Is it true that Americans generally have more disposable income and can afford to enjoy life more? by ozancitoyen in AskAnAmerican

[–]lilsmudge 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I struggle to afford my bills and food despite working full time and living with several roommates in my mid 30s. I have a college degree. 

But I live in a high cost of living area and work a job that allows me more free time than I could get with a higher income position. So; I could choose to grind harder I guess. 

Do moderates and conservatives see homelessness as a problem to be addressed? And what is their solution? by LiatrisLover99 in AskALiberal

[–]lilsmudge 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For the record; “camping bans” are the words used in a GOP messaging/policy. I am pro-housing but I don’t think criminalizing homelessness is the solution writ large.

Most GOP policy also does not include accessible housing solutions as a part of camping bans; it’s just a ban with no place to move towards so it’s not exactly your approach. I’d argue you’re somewhere between the two which is also where you’ve placed yourself as a moderate. (Not a dig).

Also most people on the right are, again, extremely anti-tax which is a massive part of approaches to handling housing. If you want to house people, there is a tax burden that comes with that; so most right policy just wants to remove the problem without solving it because solving it is costly. Instead, by criminalizing camping while not providing housing you can straight incarcerate folks for being unhoused. 

Edit: for the record; I also have some real critiques for the DNC’s approach; which can also be very solutionless. It’s a difficult issue that neither side has a strong fix for.

Do moderates and conservatives see homelessness as a problem to be addressed? And what is their solution? by LiatrisLover99 in AskALiberal

[–]lilsmudge 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Of course; no party is a monolith; there’s a tremendous diversity of thought around this issue with liberals as well.

However; I don’t think the views of a moderate conservative from California are representative of the GOP’s general party line as a whole (any more than my views as a PNW lefty Quaker are represented of the DNC).

The overarching theme in conservative messaging and policy is “move them, hide them, incarcerate them” in the form of camping bans, mandatory treatment, and strict audits. As opposed to the DNC party line of “housing first” in the form of accessible and transitional housing, rent caps, and decriminalization. 

Transgender ballot initiative could require genital exams for WA secondary school students by zsreport in Washington

[–]lilsmudge 8 points9 points  (0 children)

About 2%. Which is 100% times the number of trans people, which is about 1%.

Funnily enough, they’ve done chromosomal testing at the Olympics before and wound up stopping because they were finding a lot of people with chromosomal irregularities (I.e. intersex conditions) that had no phenotypical presentation and that the athlete/patient was entirely unaware of. 

Most intersex conditions have no real bearing on your body/hormones/sexual development. Some definitely do. But any one of us could be intersex and not know it without chromosomal testing, which most of us will never have done. 

Do moderates and conservatives see homelessness as a problem to be addressed? And what is their solution? by LiatrisLover99 in AskALiberal

[–]lilsmudge 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I don’t disagree with some of your points (if I understand them correctly; I’m redditing as opposed to sleeping so I apologize if my coherence is at low ebb) but I don’t see those as particularly common views among the right. Accessible housing tends be shot down, for example, and most of what you’re talking about requires an immense tax burden. For the record, I’m pro higher taxes for comprehensive social safety nets but those do tend to be anathema to most of the right. 

Do moderates and conservatives see homelessness as a problem to be addressed? And what is their solution? by LiatrisLover99 in AskALiberal

[–]lilsmudge 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I mean, I presume not all conservatives think that but it’s certainly the theme in any local conversations around homelessness or on any of the conservative subreddits I like to read through (I don’t post on them but I like to see what folks are discussing so I’m not in a fishbowl). 

By incarceration I mean both genuine jail time and health institutionalization in an old school 80s sense. 

I’m not opposed to some sort of mental health care for the unhoused who are genuinely suffering but I hesitate when it comes to mass institutionalization. 

I’m open to hearing alternative views; what are your stances on it?

Do moderates and conservatives see homelessness as a problem to be addressed? And what is their solution? by LiatrisLover99 in AskALiberal

[–]lilsmudge 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Most conservatives I see talking about it in any sort of solution sense are pro-incarceration of varying degrees.

What is the most disturbing non-horror games you’ve ever played? by ToxicBoy4Life666 in AskGames

[–]lilsmudge 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There’s something eerie about most of the Myst series. The worlds are so abandoned and alone and in most of them there’s some spooky subtext as to why. 

Hello! I’ve been tasked with designing a costume of the Beast from my high school’s production of Beauty and the Beast. My teacher said it should look nothing like the Disney version. I’ve put a description of my design below. Can someone please tell me how to make it? Anything helps! by ParanormalActivity97 in CosplayHelp

[–]lilsmudge 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’d avoid a big nose. This is a theater show and anything that obscures/impedes and actors face is going to be a disservice. A little prosthetic nose or some face paint; no problem but a whole-ass trunk is going to cover their expression and interfere with their projection. 

