awitchandherdog's recent activity
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Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
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Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
awitchandherdog LinkI've been working on a constructed language based on the most spoken West Germanic languages, namely English, German, Dutch, Afrikaans, and Yiddish. Of those I only speak English, so it's an...I've been working on a constructed language based on the most spoken West Germanic languages, namely English, German, Dutch, Afrikaans, and Yiddish. Of those I only speak English, so it's an off-and-on project until I study the other Germanic languages more extensively. Still, I've made good progress with it. There's no real goal except for it to be a personal language I may use for taking short notes.
Hallo! Ik is 'n frou. Ik denk dat et hier regen. Ik lees 'n boek.
['hɑlo ɪk ɪs ǝ froʊ] [ɪk 'dɛŋkǝn dat ɛt hir 'regǝn] [ɪk les ǝ buk]
hello I am a woman I think that it here rains I read a boek
"Hello! I'm a woman. I think it's raining here. I'm reading a book."The grammar is very reminiscent of that of Afrikaans. Verbs don't inflect for person or number. There's no morphological past tense; instead you use perfect forms along with a past participle (i.e. 'I have worked' to mean 'I worked'.) to form a past tense of a verb. The orthography and phonology is designed so that English speakers should readily recognize a lot of words. 'Word', 'school', 'bed', and so on are exactly what you'd expect, though the pronunciation is unavoidably different. There are some anglicisms: pronouns have conjunctive and disjunctive forms because I'm fond of this usage in English (e.g. "Who? Me?" where me isn't really the dative or accusative; this use case would be I in most other Germanic languages). The vowel inventory, too, is basically my vowel inventory of American English. It's really just a language for me and me only.
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Comment on US Election Distractions Thread in ~talk
awitchandherdog Link ParentIn Old Spanish the feminine definite article was ela, which became la before most feminine nouns in modern Spanish but el before nouns beginning with a stressed a sound (e.g. el agua instead of la...In Old Spanish the feminine definite article was ela, which became la before most feminine nouns in modern Spanish but el before nouns beginning with a stressed a sound (e.g. el agua instead of la agua). As far as I'm aware, this use of el before feminine nouns today is stricter than it was in the past, where it appeared before any stressed vowel. In any case, Old Spanish speakers probably did perceive the first syllable of Elizabeth as being the feminine definite article.
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Comment on US Election Distractions Thread in ~talk
awitchandherdog Link ParentThis is wonderfully fascinating. A similar example is the Spanish name Isabel, which is a variant of Elizabeth. Since 'el' is a definite article in Spanish, the first syllable of Elizabeth was...This is wonderfully fascinating. A similar example is the Spanish name Isabel, which is a variant of Elizabeth. Since 'el' is a definite article in Spanish, the first syllable of Elizabeth was likely mistaken for it.
It's common in French creoles for nouns to have absorbed an article and become an intrinsic part of the stem. Compare Haitian Creole dlo and lalin with French de l'eau and la lune (meaning 'water' and 'moon' respectively).
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Comment on Why is ‘left stick to sprint’ so unpleasant in games? in ~games
awitchandherdog LinkFor a long time I gamed on PC with a Logitech G F710 controller—the same one, yes, used on the imploded Titanic submersible from a year ago. Not only did this controller have stiff, awkward...For a long time I gamed on PC with a Logitech G F710 controller—the same one, yes, used on the imploded Titanic submersible from a year ago. Not only did this controller have stiff, awkward thumbsticks, if the thumbsticks were pushed anywhere near the edge, you couldn't press L3 or R3 at all. You just couldn't do it. The design of the controller didn't allow it.
Absolutely the worst controller I've ever used. But it got me used to rebinding sprint from L3.
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Comment on Braid: Anniversary Edition "sold like dog s***", says creator Jonathan Blow in ~games
awitchandherdog LinkI don't see how this remaster could've succeeded with how saturated the indie market is now. Braid is a good game, but it's from another time when the indie games were just getting onto their feet...I don't see how this remaster could've succeeded with how saturated the indie market is now. Braid is a good game, but it's from another time when the indie games were just getting onto their feet and competition just wasn't there yet. Now there are thousands of indie puzzle platformers that compete with it. On top of that, Braid has been sold to next to nothing over the past decade? It's been apart of so many sales and included in more than one Humble Bundle over the past fifteen years that there's a good chance a ton of people own the game without even realizing it.
That is to say, you have a remaster for a very devalued game being sold at a relatively high price point. That just wasn't going to work.
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Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
awitchandherdog LinkI've been writing short stories to submit to literary magazines when I have time and the mental health. No acceptance letters yet… but I've been shortlisted twice now, once at Clarkesworld, which...I've been writing short stories to submit to literary magazines when I have time and the mental health. No acceptance letters yet… but I've been shortlisted twice now, once at Clarkesworld, which is one of the biggest speculative fiction magazines out there. So, I know I'm close! Still, I can't help but feel like I'm writing blind, desperately trying to find whatever works without feedback. I want to think I'm getting somewhere with my prose, but I don't really know. My goal right now is to submit and collect as many rejection letters as possible. Rejections damage me a great deal. I need to get into a headspace where submitting doesn't come at the cost of my mental health.
