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#familyofme

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It's been over half a year since I've refreshed my #introduction so... I think it's due for an update!

Hi there! I'm Daphne⭐ (pronounced "Daphne Star", pronouns she/her), and I'm a middle-aged #trans woman making her way through life. I don't post as often as I used to, but I still stop in from time to time. Most of what follow and post is trans related, or at least non-heteronormative. I'm also a #parent; much of my time and energy is spent being and growing as a mother, and that comes up occasionally in conversation. I'm an experienced #SoftwareEngineer as well, though I don't talk about that it as much.

All that said, most of what I post these days is #fiction! I'm a fledgling #writer and aspiring #GameDev who makes trans art, and this account has mainly become a vehicle for promoting my work. I'm the #author of an ongoing serial fiction titled Family of Me which has grown substantially from where it started a year and a half ago. It's an autobiographical story about processing my own past, told through a series of conversations with my inner children. The series does maintain continuity from scene to scene, but each scene is intended to be a dive into a single self-contained topic, so new readers are encouraged to start wherever they feel comfortable. You can find the series on the hashtag #FamilyOfMe or at its website: familyofme.com/

I occasionally post other art as well; most recently a short story set in a dystopic future called Genderpunk 2077. You can find that as well as links to my other works at my website (daphnestar.com/). Of particular note is a #JRPG that's been in development for several months; at the moment development is on hold but the project is far enough along that I'm looking for a way to get back into working on it again. That game is written in #RPGMaker and features a mercenary searching for the princess he swore to protect but lost long ago. The story seems pretty basic at first glance, but once you get under the surface... By the time the game is finished, it'll contain a few significant surprises, I think. The game is called Evertrue Chronicle and it has a playable demo you can find on my itch.io page if you want to take a peek: daphnestar.itch.io/

I think that's it! Ping me if you want to say "hi" or have questions, or drop them on Retrospring (retrospring.net/@daphnestar) if you want to ask me anonymously. Feel free to send me a follow request if you like; I allow follows from any accounts with a posting history and good vibes, and follow back along similar lines (bonus points for people with interests or identities that intersect with mine). See you on the timeline!

familyofme.comFamily of Me – A serial fiction about reparenting your inner children

Family of Me 130: Joy vs. Fulfillment

(Twyla stands nearby as memories of herself, her partner, and her child sit together watching a calming television show. Everyone looks to be enjoying a well-deserved break. I approach and stand close by.)

Mom (Me): Good afternoon, Twyla. Catching up on a bit of rest, I see.

Twyla (The Parent): Hey Daphne. Something like that, yeah… Parenting was an exhausting experience, so much so that even looking back on those moments is a little tiring.

Mom (chuckling): The joy of parenting, as they say.

Twyla (annoyed): Ugh, I hate that phrase.

Mom: I know you do. To your credit, I still dislike it.

Twyla (calm): You know, it’s kind of a relief to hear that hasn’t changed. It’s validating, you know? We went through our entire life taking in messages about how parenting was the most joyful thing in the world; how it makes you happy in a way you can’t even understand unless you’ve experienced it. And that just isn’t true.

Mom: No, it isn’t. Parenting fills you with something, but it’s not joy.

Twyla (snarky): Exhaustion?

#FamilyOfMe #trans #reparenting 🧵1/

Family of Me 119: The Mood Pin

Mom (Me): Good morning Libra.

Libra (The Friend): Good morning Mom. How are you doing today?

Mom: I'm alright... How about yourself?

Libra: Not so bad. I hear you've been coming to some of your daughters with questions recently.

Mom (uneasy): Yeah -- since Ivy left I've been pretty introspective, haven't I? I’ve spent a lot of time in this space reflecting on and reconciling with my past, and that's been important, but…

Libra: There are still things you're dealing with in your present; things you haven't resolved yet.

Mom: Yes. So I've been trying to collaborate more with my daughters. I’m hoping it’ll help me process… I hope you don't mind.

Libra (excited): Not at all! I've already offered to help you work through issues; after all. To be honest, I'm happy my perspective feels like it might be helpful.