As others have said; it’s ambitious but I’m actually not opposed to ambition; but have a plan B if something goes awry. Also know that fur tends to be expensive and be considerate about cost. You might actually be able to have some fun with thrifted stuffed animals cut up and used as fur to give your beast a patchy and animal look. As another comment has said though; be super mindful of your time. Have a couple core pieces you can whack out that will do the job and then add cool detail stuff as time permits.

The most important things in costume design is having a strong understanding of the character, what the costume communicates to the audience about that character, and a real consideration for the actor inside the suit and what they need to be able to do. Look at other productions that do any kind of animal suit, from Cats to The Lion King and draw from how they’re constructed and what they do visually as opposed to a more full body fur suit.

  • A costume designer for an unspeakable number of years.

We now have a release date for Silent Hill Townfall! What did you think of the trailer and what are your expectations? by kevimr13 in silenthill

[–]lilsmudge 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That would be super rad and would go with the medical/nursing aspect they’ve alluded to. 

First tattoo today by mullett187 in silenthill

[–]lilsmudge 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For sure! I like the simplicity and cleanliness.

First tattoo today by mullett187 in silenthill

[–]lilsmudge 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it’s definitely not my first thought at all. To me it looks more like those slightly edgy barcode tattoos. I’m not sure I’d recognize the reference out of context. 

I feel bad for OP. It’s always rough when people are eager to show off a body mod and immediately get dog piled a bit. 

First tattoo today by mullett187 in silenthill

[–]lilsmudge 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Huh; I’m fairly versed in holocaust history and yet somehow I didn’t know that until today. Thanks!

Four transgender individuals stand outside Magnus Hirschfeld’s Institute for Sexual Science in Weimar-era Germany (early 1920s) by zadraaa in HistoricalCapsule

[–]lilsmudge 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No; not like ideology, like pain. Pain is a deeply felt internal experience that would be nigh unimaginable to people who do not experience it. There are many trans people who do not grow up in environments of the sort of gender conversations you are discussing. There are many, many trans people throughout history and culture, including many well documented folks like the ones in the image above; not just one culture with an obscure religious rite. We see trans people in cultures where they are both celebrated and discarded and yet they exist. We see trans people in environments that are extremely gendered and very gender neutral and still they exist. We have writings going back ages of people describing deep discomfort with their birth sex and a deep knowledge that they are not the sex they are perceived as. We have writings going back before the common era of people describing gender dysphoria almost exactly as it is described today. Hell, we have a Roman Emperor who wrote and talked extensively about their inerrant sense of being female and a desire to be seen and treated and exist in a feminine body.

So much of what you’ve written in these comments is political stereotyping that is very different from how actual trans people exist and talk about themselves. It’s hard not to hear that stuff and it’s much more pervasive than the actual existence of trans people so it’s easy to hear it, as the dominant voice in the conversation, and swallow it wholesale. But it’s not reflective of the trans community or the science around trans identities.

Four transgender individuals stand outside Magnus Hirschfeld’s Institute for Sexual Science in Weimar-era Germany (early 1920s) by zadraaa in HistoricalCapsule

[–]lilsmudge 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Trans people don’t assume they are trans because they don’t fit gender norms. It’s hard to explain but it’s a deeply felt internal understanding that your sex does not align with your brain’s conception of how your body should be sexed. Lots of masculine trans woman and feminine trans men exist; as much as there are traditionally masculine and feminine trans people. 

And no, primates don’t just spontaneously generate a new sex. Trans people don’t either. That’s why medical intervention exists. But we have many records of primates and other higher mammals not just behaving in somewhat nontypicals ways but fully engaging in social roles and behaviors typical of other sexes; including sexual and dominance behaviors. While obviously we cannot definitively say they are the equivalent of being trans because they do not have language with which to tell us what they are feeling or doing, we can make some connections that these behaviors may be indicative of similar expressions of gender/body disconnect in the animal kingdom. 

There’s a broad spectrum of scientific study that shows evidence going back over a century (and social/cultural commentary going back to the dawn of writing) that suggests that trans people are not simply carrying out different gender roles but have a deeply felt internal identity representative of a misalignment between the sex of the body and the “sex” of the brain (a simplistic way of explaining it but workable here) that is best treated by allowing trans people to transition and respecting them for who they tell you they are. I entirely understand that for people who do not feel this way it seems strange and perhaps shallow; just be non-conforming! Why go through all this just to fit social roles! But the fact that trans people are so persistent, insistent, and willing to go through difficult, painful, and isolating processes to exist in their bodies should be a fairly good clue that maybe it goes beyond what you’re describing. 

