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CH11Mini8 – TMJ2
Posted on 13 August 2023 by rustyhearts

Are you satisfied, TMJ voters? Are you finally quenched? >:T

This Mini was inspired by all the gendies who didn't like there wasn't any chestbinding/testosterone/double masectomy rep among the female gendie cast.

On a meta level: I'm staunchly anti-transition, like any other elective, cosmetic surgery (breast implants, fillers, botox), because it is treating a person's body as the problem, rather than addressing the root cause - an illness in the mind (dysphoria, body-negativity, crippling self-esteem). The gendie characters exist to make jokes about trans ideology, particularly it's homophobia and misogyny. I would take no joy in cracking jokes at the expense of those who've experienced medical malpractice, and bodily harm via transition.

In-Comic Level: I thought it'd be funny to use Tiffany's Won't-Talk-To-Women as a roadblock to her getting things she desires.

52 thoughts on “CH11Mini8 – TMJ2”

  1. rustyhearts

    Next Week’s Comic Poll:


    (this time, for a challenge, the pick with the middle amount of votes wins!)

    1. HorseBlaire

      everybody vote riley <3

  2. RCS

    1. This lead me down a rabbit hole to find out that Mx is pronounced as “Mux” and I’m not sure I was ready for that.

    2. “Valid and manly” will be my new Tinder bio.

    3. Plot twist, the receptionist is non-binary and Kai is now a confirmed exorsexist.

    1. Rose

      I am so endlessly amused by the fact that basicaly NO gendie ever manages to adhere to her own ideology when it comes to assigning genders to strangers. They all do it all the time!

      (This is especially obvious when gendies write fanfic. After the disclaimer of “I hate Rowling”, you get an endless stream of “this woman there” and “that man there”, despite them never asking the random strangers for their pronouns!)

      Say what you want about other ideologies, but everyone else, be they religious extremist or communist, is capable of writing stories about people doing mundane things without going against their own ideology. (Heck, even flat earthers could probably write a whole Harry Potter fanfic without even once accidentally implying that the earth is, in fact, not flat.)

      1. Green

        About the gendies writing fanfic… I have seen fanfictions in which the narrator just magically knows the stranger she just met is non-binary and it is always so weird.
         

        Like, I would understand if the non binary character had something showing their ~identity~, like a pronoun pin or the nonbinary flag, but it’s never like that.

         
        It’s always like “Mrs. Protagonist looked across the room and locked eyes with someone. They were very cool and stylish and valid. The stranger was a tall non binary person…” wouldn’t that be assuming someone’s gender, according to their own logic? How tf does that work lmao
         

        (Funniest example of this I’ve ever seen was this one fanfiction where the protagonist got kidnapped by a group of characters, and somehow he knew the specific microidentities of every single one of these strangers.
         

        No kidding, it went something like this: “The genderfluid person tied him up, while the demiboy told them to hurry. The leader, a genderqueer individual, watched silently.”

        1. rustyhearts

          Omg LMAO.
          I’m imagining in the kidnapping scenario, that they were all wearing stupid little identity pins, and the captive character is struggling against her restraints to make sure she identifies them correctly (in her fucking head) 🤣🤣
          Absolutely ridiculous! I’ve noticed this too – so embarrassing.

  3. Jigsaw Puzzles

    When you say: “I’m staunchly anti-transition, like any other elective, cosmetic surgery (breast implants, fillers, botox), because it is treating a person’s body as the problem, rather than addressing the root cause”, I would mostly agree with you. However, if a breast cancer survivor underwent a mastectomy to remove the cancer from her body, I would have no problem with her seeking breast reconstructive surgery, even though it is an elective procedure. Other than that though, I would agree with you.

    As always, thank you for the wonderful comics! Great job! 🙂

    1. rustyhearts

      Glad you enjoy LB!

      Out of curiosity, why do you think seeking breast implants after breast cancer, is not a problem?
       
      What do breast implants treat in mastectomy patients?
       
      How do they not position women’s bodies as something incorrect and in need of improvement?

      1. RCS

        Not to maliciously interrupt (but interrupting because this spiked my curiosity and I have mixed feelings),
         

        but surely breast implants post mastectomy are analogus to facial reconstructive surgery in people who have survived chimp attacks whose healed wounds no longer cause them physical or any impairment that would be fixed with a surgery/ prostectic (for example, losing an ear or losing a nose).