Mom (relieved): I'm glad. I know it might feel strange helping your Mom with her problems…

Libra (curious): Does it feel strange to you? I think as kids get older, they contribute more to their families… And I'm in college, remember?

#FamilyOfMe #trans #reparenting 🧵1/

Family of Me 115: Attraction Boomerang

Lark (The Dreamer): Hey Mom!

Mom (Me): Hello Lark. What's on your mind?

Lark: Not so much -- I just wanted to say hi. I heard Libra’s experiment went well.

Mom (happy): It did! It seems she's not afraid of being desired after all.

Lark: Only when it's from strangers, right?

Mom: Right. She needs time to warm up to someone first -- all of us do, I suppose.

Lark: That feels accurate. I suppose that includes you too.

Mom (dismissive): Hm? Oh sure, I suppose it does. In theory, anyways.

Lark: Why do you say that?

Mom (wistful): Well… Libra’s young, and college was such a unique time in our lives. She’s surrounded by people around her age, and everyone's so pretty. Libra’s really pretty too, and I'm sure she'd have her share of suitors if… Well, you know.

Lark: No, tell me.

Mom: If she'd had the chance to live as herself at the time, instead of pretending to be a boy. She wouldn't need to experiment now; she’d be able to rely on our memories.

#FamilyOfMe #trans #reparenting 🧵1/

Family of Me 113: Relationship Needs

Lark (The Dreamer): Hey there Ivy!

Ivy (The Companion): Good morning Lark.

(Lark exchanges a brief but heartfelt hug with Ivy.)

Lark: It's been nice having you around again… And it's always nice to see you, Mom.

(Lark turns to me and gives me a hug as well.)

Mom (Me): Likewise, dear daughter. How are you both?

Lark (cheery): No complaints!

Ivy (pensive): I've been thinking about something…

Lark: There's your mistake -- Thinking caused all sorts of trouble.

Mom (dry): Very funny, Lark.

Lark: I thought it was a little clever.

Ivy: I didn't mind it. Regardless, my mind keeps drifting back to polyamory.

Lark (concerned): Are we ready to talk about polyamory? We've never… Practiced it before.

Ivy: I know… But I can't see any way of avoiding it anymore.

#FamilyOfMe #trans #reparenting 🧵1/

Family of Me 111: Crisis Control

Mom (Me): Good morning, Bloom.

Bloom (The Survivor): Hey Mom.

Mom: Are you feeling okay? You seem a little… Deflated.

Bloom: “Deflated” sounds about right. I've been thinking a lot about Ivy.

Mom: Your sisters have too -- I've spoken with everyone but you at this point.

Bloom: I guess it's my turn then… Can I ask you something?

Mom: Of course, sweetheart.

Bloom: We've always been pretty good at handling ourselves in challenging situations, haven't we? Whenever I had a test at school or was otherwise under pressure, I excelled. My head would clear and shift into high gear, and I'd do well.

Mom: That's true -- it's how we survived most of our classes. We'd have middling-to-poor marks because we didn't turn in homework, but we'd ace our tests and end up with a decent grade.

Bloom: Yeah. It's something we've always been able to count on.… I guess that applies to relationships too.

Mom: What do you mean?

#FamilyOfMe #trans #reparenting 🧵1/ :heart_trans:

It's about time I posted an #introduction for this instance, don't you think?

Hey hi! I'm Daphne⭐ (pronounced "Daphne Star, pronouns she/her), and I'm a middle-aged trans woman vibing on the Fediverse. I'm a #parent and much of my time and energy is spent parenting and growing as a mother, and I'm also a #SoftwareEngineer who's worked in industry for about a decade and a half at this point. These topics occasionally come up on Fedi, but most of the time that's just background information about me.

