Dragonia27

Hey, All!

I know I've been pretty quiet here lately and I apologize for the neglect! After checking over dA's Terms of Service and FAQs I can't show you all what I'm doing because it's not art business related.

So I'll tell you instead. XD

I've launched a business where I train business professionals how to be more inclusive with their employees. I focus on the ADHD/Autism and LGBTQIA+ Communities. Yes, I can do more than those communities, but those ones are my areas of focus. I've had a few mentors who are helping me out immensely and I hope to share more news as time goes on. ^_^ I currently have a website and instagram for the business, message me for them privately if you want that info so that we're all playing nice with dA's rules.

As far as things here go: I'm healed enough that I'm able to stay more on top of both the business launch and the writings I do. NaNoWriMo is coming up and I'm likely going to use that as a way to finish up several projects of mine that I thought were only 1-3 years old but are, actually, embarrassingly, much, much older than that. I'll continue posting Ransom's Landing bi-weekly and will set up a schedule for that.

My kids are happy and healthier than they've been in a long time. I'm actually okay with looking at myself in a mirror now! I avoided it for years because of body issues.

I hope this finds you well! If it doesn't and you want to talk about it, please send me a note. I'll respond as soon as I can. That aside, if you want to chat, send me a note regardless.

I was going to upload a Vampire: The Masquerade fanfiction of mine here (after all the edits X.X) then I realized that many people may not know much about the world it's set in, the types of clans/vampires and the dynamics there.

Would a brief primer be helpful?

To those who know me,

I am processing the events and the ... incredibly painful Supreme Court ruling regarding Roe v. Wade that they handed out yesterday.

The thing is... I live in a state that I'm fine. I'm safe. My kids are safe. The laws protect women and people who bear children (or not) in this state.

But not all states are like that.

Each state now has the ability to decide whether or not they want to allow people control over their own bodies in terms of reproductive health. Over 1/5 of them have already shut down every clinic in their state. Within 24 hours... the rights and ability to choose for every single person in that state... is gone.

To those that live in other countries, the United States is -massive-. It's not like getting on a train, or hopping on a bus for 30 minutes will take you someplace that it's safe to have whatever medical procedure that you want, or need, to have. On the East Coast, the states are smaller and closer together.

For me, for example, it takes 2.5 hours driving to reach the norther border of my state. It takes me about the same amount of time to reach the Western border, the ocean, from my house. It takes about 3 hours to reach the southern border at the closest point to my house. To get to the center of my state, it takes 2.5 hours. To reach the eastern most border of my state? It takes about 7 hours, maybe 8. I haven't driven it in a while and I'm not exactly sure because of that.

That's just one state.

I am fortunate in that I have the local government protecting my rights like that. Not everyone does.

In the states where abortion and reproductive rights are now on the table like that, people will be forced to stop going to college because they have to take care of a child they didn't want. They will be forced to pay medical bills that can end up being hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the insurance company and what it decides to cover or not, for nine months of their lives going in a way that they didn't want to take.

In the US, it can cost upwards of $300,000 over the course of nine months, to have a child. That's assuming nothing goes wrong. A check up for the mother-to-be? Anywhere from $150-$300. These happen monthly for the first 6-7 months, then bi-weekly, then weekly. Prescription vitamins? $25-75 per prescription, refilled monthly. Ultrasounds? $2,000-5,000. A person will usually need 2, maybe more depending on the risk of development abnormalities, complications, etc. A hospital birth? $3,000 minimum for 6 hours or less. That is only walking through the door, having the bare minimum of supervision and giving the birth without medications of any kind.

If there are any complications, any medications needed, that $3,000 visit can blossom into $180-360,000. Needing to be sedated? $10-20,000 alone. Need to stay over night? Add on another $10,000. Need an ambulance? $8,000 minimum. While most of these things may be covered on some level by a person's health insurance, what each company covers, what each state allows to be covered, varies wildly. Ambulance rides, for example, are almost never covered by insurance.

You can see how one single decision by a court has now set the track for peoples lives to be completely upended.

Medical insurance is not guaranteed here. For me and my two kids, it would cost $845/mo without counting in the $3,000 yearly deductible that I would be required to pay BEFORE the insurance covered 80% of the costs, maybe 95% if I was incredibly fortunate. Take home pay, in my state, which pays better than most, would be approximately $2,400/mo. Housing, on average, in my area, is now $1,500/mo.

You can see the problem.

Again, I am fortunate. I am actually considered part of the poverty class so my kids and I have health insurance provided by my state. That health insurance is what allowed me to have my surgery and undergo my transition. I live in one of the small handful of states that actually allow that.

Without it, I'd be dead by now.

And these people...those 5 Court Justices... decided that it was perfectly alright to remove all federal protections for women/people who bear children, and hand it over to the states.

The same states who want to make caring for transgender kids a felony, resulting in a criminal record, fines and jail times.

The same states who have people who think that people like me are "not quite human".

One of the justices hinted that the next 3 things they (the Supreme Court)should consider are contraceptives (whether or not they should be included in health insurance plans/whether or not they are even acceptable/legal), inter-racial marriage (should that be considered legal??) and gay marriage (is that considered legal??? It infringes on the "right of religion".)

So. Yeah.

It's going.

Hey, All. I know I've been quiet here, despite the desire to share writings and updates with you all.

Long story short--between things at my now-former place of employment (work safety violations, homophobia, transphobia, racism, being asked to commit a felony and told "It's fine if you don't say anything,", and more), challenges securing my top surgery placement and appointment (It's for June 7th this year. WOOHOO!!!), injuries (I hurt my left shoulder. Again.) and family issues which have cemented vast disservice done to men when it comes to body image, masculinity, attractiveness, mental health and depression (everyone's alive still. It's just...been rough.)--Things have been Challenging.

I still drop by as often as I can. Yes, I do have some additions to works that I had to shelve for years (I am so sorry!!!). It is my goal to have something posted by the end of this month (May 2022).

Please, All, take care of yourselves. You are loved. You are wanted. You are Enough.

Wishing you well.

❤️

Loki

After receiving over two dozen notifications, many of which were by people who didn't have accounts two days later or less, I have made the decision to remove one of my images. I have not, as of yet, decided if I'm going to remove the other images of my previous self from this platform.

Part of me wants to remove them because they come from a part of my past fraught with pain, in need of healing, and something that I'm moving away from. The other part of me wants to let them be since they are part of my journey into greater self-acceptance and self-love.

The image I removed was one that seemed to be getting attention for the reasons that I did not want and the kind that makes me queasy now.

I am not a woman. I tried my hardest to be one for several decades and it nearly killed me.

I am in the process of transforming into the person I have always known, deep down, that I am.

Thank you, for being on this journey with me. I appreciate each and every one of you.