         
        At which point the pain is that you lost something that you’d much rather not have lost and just want a substiute.
         

        I fully get why there is an undertone of “women’s bodys imperfect and need to be corrected” but I guess my mixed feeling is that where you have had to amputate part of yourself to save your life, the best treatment for that loss might be a substitute.

         
        (similar to how mirror therapy has recently been useful in Phantom Limb Pain, as even without the part of the body bearing there the brain doesn’t like accepting that.)

        As a side note, @Rusty, are you also against breast tissue removal for men who have gynecomastia? Cause Arguably it is purely cosmetic, but it’s also treated as medical intervention for a diagnosed illness

        1. Miss Kory

          You’d be surprised about how many women actually want to “go flat” when they get mastectomy for breast cancer. It’s actually something breast cancer survivors organisation are trying to make more heard because a lot of doctors completely disregard the decisions of women to not keep some of the skin for potential future reconstruction.

           

          The skin that is kept isn’t confortable. Plus it’s normal to have scars when you battle such a vicious illness. There’s no functional results from the reconstruction by the way, the nerves and nodules and muscles are still taken away to get rid of the tumors and avoid its spreading as much as possible, so the range of motion is still affected. Getting implants, even in the case of reconstruction, still come with a lot of side effects that can actually make you sick.
           

          SO unlike reconstructing say, a nose that was bitten off so that it would bring back some of the functionality of the nose (breathing, protection of the breathing canals), breast reconstruction doesn’t have any purely physical functionality. That it would help mentally that’s another thing.

           

          But it’s important to keep in mind that women who get deadly sickness such as cancer get abandonned by their male companion at a ridiculously high rate. SO wanting a reconstruction might very much be rooted in wanting to “regain” the part that men are attracted to who make them feel important.

           

          Many survivors do not like the whole “save the tatas” trend that cancer awareness campaigns have made because it make them feel even worse, as if it was only their breasts not themselves as humans, who were important, and that it pushed them also to must have reconstruction which is yet another big, invasive, intimate surgery after they’ve already been exhausted with trying to heal from cancer.
           

          DOes that mean we must/should tell women who seek those reconstruction that it’s terrible and they’re somehiow bad women for wanting them ? no, absolutely not. But what we should do is telling them that getting their breasts taken away does not make them lesser women, that they are survivors and as hard as it is, they are allowed to have scars.

        2. rustyhearts

          Hmm.
          I can understand your conflicted feelings about it, but I still believe the facial reconstruction and breast implants after masectomy are different. It’s all in the context.
           
          Think about how prominent “save the ta-ta”s is in breast cancer awareness raising. How there are plenty of women who request post mastectomy to go fully flat, but get ignored by doctors who leave tissue against their wishes, “just incase” they want a reconstruction later.
           
          Whereas a facial reconstruction could affect both men and women. I also even wonder, how much more likely it is suggested cosmetically (after all physical limitationss are treated) for women than for men, again in the same vein – to make sure we are decorative first and foremost.
           
          Are men suggested prosthetic testicles after testicular cancer? Or hell, even implants in the rare cases of male breast cancer?
           
          The mirror therapy sounds very interesting. Is it actually involving a mirror or is it just being used as a verb? As in holding up a mirror to the unaffected half to trick the brain VS surgically reconstructing the missing part trick the brain?
           
          Because if it’s the former, could that not be used to correct possibke phantom pain instead of extensive surgery to “correct” a visual difference.
           
          From what I understand of gynecomastia (enlargement of breast tissue in boys and men), when it’s not an underlying condition (breast cancer, abcesses, ect) then it resolves on its own with time.
          So I would question why surgerical intervention was necessary.
           
          The context again, is different though. Men simply aren’t held to the same “be decorative” standards as women, because they make the rules to benefit them. (Yes there are plenty of women who obediently enforce the rules, but they don’t make them).
           
          And to be clear, I would never approach a survivor who has had reconstructive breast surgery, and criticize their choices. I understand women don’t exist in a vacuum, many things affect their choices.
           
          I am posing it as a general critique/questioning of the current way medical professionals see fit to “treat” double masectomies, and the general social opinion that breast cancer treatment should “save the ta tas” above saving the human woman afflicted.

        3. RCS

          Thank you both, very insightful.