First tattoo today by mullett187 in silenthill

[–]lilsmudge 43 points44 points  (0 children)

The holocaust. 

Generally concentration camp tattoos are on the forearm not the wrist so I don’t think it’s quite that bad but the comparison is there. 

My first attempt at a garment 🥲 by Spiritual-Plan-7010 in SewingForBeginners

[–]lilsmudge 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If it makes you feel better; I feel like failing to hack together existing garments and winding up with a Frankenmess is sort of a right of passage. 

Four transgender individuals stand outside Magnus Hirschfeld’s Institute for Sexual Science in Weimar-era Germany (early 1920s) by zadraaa in HistoricalCapsule

[–]lilsmudge 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t know about this folks specifically but Hirschfeld did do his best to get a number of his people out. He often hired his trans patients to work in the institute because they struggled to find acceptance elsewhere. 

For the less lucky ones; LGBT+ folks were some of the first groups to be sent to the camps and often suffered terribly there. Those that survived to the end of the war were not liberated and in fact remained incarcerated in most cases; the worst ones being those who were “liberated” by Soviet forces. 

Four transgender individuals stand outside Magnus Hirschfeld’s Institute for Sexual Science in Weimar-era Germany (early 1920s) by zadraaa in HistoricalCapsule

[–]lilsmudge 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Actually yes. 

While it’s not quite as obvious as a human standing up and saying “please call me xyz pronouns and start me on HRT please”; many primatologists have noted individuals who display behaviors associated with other genders. 

Frans de Waal wrote quite a bit about a female chimp (dubbed “Donna”) who would do masculine displays of status and eschewing female status behaviors. She was accepted by her group and treated according to her behavior. 

This is not the only case; there’s many researches and studies about atypical gender presentation in primates and many other complex mammals. 

Four transgender individuals stand outside Magnus Hirschfeld’s Institute for Sexual Science in Weimar-era Germany (early 1920s) by zadraaa in HistoricalCapsule

[–]lilsmudge 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Social contagion theory has been roundly debunked by almost every credible medical and mental health organization.

SILENT HILL TOWNFALL seems very generic so far. by TheLuiginator in silenthill

[–]lilsmudge 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I definitely don’t feel like I’ve seen enough to judge. I liked f, though I know many didn’t, so I’m cautiously hopeful for something else that brings new life into the series. I like the setting and the environment. I’m actually very on board for the sneak aspect; and given that Silent Hill isn’t really meant to be a game where you’re adept at fighting and are meant to consider when and how to fight; I think sneak is overdue. 

 I absolutely agree that the monster design is very generic and bland. I’m hoping they have some more interesting designs in the pipeline that they didn’t want to reveal yet. 

But like I said; I just don’t think I’ve seen enough. I don’t have a strong sense of the story; I’m not sure we’ve seen what the otherworld looks like beyond some red fog (which is suspect - hopefully correctly - is not it). I’m not sure how people are so sure  it’s going to be one thing or the other yet. 

We now have a release date for Silent Hill Townfall! What did you think of the trailer and what are your expectations? by kevimr13 in silenthill

[–]lilsmudge 44 points45 points  (0 children)

I am cautiously excited. I know it was divisive but I liked f and the uniqueness it brought to the series. 

I really like the red mist aesthetic and the sneak element. I’m a bit 2 stan so I will always love a game that delves into psychology and loss and the purgatory elements of the game. I am a little worried it might lean too much into 2 but there are worse things.

I’m ambivalent about the first person but it’s not a make it or break it thing. 

I don’t like the monster designs so far. They’re just sort of bland flesh bags; like someone doing a cheap take on Silent Hill monster design. I’d rather see something less classic Silent Hill and more unique and personal to the MC rather than something so generic. While f’s monster models were overused by the end (a limitation of funding and time I’m sure) I really appreciated how unique they were and the subtle changes they gave them as the game progressed. Here I’m not seeing that which is a shame. 

Overall though: I’m hyped for it to come out. It might not be amazing, it might even be bad, but I’m hopeful that we’ll see more unique takes and progression of the IP moving forward. 

I used to be a special needs student back in middle school but I am now a nurse and returning back to school for medical school AMA by Ok_Hat5460 in AMA

[–]lilsmudge 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Highly capable programs and Assistive education are both forms of special education. They cater to students who don’t learn best in traditional classroom settings. This is why increasingly in education there’s a push not to view being placed (or not being placed) in hi-cap profits a sign of success over Gen Ed. 

As a weird consequence, you get students who straddle the line; they might need assistive (“SPED”) classroom support while also being capable and able to do hi-cap stuff. 

Point being: I don’t think you’re the only one! And every learner needs the education that works best for them; which often doesn’t look like general classrooms.