Aran's recent activity

  1. Comment on Valve is possibly making a Steam Controller 2 and a ‘Roy’ for its Deckard in ~games

    Aran
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    Wow, I gave my Steam controller away (paid something like $15 on sale) to someone I had a very, very bad falling out with. Unfortunate... I really wanted to like the controller! Unfortunately I...

    Wow, I gave my Steam controller away (paid something like $15 on sale) to someone I had a very, very bad falling out with. Unfortunate...

    I really wanted to like the controller! Unfortunately I just can't look forward to most "handheld" releases that aren't Nintendo - my hands are extremely small (I've had ten year olds with bigger hands than me) and even the modern PS5 controller is really pushing my level of comfort. I realize it's because the western gaming market consists of bigger hands on average... but it would be nice to get something that fits.

  2. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    Aran
    Link Parent
    I am actually in CA but never knew this was a place you could visit! I'm even relocating to norcal in a few months so I'll add it to my list :)

    I am actually in CA but never knew this was a place you could visit! I'm even relocating to norcal in a few months so I'll add it to my list :)

    4 votes

  3. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    Aran
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    This'll be a strange one, I think. So my original copy of White Fang from when I was in elementary school in 2005 has been tattered and beaten. I've always been the type to re-consume things I...

    This'll be a strange one, I think. So my original copy of White Fang from when I was in elementary school in 2005 has been tattered and beaten. I've always been the type to re-consume things I really enjoy - shows, movies, books - and yeah, this book about dogs fighting dogs and cruelty and redemption, for some reason, has stayed with me since I was a kid. I decided it was time to retire my tattered copy (as in, place it somewhere safe instead of letting it disintegrate with every reread...) and buy another. Which means I have to read it again.

    I'm a little sad to admit that I do not treat my books well, particularly if I enjoy them...

    3 votes

  4. Comment on American election mental health thread in ~health.mental

    Aran
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    I feel bad because my thinking right now is probably not palatable with a lot of folks on here. I mostly lurk, especially when it comes to politics, but I know most regulars here are bigger people...

    I feel bad because my thinking right now is probably not palatable with a lot of folks on here. I mostly lurk, especially when it comes to politics, but I know most regulars here are bigger people than I. When sentiments lean... aggressive, there's always someone here to remind us that such sentiments do not help anyone. I'm trying not to think these things because I know people I respect greatly - internet strangers here, my partner, my friends - don't accept stooping to the same level of hate for the "other".

    But I don't know, man. I feel like a fool for having empathy in general and I feel like the only way to retain some form of agency is to stop caring, particularly about people who most certainly do not care about me (and even wish me actual harm depending on where their views lie regarding sexuality and childbearing as a "duty"). That's not even a real coping mechanism though, because I'm the one with the good grace to have been born and raised in a liberal city in CA - barring some truly worst case scenarios, a lot of things just won't affect my day to day the same way it will for those living in different areas who rightfully are fearing for their safety and freedom to exist. And complacency and apathy are exactly what allow fascism to thrive. I realize that.

    Idk, I'm just trying not to let the very antisocial, people-hating part of me run the show too much.

    6 votes

  5. Comment on Timasomo 2024: Week 3 Updates in ~creative.timasomo

    Aran
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    I came down with the flu or covid at the start of October and was out of commission for two straight weeks... :) I haven't touched my polymer clay since September. Hopefully I can pick things back...

    I came down with the flu or covid at the start of October and was out of commission for two straight weeks... :) I haven't touched my polymer clay since September.

    Hopefully I can pick things back up soon even without an external event like timasomo to bug me to get things done!

    3 votes

  6. Comment on What vegetable are you? in ~food

    Aran
    Link Parent
    Also leek here!

    Also leek here!

    2 votes

  7. Comment on Announcing Tildes' Make Something Month (Timasomo) for 2024! in ~tildes

    Aran
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    Guys, this was the last Tildes thread I read before bed last night and I proceeded to have a bizarre dream involving creating a horror game. I have no experience making games whatsoever. Which...

    Guys, this was the last Tildes thread I read before bed last night and I proceeded to have a bizarre dream involving creating a horror game. I have no experience making games whatsoever.

    Which means I'll stew on it and realistically settle for making something more ambitious with polymer clay. I've only ever made small pieces and usually don't even get as far as painting them. Any time I try to get more ambitious with the sculpting itself I end up disappointed and toss the pieces into a box...

    some stuff I've done in the last year, bonus for any who recognize these critters from FFXIV. The last one was painted on with resin by my gf to be sent to a mutual friend of ours.