          Re Rusty on Gyno, (Simply because I know actual things about this cause I have it and it not something that will go away), For a good amount of teenage boys, it will just go away but in cases like mine it doesn’t. While surgery would make my chest look more “masculine”, I’ve always balked at the idea because having an enlarged chest doesn’t cause any medical problems, (and to be honest, I don’t see anything wrong with it. As much as gay men don’t want to have sex with women, I can personally garuntee that a man with boobs is not the same) and I’d rather be comfortable in my body that undergo unnecessary risk.

          I brought it up as an afterthought cause I’ve had people say body modification to me as if its expected and just as okay as medical circumcision (for example, for phimosis) which has always rubbed me the wrong way since breast reduction for me would at most just make shirts sit a bit better. Just reading this brought up parallels for those feelings (different contexts obviously as its not the exact same pressures telling women their bodies are incorrect) so wanted your thoughts.

        4. rustyhearts

          Thanks for the info – I’m glad the condition isn’t causing you any medical grief. I think you have a very healthy mindset about the cosmetic surgery around it, and I hope people leave you tf alone and don’t make unnecessary suggestions in real life.
           
          Isn’t it crazy to be so used to clarifying “btw larger breast tissue in men =/= being a woman”. Like you know this, I know this. But there are absolutely gender believers obtuse enough out there, who would go to bat for you to be considered “intersex” because of this condition. That, to my understanding, only effects men 💀

        5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Bisexual

          Ignoring all the misogyny, one thing about the “save the breast” movement is that the breasts usually end up being removed to save the woman. I hate the save the breast movement.

    2. Nonnie

      Did you just compare a mastectomy to remove cancer from a woman (usually done when it’s in a risky condition) with a mastectomy made on healthy tissue?? The Hell is wrong with you??

      1. rustyhearts

        She’s talking about the reconstruction after the masectomy – where women have surgery to recreate the appearance of breasts. Iirc this sometimes done with implants.

  4. HorseBlaire

    tmj real

    1. Parniyas biggest fan

      I stilly like Clancy X MJ even though the Clancy story is probably done for good 😅

      1. rustyhearts

        Breastie beloved, why must you keep dehydrating yourself this way 😭

        1. Parniyas biggest fan

          I GET TOO ATTACHED!!!!!! 😭😭😭

        2. rustyhearts

          Miss Parniya’s Biggest Fan, see’s a woman who’s had minimal screentime, asks “Is anyone going to be obsessed with her?!” and doesn’t wait for an answer. U_U

          1

  5. Ms. Clicker

    This is set in Australia, right? Can’t we just….feed this “”twink”” to a dingo already?
     
    EDIT: I see mixed reactions, and I just wanna say…It can be a croc if you prefer!

    1. rustyhearts


      You know what to do, ladies.

      1. Ms. Clicker

        The fact everyone is picking the croc….sorry rusty

  6. Tyto

    Well, now, seems like being mega misogynistic helped Kai dodge a mutilation bullet – Yay?

    1. rustyhearts

      Every cloud has a silver lining U_U

  7. Mx. #1 Kai Hater

    I want Kai to accidentally do this to someone who ends up identifying as nonbinary or male. And then ideally she’d get lectured about how trans people don’t owe you gender nonconformity and also don’t have to come out to you to be valid and worthy of respect. I want her to learn the valuable moral that it’s not very nice to assume things about people.

    And then I want her to get hit by a car! 😀

    1. Ms. Clicker

      Damn, sis wasn’t playing with that nickname. 😳😳

    2. Norm L. Esbian

      you are so real for this. let’s hold hands.

  8. Charly

    Oh no.. I can feel myself like tmj even more.. they’re both so cringe but they could be cringe together… The way Tif can’t even function without MJ though omg, how does she plan to go through life not talking to women?

    1. Norm L. Esbian

      there’s an irony to me that she hates women so much that she can’t function like a human being, and yet depends on another woman (albeit another gendie cultist lol) to said other woman’s inconvenience to do so. like even though she hates women she’s still ultimately a burden to others who are even like her lmfao

  9. May

    Voted for all 3 options lol I want to see them all

    1. rustyhearts

      Love the way you think, breastie.

  10. Parniyas biggest fan

    Thank you desk-lady for (unknowingly) saving Tiffany from doing irreversible damage to her body <3

    Also rest up MJ, get better soon 😘

  11. Mysterycat

    Their relationship is adorable in a really fucked up way

  12. Minka

    “I would take no joy in cracking jokes at the expense of those who’ve experienced medial malpractice, and bodily harm via transition.“
    As someone who wanted to medically transition (and thankfully desisted before I could do that), I really appreciate this <3

  13. Normal person

    Jesus Christ the fact that she rang up her sick friend JUST to whine and rant about her own nonsense… I feel worse for MJ every day.

