[-] MystValkyrie 2 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

It was a COVID hobby for me, so I'm still pretty new at it! But I hand-stitch with really small gaps and I don't rush things, so I tend to get good results.

It's fun and relaxing, but also a really practical skill too since I have a hard time finding clothes that fit well, so I don't want to just throw my wardrobe out if something comes loose or there's a tear.

[-] MystValkyrie 3 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

This clothes store I like makes flannels with a little pen pocket on the shoulder, but the sleeves are too short. 😮‍💨

So I took some fabric from old flannels, cut out a mock-up, and I'm gonna sew them onto the ones I have.

[-] MystValkyrie 1 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

I'm really happy for the people living in those countries. Someday I hope to live in a country where things actually move forward and not back.

[-] MystValkyrie 4 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

I feel like in the 2000s before the monetization of the internet became the norm, people were more able to share their art and writing in forums. There were entire sites dedicated to grassroots art-sharing without any profit motive.

Yes, grifters exist, but we're all so cynical these days, not just at the corporations, but everyone. I miss people just sharing things with each other without any suspicion that dark money is involved.

I looked at the blog and it looks like a mere $182 changed hands for the month, and I assume most or all of it goes to Gardiner Bryant and not the OP. Is that comparable Instagram "influencers" hawking Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop in a paid sponsorship deal? Maybe this is just a person who was excited enough about a new console that they decided to write about it, and honestly, good for them.

[-] MystValkyrie 1 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

I'm so happy we're finally getting a handheld that's genuinely portable! I watched a disassembly video and really appreciate that the battery isn't glued down, too. And have you all seen gameplay videos? Ocarina of Time 3D at 7x native resolution looks about as close to those Unreal 5 Zelda tech demos as we'll likely ever get.

I skipped the Nintendo Switch line, but I'd eventually pick the Thor up to replace my 3DS. (If I don't hold out for an Ayn Freya 😅 .)

[-] MystValkyrie 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

They wouldn't be work boots, but I love the Minnesota rep. Red Wing Claras are my favorite boots ever.

So aesthetics, mainly. This would mostly be for wearing to concerts, or otherwise just in my rotation of urban going-around boots.

[-] MystValkyrie 1 points 2 days ago

Is this just the Docs that are hard to resole, or also Solovair too?

[-] MystValkyrie 14 points 2 days ago

Wow, okay, Martens are officially out of the running. Thank you for sharing your experience!

[-] MystValkyrie 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Yeah, it's a shame how that specific style seems to be inextricably linked to zippers.

I actually have Thursday's Explorer boots and have been really impressed with the fit and quality after a year, considering the price point. It actually occurs to me that I could get another of those in black and get similar aesthetic to a platform combat boot without the zipper 🤔

I know generally that Goodyear Welts can usually be resoled and often have longer lifespans, but I'm less knowledgeable about the craft itself, so your Chelsea boot recommendation from Thursday as an alternative is intriguing. In what situations would you prioritize a good leather upper that doesn't have a resoleable welt, over a boot that has a Goodyear Welt with design flaws in the upper?

76
submitted 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) by MystValkyrie to c/buyitforlife@slrpnk.net

My Torrid combat boots are falling apart, so I'm in the market for a new pair that are specifically platform boots that come in black.

Unfortunately, the pair from Solovair (pictured) that I've had my eye on for a while (their 8-eye derby platforms) is no longer being sold, and it was replaced with a visually worse alternative where the zippers face outward.

I've never owned Martens before, but knowing that Martens aren't what they used to be, how much do I have to lose by picking up a pair of Jadon III's instead? If anyone knows any alternatives in the same style that are also Goodyear Welt, that could also be an option.

[-] MystValkyrie 3 points 4 days ago

Bangs are helpful, but my problem is that I previously used search engines to find informative articles and product suggestions beyond the scope of Wikipedia, and so much of that is AI slop now. And if it's not that, Reddit shows up disproportionately in search results and Google is dominated by promoted posts.

Search engines used to be really good at connecting people to reliable resources, even if you didn't have a specific website in mind, if you were good with keywords/boolean and had a discerning eye for reliable content, but now the slop-to-valuable-content ratio is too disproportionate. So you either need to have pre-memorized a list of good websites, rely on Chatbots, or take significantly longer wading through the muck.

[-] MystValkyrie 13 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I'm part of the problem. I now use Le Chat instead of search engines because AI destroyed search engines, thanks to all the content mills that make slop. I wish search engines just worked, and it's a classic example of capitalism creating problems to justify new technology.

