Pretty much THE dense egg story here on Scribblehub.

Lily is a wonderful main character to follow with an incredibly funny inner monologue and perspective on the world, while also going through some genuine growth and development as she reckons with her biases and prejudices. The cast of supporting characters is amazing, with not a single character being defined by a singular trait or gimmick; everyone in this story is a three dimensional character with several layers.

This story is also massively important to me on a personal level, as seeing Lily deconstruct the construct of gender made me realize that I was a trans woman as well, and that wanting to be a girl and enjoying being treated like a girl was the same thing as being a girl. And for that I will always be grateful that To Own the Libs exists.

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It's a common refrain among some (in the US, at least) that trans people are just 'faking' things in order to peep on people in stinky public restrooms (I can't think of a place I'd rather AVOID than public bathrooms, but hey...). Applying even a moment of critical thought reveals how ludicrous that is, but it's still a persistent enough refrain that it has been used as justification for a wave of dozens of US states in recent years to try to pass bills banning trans people from using public bathrooms. Needless to say, this doesn't leave trans folks feeling exactly warm and accepted by society. Other refrains are that people are using being LGBTQ in general to their advantage and "have it easy"/etc.

This story is a humorous attempt at illustrating just how ridiculous that and other related "just faking it" sorts of ideas are. The main character has picked up a right-wing set of beliefs over time and gets it into their head to attempt to prove how "easy" trans people have it and how easy it is for cis men to "fake" being trans by doing so themselves. Ie, to "own the libs". Of course, they rapidly begin to realize all the challenges associated with coming out, transitioning, etc... and of course it rapidly becomes obvious to the reader that the MC is only motivated to go through all of that because they actually are trans and were just suppressing it. To someone who isn't trans that might seem weird, but trust me, the pressure to bury all the signs you're not content with your assigned gender in life is a powerful force, so that isn't a totally silly and implausible plot device, even if the extent of it is stretched quite a bit for humor's sake here.

The story's very well-written, and the tone is a great mix between serious moments and light-hearted ironic humor. I can't imagine anyone who is trans not adoring this, but I think anyone in the LGBTQ camp at all would really appreciate it as well as it isn't exclusively focused on just trans issues (coming out and finding acceptance is kind of universal). 'Cishet' folks would also probably enjoy this as a fun read assuming they didn't start reading it because they themselves actually did want to "own the libs", and it's a fun story in which one can get a bit more education about what trans people deal with as well.

Highly recommend!

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If one excludes black holes, which are by definition infinitely dense due to having zero volume, the densest known material in the universe is found inside neutron stars.  The gravitational fields within are so intense as to forcibly combine electrons and protons, nuclear reactions changing the combination into neutrons, creating a single atomic nucleus kilometers across, but with a total mass on the same scale as the Sun.

The second densest object in the universe is Lily's egg.  It is such a delight to watch a right-wing trans woman slowly both unlearning those right-wing tendencies and transitioning further and further towards the woman she wants to be, all while being so blisteringly endearingly oblivious that she's actually trans.  While the first step to unlearning such things is wanting to, it's a delight to find stories of people who genuinely do want to, and are rebelling against the systems holding them back (even if they don't realize yet that's what they're doing).  The story is a charming read, one about unlearning bigotries and the damages those can have not just on the people who fall victim to bigotry, but also the people who hold such bigotries.

I can't wait to see Lily finally figure it out.

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Ill be honest, I have always hated oblivious eggs in trans stories. I usually can't help but find them infuriating. Not judging, some people might find them entertaining and relatable but I just can't bring myself to.

So I've made an habit to skip the 'egg parts' of stories that feature them in order to get to the part I actually like. I didnt have to do any of that here.

This story managed, through the masterful writing of its wonderful author, to become the exception to this rule of mine.

Well done, definitely a must read.

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Made me realize I was trans, 10/10, would own the libs again

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This is a really truly wonderful story, I was in a large depressive funk last night until I read through all of this. It's so positive, so affirming, and the gentle love between all the girls feels so nice to read. Thank you so much for this!!!

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A masterclass in satire that has realistic characters, an unnaturally dense egg, and handles its premise with a blend of comedy and seriousness. This was a really fun read!

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Fantastic writing for laughing and crying and yelling a bit at the idiot protagonist.

I even learned one or another new terms! 😅

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While I love misunderstanding novels and dense protagonists this one I couldn't get myself into. 

I wont rate it since im not from US so I might just not get the political humor.

Don't let my negative review deter u from trying this.

PS not sure how this works, does my review count as 0 star or does it not count at all?

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A definite recommend, hilarious, cute, heartwarming and also engaging enough to make you want to finish it in one sitting if possible. To own the libs was wholly entertaining and our main character Lily was just a gem, her own obliviousness was the single most hilarious thing I've encountered in a while and I just can't get over how funny the concept of this novel actually is, quite the breath of fresh air. This has some anime levels of denseness that haven't been seen before, our protagonist is playing 5d chess whilst being blindfolded. 

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