    Also given what testosterone does to the female body it’s pretty fortunate particularly in this case that she didn’t go on it – I can already imagine her reaction to starting to bald while getting thick body-hair and going full panic mode, I’ve seen this happen to dozens and dozens of delusional, feminine, trans-identified girls who thought that HRT would turn them into anime boys.

    1. Norm L. Esbian

      i’ve said this before elsewhere, but also the health consequences of it. as a woman with PCOS i never believed/got that TRA “transition is harmless!” spiel bc like…. my testosterone levels are elevated a thousand times less than yours, and it already causes so many mental and physical problems (and for any dumb shits reading, problems beyond just “ah… no babby” lmfao like digestive and endocrine issues), i was always like “what does your synthetic testosterone ask your pronouns first so it knows not to fuck you over?”

      1. Nonnie

        Another anon with PCOS too! I wish they could be informed about the cons of having T too elevated but it is almost like a cult, “real doctors have no idea what they’re talking about and it never happens!”

      2. ShyBottomDweller

        @Norm L. Esbian Now that you mention it I’ve often wondered about that.
         

        In the end i just assumed it had to do with the levels being “in the middle” causing trouble as opposed to T dominance itself (or E dominance in males), in this case (PCOS) T being not as low as normal female levels yet also not as high (with low E) as a normal male unlike a standard FTM dose, so i thought as long as it went to levels of a normal male and stayed stable that way there wouldnt be major issue, and (i was taught) that actual trans people were meant to go through that hrt anyway, that it was do or die.

         

        But now I’m learning its more complicated than that and i feel conflicted 🙁 i hope there’s enough funding for better research on all this so patients can at least make a more careful decision of whether to pursue or not.

         

        And even if a person doesn’t identify as transgender but decides to try hrt in opposite sex style regime for whatever reason, issues could arise for them as well I think so it’d help everybody to know more of risks and cons.

  14. Norm L. Esbian

    Rusty i know this is a day late but i had to step back for my blood pressure’s sake seeing Tiffany lol
    N E WAYS…… the irony of Tif’s misogyny literally causing problems for her and everyone else around her is soooooooo

    1. rustyhearts

      You’re allowed to comment a day late (or even not at all), breastie! Blood pressure and general health comes first <33 (got some pages cooking up that may make it spike in the future tho.. ehehehe...)
       
      Glad the irony is clear, lmao. It just seemed like such a funny way to get around why she doesn't want to transition.

  15. Nonnie

    Not gonna lie, the more I see Kai’s shenanigans, the more I think Blaire is not the main villain of Leasebound.

    1. rustyhearts

      ooooOOoooOoOOoOooo :3

  16. AEM

    Ive been enjoying this story a lot- just the very real commentary about whats going on in our community.
     
    And how while Jaden is normie enough to be oblivious, Riley is feeling this guilt and anxiety about her own common sense, Blaire is the absolute image of the well meaning woman who is making it all harder, and then theres the nature that Blaire and Brick apparently have been to the lesbian club before- but didnt have issues but were prob annoying to the people who were polite to them.
     
    Just like how Violet knew damn well what Blaire said but stayed polite and firm. I wish best for MJ in this very demanding friendship, and how MJ fell into this all after her upbringing. I hope after college entering workforce and maybe expanding her horizons she gets to peak in peace. Girl can dream, I know 2 years out of college multiple nb/trans who went back to being women once it was done.

    1. rustyhearts

      So glad you’re enjoying the ride!
      Loved reading your commentary and thoughts <3

  17. Cornélia

    Hmmm, but Kai, how do you know that receptionists a woman? Did you just…*gasp* assume their gender??🤨🤨 That’s quite ciscentric of you…

    Poor MJ tho 🙁 I swear if I had enough time/writing skills I would definitely turn it into a healthy relationship… Like others have said, in a better world they are just bi girlfriends

  18. TifHater

    Everyone else has commented on Tiffany’s hypocrisy around the assumption other women are “cis”—and at a gender clinic of all places! —so I’m going to bring up something else:
     

    Notice how her boyfriend is nowhere in the picture. I said it before on her last comic, I bet he never offered to speak to women for her like Martha Jane. While I get that it’s more “Rusty can’t draw men and doesn’t want to focus on them plus it would NOT be funny if Tiffany succeeded at this” I must say that as someone who has lived among the gendies a long time—-a sort of Jane Goodall of the gender identity cultists, you might say—this is very true to life in my opinion.
     

