It certainly is very face-like.

I have a Steam Deck and am seriously considering installing Bazzite instead of the stock SteamOS, and I plan to do the same when the Steam Machine comes out, but some things weren't clear to me after reading through the documentation.

In general, I want Bazzite because I prefer Gnome over KDE, use multiple game launchers (GOG, Steam, and standalone applications through itch.io), want to install software from the terminal and not flatpaks, and dislike how SteamOS boots straight into Gaming mode as this prioritizes Steam over other libraries.

One thing gives me pause, though, and that's how games run worse in SteamOS Desktop mode due to Gamescope being inaccessible without gaming mode, but am unsure if this also applies to Bazzite. I'd want to be sure I'm not gimping my Steam Deck by installing Bazzite without Steam Gaming Mode.

1. I understand that Steam Gaming Mode is an optional add-on for the Bazzite-Deck variant 2 image. Can I still use Gamescope, MangoHud and FSR on Desktop mode if I do not install Steam Gaming Mode (variant 1)?
2. Will I lose access to controller interface compatibility and shortcuts in Desktop mode if I go with variant 1 and not Bazzite-Deck?
3. Is there a way to revert to SteamOS if Bazzite-Deck isn't working for me?

Edit: I currently add non-Steam games to Steam and am looking for a Desktop mode alternative for that method, if it exists.

I jumped into TTYD recently after playing some other notable timing-based RPGs (Clair Obscur, Super Mario RPG) and having a blast with those. I know it's a really beloved game that isn't known for it's difficulty, but I'm about "eight hours" (minus deaths) in at Chapter 2, stuck at the Shadow Sirens boss fight, and am finding it to be a really hard game.

There's been several occasions where I make significant progress in a dungeon and then get defeated by regular enemies and lose a lot of progress after making enough timing mistakes.

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong with my character builds. Overall, I feel like HP, FP, and BP are all bottomless pits, and no matter what I put points into, I never have enough of any resource. Right now, I'm level 7 with 10 HP, 15 FP, and 15 BP. Not enough health to have an error margin, not enough FP to use abilities much at all, and being introduced with a staggering number of badges without the points to equip even half of them.

The lack of a consistent healing ability is also a bit annoying. Sweet Treat is tied to SP, puts you into a minigame, and isn't a consistent way to get HP back. And I haven't encountered a game with more restrictive item management since Mother 1 on the NES. I think the challenge there is the number of enemies impervious to regular abilities, so (I think) you have to always have POW Blocks and Fire Flowers to deal with them instead of more mushrooms.

Koops and Goombella aren't very good allies at the start either. Multiple boss fights so far have been multiple enemies, so I'm fairly worn down by the time Goombella is done Tattling them all. So that's why I'm stuck at the Shadow Sirens.

In regular encounters, I'm consistent about dodging and stylish moves with Mario, and am decent at Superguarding. Getting the timings right in boss fights, though, can be tough because if I die, it's all the way back to the save point, so not many consistent opportunities to practice. And very little margin for error.

A lot of people online say TTYD is easy, and they're probably right. Are there any experienced players here who can point me in the right direction?

I'm less interested in Unicomp/IBM's novel buckling spring technology (as cool as it is) and more that they're built well, are corded and not wireless, offer replacement parts on their website, and have a mail-in repair service.

Unicomp's Model M keyboard was my first choice for a long-lasting keyboard, but now I want to lessen my dependence on American-made companies (especially since Unicomp is based in Kentucky) and wanted to see if any alternatives existed. I've heard good things about Cherry, but I don't fully understand their business model or how to order their products.

I'm in the market for a compact, but durable camera to complement my dumbphone, but also be a potential gateway to 1080p amateur photography, mostly nature and street photography. I've narrowed my search to either the Olympus Tough TG-3 or TG-4, but I can't decide which one to get.

They have mostly identical specs, but have a few minor differences:

-TG-3 has manual exposure and TG-4 doesn't.

-TG-4 has manual focus and a live composite mode, as well as access to RAW format, with a slightly better battery.

Based on that, what does the community think might be the better option?

I'm so glad this community exists! I thought I'd jump in and share my personal exercise goals.

When I (F28) was 18, I had a flat tummy and a thigh gap (I'm old enough to remember when that was the beauty standard 💀). At the end of college, I stress-ate my way into gaining about 20 pounds and got a muffin top that my partner assures me is adorable. This year, I finally got back to my college freshman weight, mostly through diet, but even after all my hormones, my body just doesn't want to get rid of my excess tummy weight.

It's probably not safe to lose any more weight, and age is probably the determining factor, so I'm working strength training into my routine to develop my abs. If that doesn't help either, that's okay -- it's still good to stay active. Here's what I'm doing this winter:

-Mondays/Thursdays: Cardio (mostly Dance Dance Revolution lol, but also spinning occasionally. The best exercise is the one you're excited to do every time.)

-Tuesdays/Fridays: Strength (I did a bunch of research and found a routine that targets both my glutes and my abs. Tried it out this morning and felt the burn.)

-Wednesday: Vinyasa yoga

For the past year, I've struggled with consistency after being really good about exercise for a few years, so I'm hoping I can carry my two-day streak (so far) into something bigger!

I hope this is okay to post here. My (F) relationship with my wife (F) is wonderful except for household issues. The thing I want to talk/vent about here is me trying to cook meals for the past two years while navigating our incompatible palates.

I gave up being a vegetarian when I moved in with her, because she doesn't like most vegetables or any mock meats, so chicken unlocked a rare protein that we agree on beyond just eating bean burritos every day. She doesn't eat as much beef as she used to, so I wasn't the only person who gave things up.

She would probably be happy eating scrambled eggs without any sides or fast food for dinner every day, and I need something more nutritionally balanced to feel nourished. So I'm the one who cooks every day.

We've tried compromising every which way, coming up with new meal plans, researching recipes for hours, and I feel like I've made hundreds of meals she's disliked. It feels like she only likes my cooking when it's unhealthy and lacks vegetables, which is great sometimes, but not every day. It's really gotten to me, and I've lost my love of cooking and my self-confidence in the kitchen. Most of all, I'm extremely stressed out about dinner every night.

We're at the point where we're talking about making our own meals, other than a few of my less-than-healthy comfort food recipes she likes. It's probably the most harmonious way to live, but the idea has me feeling really sad because cooking for others is a love language, and I learned to do this in the first place because I always dreamed of cooking for whoever I ended up marrying.

TL;DR My wife and I can't agree on meals we both like. I do all the cooking in the relationship, but now we're talking about making separate dinners. This is painful because cooking for others is a love language and I feel like I've failed.

Update: I really appreciate all the kind words and advice. I definitely don't plan to make it a habit to use this community as a space to vent, but you're all wonderful and I appreciate you. 😃

Putting on black nail polish used to be the highlight of my week in the early days of transition and way before I came out. I was never good at it, but I liked how it looked on me and it felt like a way to get control back in my life in one of the few ways that I could.

Now HRT has done some pretty nice things to me after three years and I don't feel as connected to nail polish, and everything I didn't like about it feels much more of a pain. Like that it's expensive, that it can be a mess, and after a decade, I still always miss my nail bed and get paint on my skin.

I do still like taking care of my nails. I enjoy filing the shape just right and exfoliating them and moisturizing to keep them healthy. That's all fine.

But then I get the intrusive thoughts that I'm not femme enough or not alt enough if I don't wear black nail polish. Of course, I know that's not true, but it is what my brain tells me. So that's kind of where I'm at.

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.

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 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?

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/35731489

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/35630243

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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?

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.