So what do I post about? Being #trans! Did I mention I was trans? I'm also a fledgling #writer and aspiring #GameDev who makes trans art and uses this account as a way to promote her work. I'm the #author of an ongoing serial titled Family of Me which is a fictionalized reprocessing of my past told through conversations with my inner children. You can find that on the hashtag #FamilyOfMe or at its website: familyofme.com/

I'm also working on a #JRPG -- an #RPGMaker game about a mercenary searching for the lost princess he swore to protect and coming to terms with his past along the way, currently called Memoria. You may have noticed a theme here; I'm working through some things. 😅 You can find that on the hashtag #MemoriaDemo or at my itch.io page (along with my old novella): daphnestar.itch.io/

I love making trans art, but I'm also happy to vibe with #TransJoy and share my experiences with transition and parenting. I'll allow follows from any accounts with a posting history and good vibes, and follow back along similar lines (bonus points for people with intersecting interests or identities). See you on the timeline!

familyofme.comFamily of Me – A serial fiction about reparenting your inner children

Family of Me 101: Fix-it Mode

Ivy (The Companion): Good morning Mom.

Mom (Me): Good morning Ivy. It's been a while since you've come to me with something to discuss.

Ivy: So many other things were going on -- I had a new sister to meet. I had to work through my relationship with her and with Lark, and throughout that I was still reliving some of your more recent memories.

Mom: How's that been going for you?

Ivy: I saw the night you finally gave up on masculinity for good, and the week you spent in gender limbo before realizing you're a woman through and through. I saw you struggle through months of all sorts of gender anxiety before starting HRT half a year later. I watched as your body started to soften and change under the effects of feminizing hormones.

Mom: You're getting pretty close to the present day then. It's only about another year of memories before the start of this series.

Ivy: I still have things I want to talk to you about. I suppose now's the time, especially since we all know my elder sister can't be summoned yet. We still have work to do.

Mom: Indeed we do. So what are we working on today?

#FamilyOfMe #trans #reparenting 🧵1/

Family of Me 99: Emotional Connection

Libra (The Friend): Hey Mom… Hey Ivy.

Mom (Me): Good morning Libra.

Ivy (The Companion): Hey sis. What's with people wanting to bug both of us lately?

Mom: Come now, Ivy -- Libra’s only the second. What's on your mind, Libra?

Libra: I've just been thinking of how I used to make friends. I was hoping to compare notes with Ivy.

Ivy: Really? Making friends is your purview, not mine.

Libra: I'm not exactly looking for friendship tips -- I'm trying to understand our relationships better. Sure, I've made some long-lasting friendships, but our longest lasting, closest relationship is your purview.

Ivy: Oh, you mean with our partner. I sort of fell into that relationship by chance, of you remember. It was rough at the beginning, but my partner and I kept showing up for each other, and we bonded. We helped each other out a lot, in the beginning -- we still do, of course.

#FamilyOfMe #trans #reparenting 🧵1/

Family of Me 61: Family Friction

Mom (Me): Hello Lark.

Lark (The Dreamer): Oh, hey Mom. You’re not talking to Ivy today?

Mom: Not today, no. I’m more worried about you.

Lark: Me? Why?

Mom: It feels like you have a lot going on recently -- you wanted so badly to summon Ivy, but now that she’s here there’s constantly friction between you two. Despite that, it seems like you’re desperate to rush into a connection with her, as if you'll only get a short time to do it. Honestly Lark, this doesn’t feel like you.

Lark (annoyed): How would you know? I’ve only been here for a few months -- you barely know me.

Mom: I suppose, but you’re also my past. Framed another way, I’ve known you my entire life.

Lark: I… Okay yeah, you’re right. It’s weird, isn’t it? I know that she’s my sister and that we’re both here in this space together for who knows how long…

Mom: As long as I’m alive, presumably.

#FamilyOfMe #trans #reparenting 🧵1/

Family of Me 60: Analytical vs. Emotional

Ivy (The Companion): Good morning, Mom.

Mom (Me): Good morning Ivy. What's on your mind today?

Ivy: I wanted to talk to you about something that's been bothering me for a bit now. When we were talking about emotional vulnerability, I mentioned that my partner processes things emotionally, so maybe I need to process things emotionally.

Mom: Oh -- yes, I remember. At the time I said it wasn't exactly the point I was driving at.

Ivy: Right, which feels like it's still important in another way. It was a key observation, it just wasn't relevant to that conversation.

Mom: That's very astute, Ivy. Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?

Ivy: Yeah… I mean, it came up a lot. It seems like every time my partner and I talked about something at all weighty there would be a little friction in the beginning. I was visiting a memory yesterday where she was upset about something and I felt myself getting exasperated as she described how it made her feel.

