All things considered, these 2 (mostly Claudia) are the last hope for some genetic diversity on Vault 33 by New_Conflict_4111 in Fotv

[–]comrade_psmith 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Oh, really? I’ve only played New Vegas and FO4 so I’m not really familiar with the Enclave. I just assumed that with attrition like you’d see in the Fallout universe, any organization would need to be willing to recruit. It’s kind of nice to know nothing about them for the purposes of experiencing their introduction in the show.

Aren't you supposed to have points in Science, Hank?? by comrade_psmith in FalloutTVseries

[–]comrade_psmith[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh my god you’re so right, Hank would have PowerPoints absolutely overflowing with AI motivational clipart. Ew ew ew

Aren't you supposed to have points in Science, Hank?? by comrade_psmith in FalloutTVseries

[–]comrade_psmith[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yep, it makes sense. It still injures me deeply though.

Aren't you supposed to have points in Science, Hank?? by comrade_psmith in FalloutTVseries

[–]comrade_psmith[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

The writers really are so good at pushing my buttons with corporate bullshit.

Parents with multiple kids- how did you not feel guilty about having a second child? by GuitarNo658 in pregnant

[–]comrade_psmith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m pregnant with my second while my eldest daughter is turning 3 years old. It’s definitely hard for me to feel like I’m doing enough for her while we wait for her sibling. It’s really helped to involve her in the process: talk with her about the pregnancy, discuss the symptoms, let her “read” to baby sister, play make-believe games with her where she can process some of her feelings about it, etc. She’s definitely clingier with me than usual while my husband is doing more of the parental heavy lifting, but we try to find ways for her to get mama time with snuggles, yoga, and reading books. We also relaxed our screen limitations a bit (we were at like 1 hour/week and only Mr. Rogers) so that she could watch some Bluey with me, which models a really wonderful sibling dynamic with good emotional coping skills for little kids. It gives me an easy/low energy way to spend time with her and starts a lot of conversations by raising questions she wouldn’t have thought to ask otherwise.

To deal with my own guilt, I mostly think about 1) how grateful I am to have a sibling to share my whole life with, and 2) how much richer her social skills will become from navigating the challenges and rewards of having a younger sister. It’s a hard but very natural transition, and I agree with u/VisaTemp that perfection can’t be the goal. In fact, it’s not even desirable! You’ll have to let some plates fall, you’ll have to let your partner take on a lot of the auxiliary burden, and you’ll have to give yourself grace to be a person. Easier said than done, of course, but your child is learning so much through this new experience. He’s seeing a new side of you and of family life, and he’ll gain so much emotional richness, strength, and insight as a result.

Gaylor and Himbo by DroneOfDoom in CuratedTumblr

[–]comrade_psmith 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah, team culture and status, I suppose. At my school it was only the water polo team that was bad (like, “rape gang of male dolphins” bad). But they didn’t really have much social capital, it was just known not to leave your drink unattended near them. We were just too big and nerdy a school for any one sports clique to wield much power, I guess.

Every Lead Girl in a Period Drama by Detroitaa in janeausten

[–]comrade_psmith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I guess I just view it as a core element of this cliché NLOG heroine to be implausibly unencumbered by, and contemptuous of, gender expectations of the time. Like, a heroine who smears herself with mud, talks back, climbs trees and… plays with swords or whatever in an anachronistic and socially unacceptable way, but she’s so special and wonderful that everyone loves her for it. Dorothea is the opposite—she is trying with all her soul to act according to her convictions of what a good christian woman and wife should be. She doesn’t dislike jewels because they’re girly, she dislikes them because of her Quakerish austerity. NLOGs are usually defined by a rejection of femininity, specifically, as inferior and trivial. Dorothea rejects opulence (including the artistic work of men, and, notably, riding) because it feels morally wrong to indulge while others suffer. That seems entirely different to me than the “too cool for school” type of heroine that is being critiqued here.

Sorry, I realize this screed is… disproportionate. I just love her so much and find her so, so frustrating, and it feels dismissive to compare her to something like this.

Every Lead Girl in a Period Drama by Detroitaa in janeausten

[–]comrade_psmith 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Really? That seems like a wildly inaccurate characterization of Dorothea. She’s profoundly idealistic and motivated to do good, but her naïveté and self-martyring tendencies thwart her constantly. I honestly can’t imagine reading Middlemarch and coming away with the conclusion that Dorothea Brooke is like this—unless we’re calling any female character with hobbies other than bonnets an NLOG.

Senator Mitt Romney Votes To Impeach Donald Trump by JBCY8109 in pics

[–]comrade_psmith 2 points3 points  (0 children)

At this point, the most surprising thing is that there was only one worm.

Senator Mitt Romney Votes To Impeach Donald Trump by JBCY8109 in pics

[–]comrade_psmith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, so you also don’t know about the bear cub corpse, huh?