And I wonder if it's just AI. I know some people moved to backing up pre-2025 versions of Wikipedia via Kiwix out of fear that the site gets censored. I know now that I've done that, it's a no-brainer to just do my Wikipedia research without using bandwidth.

52
submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by MystValkyrie to c/mtf

cw: TERFs and general transphobia

For the most part, I avoid Reddit like the plague, but when I'm feeling sad, I find myself going on r/terf_trans_alliance, and then I feel worse.

I don't know what drives them to participate, but the minority of trans posters are ridiculed, subjected to abusive comments, and mass downvoted for any attempt to get through to them in a way that isn't absolute self-flagellating placation. Some things I noticed after just a minute or two of scrolling:

spoiler

  • The term "TRA"
  • Accusations of male socialization, with some gaslighting when trans people try to discuss their personal experiences about their upbringings that do not fit the narrative
  • Accusations of "mansplaining"
  • Assumptions that trans women are predatory
  • Assumptions that trans women have an entitlement complex
  • Accusations that trans women conform to rigid misogynist stereotypes, but also that trans women are too masculine to embody what they identify as
  • Assertions that trans women defending themselves need to accept male privilege, comparisons to white fragility
  • The comparison of being trans to a cultist religion
  • The insinuation that upvotes or kind words "shields trans people from reality"
  • Casual references to trans women, whether indirectly or directly to trans commenters/OPs, as men or males
  • The likening of trans women to white supremacists

There's this stereotype that Reddit is this liberal echo chamber, but I seem to know all of the many places where it's not, and I seek out those places when I know they'll hurt me.

For those of you just on Lemmy, what are your strategies not to stray back to Reddit?

17
38
submitted 1 month ago by MystValkyrie to c/retrogaming@lemmy.world

I was just thinking about how there's so many ways to play our old favorite games these days: Collecting for original hardware, playing ports and remasters on modern consoles, throwback consoles like the SNES Classic, having a dedicated emulation machine or handheld, etc.

What method works best for you? Has it changed over time?

14

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/post/30282908

Nudie Jeans just phased out all its womens' skinny jeans, and now I'm at a loss for finding non-fast fashion brands that actually fit, so I thought I'd check here.

Some things I'm looking for:

-Has a 34" or 33" inseam -Doesn't fade within a year -Has blue and black options -Not mens' jeans

If you can help a geriatric late-twenties millennial who refuses to get with the times, I'd be really grateful lol.

31
submitted 2 months ago by MystValkyrie to c/buyitforlife@slrpnk.net

Nudie Jeans just phased out all its womens' skinny jeans, and now I'm at a loss for finding non-fast fashion brands that actually fit, so I thought I'd check here.

Some things I'm looking for:

-Has a 34" or 33" inseam -Doesn't fade within a year -Has blue and black options -Not mens' jeans

If you can help a geriatric late-twenties millennial who refuses to get with the times, I'd be really grateful lol.

48
submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by MystValkyrie to c/patientgamers@sh.itjust.works

I wish I had listened to general fan wisdom and played Super Metroid first. Having played the original Metroid, then Zero Mission, this is my third romp in the planet Zebes, and I'm finding the game extremely redundant.

The original was a little tedious, but I absolutely loved Zero Mission. I appreciated the slightly more linear gameplay. Paired with the manga, it also had a surprisingly good story that establishes Samus as a character. In context with the manga, the Wrecked Ship segment where you lose and then regain your suit is an amazing piece of gameplay-driven storytelling.

And then Metroid II was just as interesting. A completely new horror-esque locale plus a really creepy minimalist storyline that makes you really question the orders forced on you by the Galactic Federation.

So I was expecting a lot more out of Super Metroid. So far, I'd say I'm about halfway through the game. I beat Torizo, the Spore Spawn, Kraid, and the Crocomire. Aside from a really stellar cinematic opening, there hasn't been any plot to speak of, just a nonlinear dungeon to explore without a clear path. I know that in development, Super was meant to just be a 16-bit remake of the NES Metroid game, but was later retooled to be its own game, so that might be why the story feels so barebones?

Everything feels like a rehash of the original. I looked up the wiki and all (Brinstar, Norfair, Crateria, Wrecked Ship, and Tourian) but one of the levels (Maridia) are lifted from the original game, and I've heard that one new level we get is considered the worst one. It feels like a remixed new game+ rather than a full-fledged game that stands on its own, and honestly, I'm bored. It kind of reminds me of what I didn't like about Castlevania after a while, that game after game took place in the exact same mansion.