    8 votes

  8. Comment on Moments of Pride in ~lgbt

    Aran
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    I feel a lot more... secure? in identifying as demisexual, more so than I was when I last posted about my experience with asexuality on Tildes a few months ago. I do feel a little weird about the...

    I feel a lot more... secure? in identifying as demisexual, more so than I was when I last posted about my experience with asexuality on Tildes a few months ago. I do feel a little weird about the whole thing because going from being firmly touch and sex-averse for a decade, to a few weeks of embarrasingly high libido, comes with a lot of baggage unpacking. I know, I know, there's nothing wrong with adjusting labels as needed and sexuality isn't so rigid that these things don't change over time. But it's difficult not being reminded of the tired old "you just haven't met the right person yet" saying, because in my case I suppose it ended up correct?

    Anyways, that's all well and good, but what was really elating was talking to my girlfriend about it and learning that after some of our experiences she also identified pretty strongly with the label. That was another big fear of mine (fueled by way too many internet stories about relationship issues re: incompatible sex drive). We both started this relationship without having clear ideas on where either of our sexualities really lay; we just knew we liked each other romantically and we weren't interested in sex. I'm still not convinced I "need" it and maybe things will change in the far future but for now I'm really, really content.

    7 votes

  9. Comment on What is the most profound impact a dream has had on you? in ~talk

    Aran
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    Had a coworker pass away from COVID complications at the start of 2021. Sometime later that year after vaccines were made available, we had to go into the office at least once a week (small team,...

    Had a coworker pass away from COVID complications at the start of 2021. Sometime later that year after vaccines were made available, we had to go into the office at least once a week (small team, everyone had the entire office to themselves on their chosen day).

    On one morning of a day I would be going in, I had a dream where I was talking to the office gang like it was pre-pandemic days, including the coworker who had passed. Except in the dream I and the other folks "knew" that it wasn't really her; it was a doppelganger who was brought on to take her name and face so that we wouldn't feel sad about her being gone. We'd try to coax this doppelganger to drop the act because we didn't need them to pretend to be our old coworker and we accepted that she was gone.

    Woke from that dream and while driving to the office, felt for some inexplicable reason that I couldn't go in that day. I didn't have any meetings scheduled so I just took the day off without telling anyone.

    12 votes

  10. Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival Weekly Thread in ~games

    Aran
    Link Parent
    Oh, I think that's where my sheep are :D If it's the sheep pen with like, a path heading down the cliff to the river. Think there's a wild fox still trapped in that sheep pen...

    Oh, I think that's where my sheep are :D If it's the sheep pen with like, a path heading down the cliff to the river. Think there's a wild fox still trapped in that sheep pen...

  11. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

  12. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Aran
    Link Parent
    What an interesting coincidence - I don't remember what string of boredom Googling led me to it, but I reinstalled the original TSW the other day. I don't exactly know what the difference between...

    What an interesting coincidence - I don't remember what string of boredom Googling led me to it, but I reinstalled the original TSW the other day. I don't exactly know what the difference between the original and the reboot is when it comes to the questing and worldbuilding, which are the qualities that drew me to purchasing the game back in 2013. But some quick Reddit searches advised me to dig up my old account and install the original game.

    I remember an Extra Credits episode that details one of the more convoluted quests in the game and I really, really wanted to play the game again after that! But even if both the original TSW and the reboot are apparently easily soloable, something about that MMO build makes it super daunting to even sit down to find some time to get into.

    2 votes

  13. Comment on Tildes Minecraft server usernames in ~games

    Aran
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    neartoby in game!

    neartoby in game!

    2 votes

  14. Comment on Danish insect farm sets sights on feeding Europe's livestock – Enorm intends to produce more than 10,000 tonnes of insect meal and oil a year in ~enviro

    Aran
    Link Parent
    I love that the article you linked on the giant isopod is very specifically one warning consumers from eating giant isopods :) I've never thought about size coming into play... I grew up eating...

    I love that the article you linked on the giant isopod is very specifically one warning consumers from eating giant isopods :)

    I've never thought about size coming into play... I grew up eating beondegi (silkworm pupa) and still eat it regularly today. I don't know any other Korean American my age who isn't disgusted by these, lol. I think it was a combination of eating them as a child as well as The Lion King's bug eating scenes that helped me firmly categorize these as food first.

    4 votes

  15. Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival - Countdown and launch day in ~games

    Aran
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    I'm conflicted! I already knew my time was spoken for (new FF14 expansion, new raid tier in two weeks, prep to do) and I originally was going to get a weekend's worth of Minecraft itch out of the...