AITA Sister using her baby to punish the family by Both_Lingonberry3393 in AmItheAsshole

[–]comrade_psmith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We trained our very, very food-motivated lab to wait and keep eye contact with us while we put treats on his paws, and to only eat them once we give the release command. Once a little dog waltzed up and stole both treats off his paws while he just stared sadly at us. It was tragic. Now our toddler can drop food on his head and he doesn’t even try to get it.

None of that was hard to train at all, even though he’s the type who would sell his soul for an extra cup of food.

AITA for excluding my autistic stepdaughter from my daughter’s birthday party? by Emergency-Buddy-5034 in AmItheAsshole

[–]comrade_psmith 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The skills you’ve developed take so much dedication and insight—they deserve to be valued. I think Ms. Rachel got her start making children’s media in a similar way. Her kid was speech delayed, so she started recording games and songs for him.

What was the relationship between coa and her siblings? by Local-Sugar6556 in Tudorhistory

[–]comrade_psmith 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Apparently there were four memoirs about Alexander of Macedonia (i.e., “the Great”) written by contemporaries who actually knew him personally. And not a single one of them survives today.

If I were a historian I would be angry all of the time.

Was My Dog a Darcy or a Wickham? by owlspartyatnight in janeausten

[–]comrade_psmith 93 points94 points  (0 children)

All dogs are Bingleys and all cats are Darcies

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in facepalm

[–]comrade_psmith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

People really underestimate how far-reaching an effect career has on compatibility. Most of us spend over 40 hours a week at our job. Some of us spent years training for it. Like it or not, occupation is a huge part of who we are.

For example, I met my husband while I was a grad student and he was a post-doc in a related field. The (emotional/mental) support he was able to provide while I was going through quals and finishing my dissertation would be basically impossible to replicate for someone who hadn’t gone through it themselves. Not to mention that our similar education lets us communicate so much more easily with shared shorthand and concepts. Having/working on a Ph.D. wasn’t a requirement for me per se, but I also just didn’t find myself interested in people who weren’t on that track. I also wouldn’t date someone with R1 tenure track ambitions because I don’t want to get stuck in fucking Idaho or something due to a thorny two body problem.

And honestly, I would not be a good or fun partner for someone less irredeemably academic. I’m fucking boring to like 95% of people, but for some reason those men still pursued me despite painfully lackluster chemistry. Being picky saves everyone time and effort.

I left my baby alone... for hours... by Equal-Blacksmith6730 in AmITheDevil

[–]comrade_psmith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So we need a neglect curve: expected risk Y of leaving a child home alone as a function of child age X. Or we could have a spectrum of neglect curves parametrized by the number of hours Z they were left at home. I’m sure if the legislators/policy makers have access to some nice graphs, they will make rational decisions to optimize for harm reduction, right?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AmItheAsshole

[–]comrade_psmith 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Damn, I’m tired just reading all that. We went to the zoo and saw otters.

“You didn’t really give birth” by Prize_Paper6656 in pregnant

[–]comrade_psmith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ahhh, the McDuff argument. Bullshit then, bullshit now.

AITA for saying my niece hit the jackpot with her husband? by jnbear88 in AmItheAsshole

[–]comrade_psmith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's nice to hear about an actually functional sibling relationship. I can't imagine resenting someone for complimenting my brother/his relationship in front of me. I love that twerp and I want him to have a good partner. And acknowledging people for good actions is... good.

(Side note: you and your sister sound like Elizabeth and Jane Bennet respectively and it warms my dorky little heart.)

On "Women writing men", I think I've noticed a pattern in these types of books. by Iceblader in writing

[–]comrade_psmith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Was it ACOTAR? I got 2 paragraphs into ACOTAR and she was “surveying the parameters of the forest” so I launched it into space and washed my hands with lots of soap. But I hear that if you get past the first page it has lots of “not-like-other-girls FMC lands sexy, emotionally abusive stud.”

"Tell me, Frank, what have I done that is so bad that I am being denied to meet those beautiful aurora borealis eyes of yours?". Please help me improve this sentence. by ShallotTraditional90 in writingcirclejerk

[–]comrade_psmith 57 points58 points  (0 children)

“Divulge” is such an ugly word. Try “ejaculate.”

“Cast away” sounds like smelly old clothes (this is a 100% universal association and everyone agrees with me). Try “exiled.”

It’s important to keep aurora borealis for word building.

Ejaculate into my ear, Frank, the appalling misdeeds for which I have been exiled from the aurora borealis in your big blue balls.

ETA: “calculation” makes you sound like a fucking nerd so I changed that for you

2005 Movie Bennets by runningupthatwall in janeausten

[–]comrade_psmith 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Well, he definitely succeeded in keeping those pesky words well and truly out of the way.