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Comment on Pride Month at Tildes: #8 - What are you worried about? in ~lgbt
awitchandherdog LinkAs a trans woman, I'm passively stressed as I've always been since the egg crack. Some days are easier than others. There's always some weight on my shoulders, some added complexity that makes...As a trans woman, I'm passively stressed as I've always been since the egg crack. Some days are easier than others. There's always some weight on my shoulders, some added complexity that makes life more difficult. When I first realized I was transgender, one of my first thoughts was, "Oh, half the world wants me dead now," and, obviously, that thought has never truly left me, because even if it may not strictly true, the inner sentiment that I am not welcome is pervasive like a miasma. As a hobby, I love learning foreign languages, but there are many I tell myself I shouldn't learn because I cannot entertain the idea of visiting countries that would jeopardize my safety. Even traveling to other states in the U.S. is a risk now; I have many friends in Florida I'll never be able to visit if things stay as they are now. It is hard for me to ignore the fact that because I'm trans, I've lost something, even if that loss is just peace of mind.
I think what scares me the most is seeing my family over the holidays (who don't and preferably will never know I'm trans) and noticing they are all (despite most of them being ostensibly left-leaning) decades behind on LGBT acceptance. Hearing the word 'transvestite' and the phrase 'men in dresses' casually thrown about was shocking to me. How do I explain my identity in that light? They don't know anything about gender theory, about the distinction between gender and sex. They don't know what I know about being transgender, but even if they're willing to listen I'm not the one to teach them. It's much easier to just move on and keep my mouth shut, and to not bother putting up a defense for both myself and for other trans people, because being trans almost always involves being on the defensive. I don't want this kind of stress in my life, and yet I have to have it, because I can only exist as the person I want to be if I have it—if that makes any sense.
I've never seriously considered detransitioning, but each day I look at the world around me, at news articles, social media posts, and what have you, and ask myself, mostly subconsciously, "is this worth the stress?" Of course, my identity is always worth it. Everyone's is. But I can't deny there are some cracks in the walls for me, and the more dangerous it becomes to be trans, the less willing I am to put up the fight. I'm not a good activist. If push comes to shove, it's likely I'll hide, as selfish as that sounds.
I'm doing well, though, even if the world around me is not. I've never been a victim of serious transphobia—far from it. My friends are supportive. I've never lost a friendship because I was trans. But the stress does pile up. It feels like to me that ever since my egg crack, I've exchanged the stress of gender dysphoria for the stress of transphobia, and even now I can't decide which is worse. Still, I want to say it's worth it. I'll never regret being trans.
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Comment on Why did you select your username for Tildes? in ~tildes
awitchandherdog LinkI have a dog! That, and it was originally a book title for a WIP that sort of never went anywhere. I still want to work on it one of these days.I have a dog! That, and it was originally a book title for a WIP that sort of never went anywhere. I still want to work on it one of these days.
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Comment on 87% missing: The disappearance of classic video games in ~games
awitchandherdog LinkIgnoring the ethical concerns of piracy for a moment, video games are probably the most well-preserved out of all media. How many games are really 'lost' in that they can't be played? MAG? City of...Ignoring the ethical concerns of piracy for a moment, video games are probably the most well-preserved out of all media. How many games are really 'lost' in that they can't be played? MAG? City of Heroes? That's a pretty small fraction compared to the losses of, let's say, Doctor Who, which was still having episodes destroyed as late as 1978, the same year the Odyssey 2 came out. Because of emulators, games are really accessible and play almost identically to how they did in the past. It takes me all of two seconds to download Stella and a ROM of Space Invaders to play one of the most influential games ever made—without any loss of quality. That's the important thing. Physical film and music are subject to degradation, but games are eternal and are the same today as they were forty years ago.
This article understandably sees games preservation through a capitalist lens because of copyright, but there's no question that the vast majority of games are in no danger of being lost. Right now you can download every single Atari VCS game ever released and store it for as little as twenty megabytes. Imagine if the Silent Era of film was like this.
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Comment on The main problem with the Fediverse is that people mostly just use it to talk about the Fediverse in ~tech
awitchandherdog LinkThat hasn't been my experience with Mastodon at all: there are vibrant communities there. The writing instance that I'm on is fairly active, and I see new poetry and writing every day. The...That hasn't been my experience with Mastodon at all: there are vibrant communities there. The writing instance that I'm on is fairly active, and I see new poetry and writing every day. The communities are definitely smaller than what you'd find on Twitter or Reddit, obviously, but they exist, even if you do have to search for them.
Tildes has its fair share of posts as well comparing it to Reddit. I think what you're seeing is the result of users migrating to Mastodon because of Elon shenanigans, so naturally there is a lot of discussion about the Fediverse to encourage new users that would be scared off otherwise.
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Comment on Twine is an open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories in ~creative
awitchandherdog Link ParentThe heavy reliance on JavaScript/CSS is what kills Twine for me. I'm not sure why, exactly. I just found it less intuitive than Ren'Py at the same task of creating interactive fiction. I really...The heavy reliance on JavaScript/CSS is what kills Twine for me. I'm not sure why, exactly. I just found it less intuitive than Ren'Py at the same task of creating interactive fiction. I really couldn't find good resources for Twine and I was fighting to get anything working. Granted, I don't know anything about webdev and that probably contributed a lot to my frustration.