    I'm conflicted! I already knew my time was spoken for (new FF14 expansion, new raid tier in two weeks, prep to do) and I originally was going to get a weekend's worth of Minecraft itch out of the way, but seeing some of the projects and map screenshots shared here are really making me want to go exploring and find a nice scenic place to plop a humble home down in...

    4 votes

  16. Comment on Pride Month at Tildes: #6 - What media representation resonated with you personally? in ~lgbt

    Aran
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    She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat (manga) has so many relatable moments as, and let me take out my checklist for a sec... woman in a relationship with another woman maybe somewhere on the...

    She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat (manga) has so many relatable moments as, and let me take out my checklist for a sec...

    • woman in a relationship with another woman
    • maybe somewhere on the ace-spectrum (maybe)
    • currently in late 20s/early 30s
    • never really had a crush / felt much attraction until late 20s
    • of SE Asian descent, tired of that particular flavor of heteronormativity + views on gender norms

    The premise sounds a little contrived where a budding friendship / romance between two women initially begins with one woman loving to cook large meals (while unable to consume large portions), meeting a woman who can eat... a lot. But it was surprisingly really relatable for both myself and my gf, when we both find it difficult to really relate to a lot of (specifically lesbian) stories.

    8 votes

  17. Comment on What slow-burn game is worth the time? in ~games

    Aran
    Link Parent
    I think the compulsion to complete FFXIV dailies are much more internal compared to externally induced though. Even back when I was newer and had plenty of content to do that consisted of slow...

    I think the compulsion to complete FFXIV dailies are much more internal compared to externally induced though. Even back when I was newer and had plenty of content to do that consisted of slow progression with dailies (like leveling up my jobs with roulettes), I was never really gated from anything by not doing all my roulettes everyday, nor is there a meaningful difference between me and someone who does their roulettes everyday. My previous experience with how other games handle dailies is that if I don't do my dailies for seven days, I'm measurably behind another dedicated player by seven days.

    I don't have enough of a game designer brain to comment on games ditching dailies entirely. It's true that a lot of games use them as a simple way of keeping players in the treadmill, but the alternative is to allow players to simply sit down and grind out from 0 to completion in several hours instead of having those several hours spaced out over 4 weeks. Now there's a measurable difference between a player who has the physical time to grind things out quickly in one sitting, and a player who might only want to play an hour or so a day.

  18. Comment on Getting over that game making hump? in ~games

    Aran
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    I like kaffo's response (yes, hello, also guilty of "wanting" to make video games as a hobby, and never being able to push through). I don't surf forums anymore, but it really is common - my...

    I like kaffo's response (yes, hello, also guilty of "wanting" to make video games as a hobby, and never being able to push through). I don't surf forums anymore, but it really is common - my friend group consists mostly of mid-20s, early 30s folk who grew up with video games and continue playing games, and almost all of us has hit the "make something, ANYTHING" wall at some point in our lives.

    I wonder if it would help to find an accountability-friend of sorts to learn things with?

    6 votes

  19. Comment on What slow-burn game is worth the time? in ~games

    Aran
    Link Parent
    Oh, you are preaching to the choir here (me). I was surprised to see the amount of people blast the story from 6.1+, especially when you compare to the story wrap-up that traditionally happened on...

    Oh, you are preaching to the choir here (me). I was surprised to see the amount of people blast the story from 6.1+, especially when you compare to the story wrap-up that traditionally happened on the x.3 patch, because... they told us this already! They said they wanted the story of Endwalker to wrap up with 6.0, so of course the pacing wouldn't be like the previous expansions. You can't just compare the Endwalker post-patch story to 3.3, 4.3, or 5.3... but some people will!

    I think you'd need to specifically be in following certain personalities on Twitter or dwell on specific subreddits to see the negativity. I don't use Twitter and I noped out of all FFXIV related subreddits years ago, but my friend group happens to mostly be raidlogger types so I unfortunately get to be a captive audience when they rant about how job design is getting worse. (To be clear, I don't disagree with them, but there's just so much more to a satisfying encounter than just job rotation... so I'm holding my opinions until the raids come out.)

    I for one am glad that I (and some friends!) are still happy to experience the story, wherever they decide to take it. :)

    2 votes

  20. Comment on Career advice: specializing in niche tech stack vs. finishing first degree in ~life

    Aran
    Link Parent
    Thank you for the response! You're right that the general outlook (even for folks with decent amount of experience) is looking really grim for the foreseeable future and my best bet is probably to...

    Thank you for the response! You're right that the general outlook (even for folks with decent amount of experience) is looking really grim for the foreseeable future and my best bet is probably to continue working on both the degree and upskilling.

    2 votes