This might seem a little unfair. Super Metroid came out first, so it might be more accurate to say that Zero Mission is just an asset flip, that it's the less original game -- which is absolutely true, but I played Zero Mission first. And nonlinearity isn't a bad thing at all and it's great for this genre, but since I feel like I've done all this before, I don't feel motivated to discover all of Super's secrets. Does it get any better, or can I skip to Fusion?

TL;DR I played Zero Mission first and read its tie-in manga. Now Super Metroid feels boring because it "reuses" all but one of its areas on the planet Zebes, and it has a comparatively barebones story. Should I keep going or skip to Fusion?

33
submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by MystValkyrie to c/womensstuff@piefed.blahaj.zone

18
submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by MystValkyrie to c/gaming@beehaw.org

Posting this here because c/residentevil is pretty dead.

So I have a bit of a dilemma. I loved RE2, both versions but especially the remake, as well as Code Veronica, so I've been wanting a new Claire game for a really long time, not to mention wanting to finally get to play VII and the newer games. I've played all RE games chronologically up to Revelations 1 at this point, but RE5 has been a bottleneck for years.

I've heard that you need to have played RE5 to fully understand/appreciate the lore/plot points of Revelations 2, so I'd like to get through it, but I'm having trouble getting into 5 for a few reasons:

-It's more of an action game versus horror and the partner AI isn't great solo.

-I can't find anyone to play it with. I got to play the beginning with a friend a few years ago and had a blast, but we haven't played since.

-The game forces you to play as Chris first playthrough, but I want to play as Sheva.

-I don't want to play through the entire game as a character I don't like.

-I can't find any NG+ save files for PC where it's not 100% infinite ammo.

So I'm wondering if it's worth it to just skip RE5, watch cutscenes on YouTube, or just get the game over with as Chris. What are your thoughts? I'd love some other opinions as I'm not sure what to do and I'd like to finally get caught up and play the new games after all these years.

14
submitted 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) by MystValkyrie to c/books@lemmy.world

So "genderpocalypse" is a typically postapocalypic, but not always sci-fi subgenre where one gender survives and another gets some disease, turns into a zombie, disappears, etc. Sometimes there's meaningful reflection on the relationships between men and women. Sometimes it can be really trashy.

I noticed among the books I'm aware of, I can't think of any where trans women are treated the same as other women, whether through the established rules of the story or through specific confirmation in the book. So this typically means that if an author wants to explore a woman-only society, they inadvertantly or otherwise depict all the trans women dying in the process. I have those listed below to head off those being suggested. That doesn't mean I think any book that establishes the genderpocalypse based on birth sex is inherently problematic or anything -- I think The End of Men handles it really well. But I was wondering if anyone knew about any stories in this genre that bases it off of gender and not sex.


Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King: The sickness tied to women falling asleep is tied to chromosomes, so trans women would stay awake based on the establed rules of the story.

Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan: All the trans women die with the men.

Afterland by Lauren Beukes: All the trans women die of prostate cancer along with the men.

The End of Men by Christina Baird: The virus in the book targets trans women and men, but there is a trans woman character and it's depicted sympathetically, in terms of the dysphoria that would come from a y-chromomosome disease targeting them.

Manhunt by Gretchen-Felker Martin: Men and trans women turn into mindless zombies, unless the trans women eat licorice, for some reason.

The Men by Sandra Newman: All men and trans women mysteriously disappear one day, despite the title.

Femlandia by Christana Dalcher: A non sci-fi apocalyptic example. The premise is that society and economics collapse at the hands of men, leading men and women to segregate and form separate societies. In the book, trans women are kept out of womens' societies.

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submitted 6 months ago by MystValkyrie to c/mtf

Hi all,

I’m going on a backpacking trip in a month, and the only tucking underwear I’ve ever heard of is LeoLines and TomboyX, but I might as well ask if there’s anything else. Bonus points if it uses a material like merino wool.

I use both brands for normal daily use, but Leolines is made from cotton and TomboyX is polyester, both of which are not great for temperature and odor control during outdoor trips.

Tucking the old-school way sounds super confusing, so I’d rather not resort to that.

11
submitted 6 months ago by MystValkyrie to c/asktransgender

Hi all,

I'm going on a backpacking trip in a month, and the only tucking underwear I've ever heard of is LeoLines and TomboyX, but I might as well ask if there's anything else. Bonus points if it uses a material like merino wool.

I use both brands for normal daily use, but Leolines is made from cotton and TomboyX is polyester, both of which are quite bad for temperature and odor control.

Tucking the old-school way sounds super confusing, so I'd rather not resort to that.

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MystValkyrie

joined 6 months ago