#FamilyOfMe #trans #reparenting 🧵1/

Family of Me 38: Sapphic Disaster

Libra (College me): We really are a sapphic disaster, aren't we?

Lark (20s me): Are you still talking about that?

Libra: I just can't get over it! I fell into a deep depressive spiral over not being able to get a girlfriend, remember? I almost failed out of college because of it.

Lark (pensive): Yeah, we did, didn't we.

Libra: To think that entire time I was never going to find a relationship that works. Not the way I was going about it. Not when I thought I had to be the man in a relationship.

Mom (present me): Don't be too hard on yourself, Libra. We were in college in the early 2000s. Even if we'd had any notion of queer culture, no-one else we knew at the time did. Who would we have found?

Libra: Surely there could have been someone, even back then. Besides, that's not my point -- my point is that I spent months and months in a deep depression in service to an idea that was never meant for me. That never even applied to me.

#FamilyOfMe #trans #reparenting 🧵1/

  • What is "Family Of Me"?

Family of Me is a serial fiction about a middle aged trans woman reparenting her own inner children. Those past versions of her did their best in their own time, but they didn’t realize they were closeted trans girls, which set them back in numerous invisible ways. By bringing them back, she seeks to introduce each of them to girlhood and reconcile with the perceived shortcomings of her past selves.

  • How can I read it?

I post new scenes as threads on this account every Monday and Friday, hashtagged with #FamilyOfMe, #trans, and #reparenting. All posts also include "FamilyOfMe" (one word) in the text so they can be filtered out of your timeline if you so choose. I also post them to the Family Of Me website (familyofme.com/), where you can also read older scenes and check out the character page. Or follow @daphnestar@familyofme.com if you want to read scenes as single Fediverse posts.

  • Can you throw more hashtags into this post?

Strange request, but I guess so:

familyofme.comFamily of Me – A serial fiction about reparenting your inner children
  • What is "Family Of Me"?

Family of Me is a serial fiction about a middle aged trans woman reparenting her own inner children. Those past versions of her did their best in their own time, but they didn’t realize they were closeted trans girls, which set them back in numerous invisible ways. By bringing them back, she seeks to introduce each of them to girlhood and reconcile with the perceived shortcomings of her past selves.

  • How can I read it?

I post new scenes as threads on this account every Monday and Friday, hashtagged with #FamilyOfMe, #trans, and #reparenting. All posts also include "FamilyOfMe" (one word) in the text so they can be filtered out of your timeline if you so choose. I also post them to the Family Of Me website (familyofme.com/), where you can also read older scenes and check out the character page. Or follow @daphnestar@familyofme.com if you want to read scenes as single Fediverse posts.

  • Can you throw more hashtags into this post?

Strange request, but I guess so:

familyofme.comFamily of Me – A serial fiction about reparenting your inner children

Family Of Me 24: The Mirror

Lark (20s me): Mom!

Mom (Present me): Are you alright? You look upset.

Lark (upset): Of course I'm upset! What else are you hiding from me!?

Mom (confused): Sorry, I'm not following.

Lark (irate): You told me you’d give me the time I needed! You said I could come to my own decision!

Mom: Hold on, slow down. What are you talking about?

Lark: I’m talking about you leaving hints just lying around for me to find!

Mom: What hints? On the day you arrived here I told you outright that you're a girl.

Lark: I remember. I still don’t believe it.

Mom: Haven't you felt it lately? I've seen it in your eyes.

Lark: All I have is your word! You’ve been telling me I'm trans for weeks… I still don't feel trans!

Mom: What would I gain by lying to myself?

Lark: I don't know, control? Dominance? A sense of superiority over your past self?

Mom: We left motivations like that behind when we transitioned. Look, you live in my head. If you think I'm hiding something, dig through my memories!

(Lark hesitates, lost for words.)

Mom: You already found something. That’s what you meant by “hints,” isn’t it.

(Lark nods silently.)

Mom: Show me?

Lark (nervous): Okay.

#FamilyOfMe #trans #reparenting 🧵1/