nov. 20, 2016
Towards the end of chapter five, several readers asked me if Nikki will go for the re-assignment ops etc so I felt I had to do a page to try and highlight some of the main stalling factors and regrets I've picked up from both sides.
Most transgender people I've spoken to who most resemble Nikki, dream of having the ops but fear how much their lives will change because of it as
acceptance by those who matter most can be awkward and then of course there will always be the question of facing ridicule and hostility.
Of the few I know who have had the ops, the general message is always that it was all worth it but I sense that to voice regret would not bring them any sympathy. Either way it does seem to me that this idea of identifying gender dysphoria at as early an age as possible is the perfect solution as the body cannot only adapt much better but also that person really will have a lifetime of memories worth keeping.
Next Week: It's back to the mansion to find out how Sarah is coping, now she's become a resident there!
Have a nice week :)
skyangel at 4:59AM, Nov. 26, 2016
Fred: I never planned Nikki's fingers to be such a focal point. I always feel body language is important so the thought of Nikki fidgetting nervously with her fingers seemed quite a nice touch, but when I saw the page again a week later I did feel it was all hands! I'd thought too much about continuity and not enough about the overall effect!
skyangel at 4:37AM, Nov. 26, 2016
Phantom: Your welcome :)
skyangel at 4:37AM, Nov. 26, 2016
Ashley: I felt this had to be done for those who do follow and relate to Nikki's story the most but I was nervous of the reaction as I've heard so many perspectives from TG individuals in the past that it is very hard to try and summ up the most important thoughts and feelings in so few panels.
skyangel at 4:33AM, Nov. 26, 2016
Flamenco: haha ;)
skyangel at 4:32AM, Nov. 26, 2016
Mo: I came across a couple of You Tube Vids last year where TG girls were explaining how they developed a more feminine voice. If you've ever seen the movie Boy Meets Girl they both sound very like Michelle Hendley, a real transexual who played the role. The voices are never high and lyrical like women's voices often tend to be, yet still sound soft and feminine and quite sexy too.
skyangel at 4:23AM, Nov. 26, 2016
Kim: That's the very point of contention that was being argued about here in the UK this year. Children are incredibly imaginative and can also be very obstinate and passionate in their desires too which is easily relatable to the toys we remember we just HAD to have as children or the pet we wanted so badly we promised our parents we would care for it personally until we realsied what tedious work it can be! So I can well understand the fears of both parents and surgeons in thinking that this child could be too young to make such a life changing decision so there has to be a borderline. I think at 15 most kids would be very sure in themselves but previous to that it should be based on a good personal account of how unhappy they are with their own body plus as much evidence from gaurdians, family, and any other adult that knows the child well, as to how important they witness the need for change as being.
skyangel at 4:05AM, Nov. 26, 2016
Tommym: I can understand how you must feel and that's why it felt important to me that Nikki should represent the vast number of people, who like yourself, feel obligated to stay as you are. I've never seen any statistics on this but it does feel that for every individual I hear about who has gone through the physical process of change, there are possibly a hundred more at least who have not and will never.
fredhedges at 10:02AM, Nov. 23, 2016
Barry & Bear, no doubt you are right. This is a pretty intense conversation for Nikki.
BarryCorbett at 3:59PM, Nov. 22, 2016
I got the impression she was nervously pulling at her fingernails.
BearinOz at 6:18PM, Nov. 21, 2016
I noticed the hands, Fred...I knew several ladies over the years, who used to touch their fingers like that, when talking thoughtfully, so I just took it as a feminine thing, a suitable gesture for a trans person...
fredhedges at 11:05AM, Nov. 21, 2016
I like the way this comic at times interrupts/supplements the narrative with discussions like this on big interesting issues. And I also appreciate all the other readers' comments because there seems to be a lot of life experience in this community which everyone shares respectfully. There's not much visual drama going on on this page so I notice small things, like Nik's hands. Not sure what she's doing with them, or why they are foregrounded. Hand size as an indicator of sexual potency? Naahh...
Phantomduck at 9:14PM, Nov. 20, 2016
This was very enlightening, thank you.
flamencoprof at 6:41PM, Nov. 20, 2016
Last panel's pose could be revealing! (Pun intended, haha!)
BearinOz at 5:26PM, Nov. 20, 2016
Not necessarily. Mo' - when I was young I knew a guy whose testosterone levels were so low, he only needed to shave once a week and was often mistaken for a butch female. Another friend was off to a fancy dress party - "vicars and tarts" - he dressed as a tart, and was convincing enough to be chatted up and asked out, at the pub where he was meeting up with his mates B-)
moizmad at 2:11PM, Nov. 20, 2016
Nikki is so femme looking and seems to pass so easily that I'm thinking she/he must have had some work done i.e. hormones, beard removal, and voice, but we can't hear her voice so we can only assume it's quite convincingly femme.
KimLuster at 1:41PM, Nov. 20, 2016
If only it was a clear binary...!! The problem is compounded by early ages... How identifiable must it be at an early age before adults could make a decision about a young child (incl. permanent bodily mods)...? My first impulse says we shouldn't ever do that; that someone can only make that decision for themselves, and only when they are old enough to be accountable for it (ie. adults), but then, that creates the problem Nikki is describing... Is it a No-Win...?!! Wonderful page, still...
Ashley.Grenstone at 8:35AM, Nov. 20, 2016
Oh I can sooo relate to this!
tommym at 5:56AM, Nov. 20, 2016
Dear Sky, Your replies to readers comments last week were so interesting and insightful I read some of them 2 or 3 times. I often daydream about being a women who lives with another women, but at my age I know that will never happen. Nikki is very lucky to have met Sarah and her friends. What she says in the last panel speaks volumes. tommym