Grifty's recent activity
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Comment on How did you handle coming out? in ~lgbt
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Comment on What is a lesser known, yet interesting, internet rabbit hole you've stumbled upon? in ~tech
Grifty (edited )LinkIt’s somewhat difficult for me to gauge which rabbit holes are well-know and which are obscure, so please excuse any obvious contenders, but here are some of my favourites: The Hunt for the Death...It’s somewhat difficult for me to gauge which rabbit holes are well-know and which are obscure, so please excuse any obvious contenders, but here are some of my favourites:
The Hunt for the Death Valley Germans
A classic, this in-depth web journal details the search to solve the mystery of happened to a family of German tourists who disappeared in Death Valley in the 90s.Prions are Forever
I’ve been down the prion rabbit hole way too many times, but found this article gave me the best handle on how they work and the frightening implications of their mechanisms. Wiki pageUncontacted Peoples
This wiki page is always a great jumping-off point to fall into the isolated societies rabbit hole.Tristan da Cunha
In a somewhat similar vein, this tiny British Overseas Territory is potentially the most remote permanent island settlement in the world, and it has a very recent history. They also have a website.Jewish Pirates
This was a short but interesting read. Though only a few hundred practicing Jews remain in Jamaica today, Kingston’s population was at one point 20% Portuguese and Spanish Jews.Nintendo Satellaview
A curious piece of video game history, this SNES peripheral was released by Nintendo in the late 90s. It allowed to console to download media via satellite broadcast, and though it was only in production from 1995 to 1999 and never released outside of Japan, 114 games were created or remade for it. -
Comment on Super Mario RPG - Nintendo Direct 6.21.2023 in ~games
Grifty Link ParentThat’s actually really nice to hear. Parts of the boss theme just threw me off a bit, and I didn’t even realise at first that the opening tune was altered. I found the art style so jarring that it...That’s actually really nice to hear. Parts of the boss theme just threw me off a bit, and I didn’t even realise at first that the opening tune was altered.
I found the art style so jarring that it put me on the defensive, which probably had more of an impact on my perception than I’d like to admit. I just feel protective of all of the things that I loved in the SNES version, and it feels like I’ve been waiting for this remake my entire adult life.
In any case, we’ll have to wait and see, but you’ve given me something to be hopeful for.
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Comment on Super Mario RPG - Nintendo Direct 6.21.2023 in ~games
Grifty (edited )LinkSMRPG is one of my all-time favourite games, but I have to say, this trailer’s got me feeling pretty trepidatious. The original clay aesthetic was a huge part of the charm and it really helped...SMRPG is one of my all-time favourite games, but I have to say, this trailer’s got me feeling pretty trepidatious.
The original clay aesthetic was a huge part of the charm and it really helped bring the game’s quirks and personality to life. The graphics contraints of the time also meant that they had to get creative with physicality to make their character expressive, and they did it absolutely brilliantly. I’ll admit that I don’t love seeing it in Nintendo’s signature hyper-polished chibi style.
This is the game that inspired the Paper Marios, which carried on SMRPG’s core qualities - absurd humour and distinct style (albeit taking the latter in a different direction). It’s honestly such a shame to see it reskinned in literally the most generic way imaginable.
What I’d normally be most excited for is a re-orchestrated soundtrack, because the original slaps. Honestly, though, I found the few bits they played in the trailer a little uninspired (and you have to assume they’re showcasing their best work). Don’t get me wrong - I liked them! But nostalgically, not because of anything that wasn’t there before.
I don’t know, you could just feel how much fun the original creators had making the game when you played it, and I’m afraid of this revival simply being chosen as the next logical selection within a corporate trend rather than being born out of any love for the game, because let’s face it, this is the only one we’re ever gonna get.
I’m a transmasc nonbinary 30-year-old who’s been on a slow and steady journey since about the first lockdown. I’m lucky to have fundamentally supportive parents and a very queer friend circle.
My coming out was a kind of stream-of-consciousness musing spread over many months. First, I shared with close friends and family that I thought I was genderqueer, and nothing would change for the moment, but it was something I was examining in myself.
At the beginning, I felt uneasy about adopting they/them pronouns. I knew they would make my life more difficult, and they still sounded strange to my ear. I didn’t want to confuse people. I didn’t want to impose. I knew some would judge me for them and I felt embarrassed. I wished so much that they were commonplace too, but simultaneously knew that the path to that place will be made by those who claim them, use them, teach them and normalise them. So, eventually, I decided to try.
First came new pronouns in English, and I lived there for a bit. In time, a new name; I lived there too. HRT began, I loitered awhile, and last year I switched gender in French. That’s where I’m staying right now. I don’t know exactly where I’m going or when I’ll be finished, but I’ve got a ways to go until I settle down.
It took me a long time to get to where I started. I’ve always known that I’d rather have been born male, and looking back, there were a lot of clear signs, but my understanding of the nuance and diversity of trans experience was flawed for a very large part of my life.
When I first learned about trans people as a teenager, it was a very narrow, black-and-white affair. They were presented as people so distressed by their body that the only way they could live a happy life was to undergo a total medical transition and live fully as the “other sex.”
At that awkward point in my life, all my self-esteem and insecurities stemmed from how I was perceived; I was completely dominated by the outside gaze. I didn’t really have my own opinions about my body, and the opinions I did have were aligned with societal standards. I liked my long hair because others liked my long hair - I got compliments on it all the time. I wished I had a bigger chest because “attractive” women in entertainment had chest. I didn’t hate my body, so clearly, I wasn’t trans.
For a long time, I also had no notion that someone could be both trans and gay. I liked men, so clearly, I wasn’t trans.
I thought transitions were all or nothing, and I never wanted surgery down there, so clearly, I wasn’t trans.
But I also wasn’t happy. A part of me, one day, I don’t know when, had started to grieve.
I grieved a childhood I hadn’t lived, friendships I never had, roles I’d never play, things I’d never hear. Every story I ever loved was bittersweet, because I saw myself in them and it hurt. All my admiration was tangled up in sadness.
But it was a calm and quiet longing, and the truth is, I could have lived with it. I would have been okay. I don’t know that I ever would have truly been happy, but I would have been okay. To be honest, transition or no, I still don’t know that I’ll ever truly be happy. There’s a lot of work to be done in my life, and I may never really know exactly who I’m trying to be. But, I’m content at least in knowing that I’m giving myself the best shot.
I’m grateful to have made the realisations I have in a place that grants me the freedom to act on them, because I know so many people like me never will. If I had known when I was young what I know today, I think my life would have looked very different. Of course, at the time, the people around me were different as well. I’m sure my parents would have handled it more poorly, though only as a result to their own inexperience. They were younger then too.
It’s what makes me so angry at all the efforts to stifle queer education. I would give anything to grown up with the knowledge we have today. We have everything we need to make this generation’s lives better and it’s being suppressed. I’m glad that on the internet, at least, there are more resources and communities than there have ever been.