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Comment on What is "that part" for you in any game? in ~games
awitchandherdog Link ParentYou can definitely tell that the Demon Ruins are not finished. There's so much empty space that isn't used. It's just a single straight path from point A to point B. I love the first Dark Souls,...You can definitely tell that the Demon Ruins are not finished. There's so much empty space that isn't used. It's just a single straight path from point A to point B. I love the first Dark Souls, but there is a noticeable lack of polish the exact moment you pick up the Lordvessel.
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Comment on What is "that part" for you in any game? in ~games
awitchandherdog LinkThis was Golden Sun for me as a kid because of an extremely long dialogue sequence that just drags after the tutorial. Emulated it's not so bad, but on original hardware it takes forever to get...This was Golden Sun for me as a kid because of an extremely long dialogue sequence that just drags after the tutorial. Emulated it's not so bad, but on original hardware it takes forever to get through.
I've played through Dark Souls so many times that I'm not a fan of going through the Undead Burg. It's great level design, but since it's at the very start the character customization is limited, so it plays the same way basically every time. In general the first couple of hours of every RPG are not fun for me if I've played them before—except for Underrail. Underrail is king at replayability.
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Comment on What are the benefits of using Linux for the less computer competent? in ~comp
awitchandherdog Link ParentI really don't think those are comparable. There is a world of difference between Minecraft commands and the Linux terminal. You're not going to learn how to navigate directories in the terminal...I really don't think those are comparable. There is a world of difference between Minecraft commands and the Linux terminal. You're not going to learn how to navigate directories in the terminal through a Discord bot, for example. The command line as a concept might be familiar to the average person, but using it to install programs, copy and delete files, etc. is well beyond what they know.
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Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
awitchandherdog Link ParentI used to do significantly more editing, but obsessing over every word slowed me down to a crawl. I hate publishing prose that isn't 100% perfect, but that's life, I suppose. I think the most I've...I used to do significantly more editing, but obsessing over every word slowed me down to a crawl. I hate publishing prose that isn't 100% perfect, but that's life, I suppose. I think the most I've ever written in a day is 4k, so good on you! I wish I could write at that speed, even sporadically.
Still, you should be proud of yourself. Writing is extremely mentally taxing and is tied to your health. It's not always going to be possible to write more—and that's okay. Remember to set limits for yourself. You shouldn't beat yourself up because of mental health out of your control.
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Comment on What are the benefits of using Linux for the less computer competent? in ~comp
awitchandherdog Link ParentThe best QOL decision I've seen for a DE is Linux Mint having a 'Show in Terminal' option when you right click in a folder. That saved me so many headaches when I was just wrapping my head around...The best QOL decision I've seen for a DE is Linux Mint having a 'Show in Terminal' option when you right click in a folder. That saved me so many headaches when I was just wrapping my head around terminal business.
I think the problem really is that the societal knowledge of working in a terminal has long since gone. The average person had not had to use or even seen an operating system without a GUI in four decades. It's like reports of Zoomers struggling with the concept of file directories because they've grown up using smartphones. This knowledge has to be relearned, and for non-techies that is too big of an ask.
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Comment on What are the benefits of using Linux for the less computer competent? in ~comp
awitchandherdog Link ParentThe average person is familiar with Windows in at least some way, though: for most people it is probably the only operating system they have ever used. I don't think it's fair to cast aside that...The average person is familiar with Windows in at least some way, though: for most people it is probably the only operating system they have ever used. I don't think it's fair to cast aside that tech literacy as if it were a habit that needs to be broken. Switching to a whole new family of operating systems is a hurdle that many people cannot (and don't have to) tolerate.
Linux is a different environment, a different culture. I love Linux, but the terminal is a non-starter for many people. Sure, a lot of beginner friendly DEs try to abstract away the terminal from the user, but it is still the best way to install programs and something that every user will come into contact with eventually.
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Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
awitchandherdog Link ParentI've been doing the same line of work (not commissions, however) for around two years now, and I definitely sympathize. I can reliably hit 1.5k words a day when I'm feeling well, but maintaining...I've been doing the same line of work (not commissions, however) for around two years now, and I definitely sympathize. I can reliably hit 1.5k words a day when I'm feeling well, but maintaining that speed day after day with a deadline always in the horizon is so hard. I don't like throwing words on the wall like this: I like taking my time, sitting down and thinking about what I'm writing, even if that only means I get 500 words down by the end of the day, but with erotica that's just not possible if I want to make a living.
It has helped me that I have other writing projects on my mind that I reserve time for. I have a fantasy book that I'm working on, and having it on my mind has done a lot to keep me sane, even if I can't always put words down because of work. I have a constructed language that I'm building for it, and I've done a ridiculous amount of worldbuilding... having some kind of creative outlet that is separate from work has done a lot of good for me.
Oh! That's a mistake. The actual pronunciation is [ǝn]. Good catch.