Freetube instead of youtube,

Thunderbird calendar instead of something like google calendar,

Signal instead of Discord or text,

Tellico for all media lists instead of something like goodreads or online movie or game lists,

Obsidian or Joplin for notes and organizing creative pursuits

You can sort of block publishers/devs, if they have their own “steam page.” If you click on the publisher/dev in the listings underneath review scores, if it takes you to an actual dedicated page you can click the gear icon on the right and click “ignore this creator.”

This does not completely block them but it has them show up in less places (or are greyed out in some places.) Basically they can pop kinda randomly up in sales when steam forgets to add that, or greyed out in the tabs section on the front page (new and trending, top sellers, popular upcoming tabs)

It’s not the cure-all “erase EA” button I’m sure we’d all prefer, but it does help a little.

gravity falls

People who do this professionally, or even as a volunteer, receive training for a reason. It is likely one could hurt more than help, despite the best intentions.

Maybe try signing up for a hotline? They’ll give you the training required to at least give a solid attempt as well as more rationally limit the amount of people you feel obligated to handle.

The dog has swimmer’s syndrome.

As far as anyone can tell, the original is from a tiktok animal “funny” explotation/abuse account.

They have several repeat videos of this dog doing the exact same behaviour, they seem to keep them in tiny enclosures, and keep feeding it milk. Milk is not good for dogs, especially not that much. There’s no guarantee that they feed the dogs regularly or humanely.

It’s difficult to actually tell context because of the nature of these types of channels. Labradors can have food aggression, especially pound dogs, that needs essentially “dog therapy” over time to abate. Considering animal abuse is rampant on the channel in general, I don’t have high hopes here. The channel posting this specific dog over and over does not give context.

The last few videos with those two dogs does show some progress with the labrador starting to gain walking ability, so maybe they are trying to rehabilitate, but they’re still giving them insane amounts of milk. They don’t look bone thin, exactly. Again, hard to say with no context.

If there’s an original source with more information, chances are it’s on some website somewhere in chinese, which can be difficult to convince browsers in english to find :/ Language barrier. I’ve spent a few hours looking, including trying reverse image search. I’ve seen this a few times and memeified animal abuse bothers me, so wanted to know if it’s… not. If someone knows actual context with source links, I’d like to know.

I literally just found out yesterday you can utilize a virtual second monitor with (some) split screen multiplayer games to stream the “second screen” to a friend, giving you a multiplayer experience that you could previously only have with online connections, having totally separate screens with streaming which blows my mind, and this comes out today rather than having to try to figure out how to set it all up myself. Sick.

If I wrote out a list of things I am interested in regarding my appearance that are gendered by society, I would think I was “a girl.” However, in practice, it was incredibly bad for me and being forced as such was a constant drain on me.

None of these stories are proof, but slowly realizing the sheer number of them from my past did indicate exploring was worthwhile:

• I could not see myself growing into an old woman. I used to think that was only because I did not think I would live long enough to be as such.
  But the fact is, when first asked about it, the thought of growing into an old man actually sounded a bit nice.
• I told every boyfriend I have ever had that I “might be trans” and asked them if they’d still stay with me as a man. It was very serious and very nonserious all at the same time.
• I clung to masculine presentation, even if it often still felt wrong, because “masculine woman” felt closer to the “femme genderfluid man” I somewhat unconsciously wanted to be than “feminine woman.”
• When I first played a man in a TTRPG game, it was incredibly fun in a way that is hard to describe. Something like, just… comfortable, for the first time.
• In preschool I demanded that the teachers use a male name and refer to me in character with male pronouns. This was not a one-off occurrence. I was very upset when they did not comply.
• When I was older, when people mistook me for a man I would feel relief. When they “corrected” themselves I would go back to being miserable.
• People using “ma’am” on me would make me extremely uncomfortable. Hearing the word “she” used for me made me oddly angry.
• I hated people looking at me and perceiving me, and, worst of all, desiring me.

All of these were difficult to see at the time. Difficult to see all at the same time. It is hard to tell if you are miserable when you are constantly miserable. It takes perspective to put it all together. It takes self-examination, experimentation, experience. You are stuck in your own head, after all.

I did not feel like I was in the wrong body. I felt like I was trapped in expectations of what I could do to my body.

I won’t regret any of it even if I suddenly decide to “transition back.” My life is a journey and I will do whatever feels right for me. My body is my own. It’s done me so much good to be able to explore who I am.

My suggestion to those questioning is generally to “try out” your gender of choice somewhere completely inconsequential. Video games, a temporary account, etc. Quietly following trans spaces for a while can give some perspective as well.

I don’t care if I “know for certain” that I’m trans. I think trying to answer that question as some kind of solid certainty can often run counter to the entirety of being trans.

I’m happier in a testosterone-based system, I am comfortable in a way that I never was, and life feels like I have a future now. I made changes that made my life better, and only changes that made my life better.

Trans just happens to be an accurate label. Labels are tools, shortcuts in communication. Not prisons.