    Not only will gendie women hold TiMs up as handmaidens, they will also hold each other up, supporting one another as only women can.

     

    It’s the ultimate in a good quality used for a bad purpose. Of course, there’s always the ones like Tiffany, who seem to be more takers than givers; I know we haven’t seen much of her and MJ, broadly speaking, but it does seem to be only MJ doing things for her and not vice versa, and while it’s certainly possible we just haven’t seen yet what Tiffany contributes in return, my assumption for the time being is “very little”.

     

    The “uwu I’m a cute gay trans twink and women are icky!” brand of trans-identified woman is always steeped in narcissism and a sense of superiority to other women, far too much to ever truly be a good friend to them even if they’ll accept the fruits of friendship FROM them as Tiffany does.

     

    As I’ve also said before, I don’t want anything bad to happen to Tiffany. I just want for her what I want for all gendies, male AND female both: For the realization of their bigotry, delusions, and overall shitty and absurd behavior to hit them like a ton of bricks.
     

    For them to just suddenly (or gradually, I’ll settle for that) come to grips not just with biological reality, but the reality of why they were trans-identified in the first place, and recognition of any/all nasty behavior and harm they caused along with it.

     

    I would find Tiffany having to face herself to be MUCH more satisfying than her getting hit by a car or eaten by an animal, because in the latter case she’d be dying with her bullshit beliefs and self-important “gay trans twink” misogynistic homophobic self-image intact. That’s far too kind a luxury.

     
    But, if nothing else, I’ll also love laughing at her bullshit! After having known more than one woman like this, it is SO cathartic!

    1. rustyhearts

      Love your observations, breastie. Enough so that I made this graphic lmao, because you’re so fucking right! Yes the meta reason is I can’t draw men/don’t wanna include them without a reason, but also, no boyfriend would do for Tiffany what MJ is doing.
      Even if he wasn’t a scumbag telling Tiffany he’s a gay man (to get laid).
       
      And I completely agree on the satisfaction thing. Eaten by animals and hit by cars is all good fun to joke about in the comment section – I like seeing everyone making jokes! – but yeah, there would be nothing more satisfying than seeing Tiffany, and characters like her having to grapple with the guilt and ramifications of their actions.
       
      Why I vow to never let gender supports forget, what it is they supported and who and how many women and gay people they hurt.

      1. TifHater

        Omg love the graphic, I’m so honored! And yeah, ngl, I love the joking too XD

  19. Lina

    Rusty, thank you for being a source of light and laughter in these dark times! I really love your work and I’m always waiting patiently and excitingly for an update! It makes me happy seeing artwork and thoughts of other wonderful and wise women out there.
     
    I know it can be inappropriate to write offtop, so sorry in advance. My girlfriend of 3,5 years broke up with me because she fell in love with another girl, who happens to be trans-identified and undergoing HRT. That’s really sad for me because of many understandable reasons, but I want to cover few. Maybe it could serve as an inspiration for some story in your book, who knows!
     
    We were gender-crytical together with my ex-gf, but soon after breaking up with me she messaged me that she changed her mind and sees that girl as a boy, in order to get a chance to be in a relationship with her (they have mutual feelings but that girl said that being loved by a lesbian causes her gender dysphoria). Also, yes, my gf always talked proudly about being a lesbian, but now she said that she is bi, because being with that “boy” doesn’t feel wrong.
     
    I am devastated at how the most close woman to me could change that fast (or lie that she changed), and for what? It’s not normal to change your views to fit another person. She also wrote hyperbolized awful things and lies about our relationship on her blog instead of talking things out with me, but that’s just a cherry on top. I can’t believe that this is the person that she had become.

    1. rustyhearts

      Hello Lina,
      Thank *you* for taking the time to comment, and for your kind words.
      I’m so, so sorry to hear about what your ex-girlfriend did. I can only imagine how heartbreaking, and jarring it was for her to switch a flip like that. Not to mention how shallow and cruel of a person it makes her.
      I hope you’re taking time to heal, and being kind to yourself. 3.5 years is a long time to invest in someone else 🙁

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