Disclaimer: I’m not 18-25.

I have a ton of women friends (more than men ATM) and have solid evidence that I am a significantly attractive man. I’m also bi so my options are a tad more broad than average.

Even with this I can say that dating is unpleasant and I have never asked for one and barely do them (women are rarely bold enough to be the initiator). It feels like a socially awkward job interview where I have to spend money I don’t have and I fucking hate job interviews.

Admittedly, I also am autistic, socially anxious, and sexually repressed (American sex culture sucks).

I only ever played GTA2 during the 2D era. I remember loving it then though. Maybe I ought to emulate the classics on my Steam Deck.

Of course I was obsessed with 3 when it came out. And Vice City and San Andreas were master pieces. I never played the PSP/DS games (those might also be good Steam Deck games for the future.)

I did beat 4 and its stand alone expansions. They were all pretty great, I even kind of liked the driving when everyone else was hating on it.

I have had GTA5 sitting in my Steam Library for a very long time with effectively 0 hours played. I’ll get around to eventually. It looks like I’ll enjoy it, though I hear its single player isn’t as good as 4’s.

If I really want to play it in the first place, no. But if its a game that has elements I’m interested in but has some poorly aged mechanics or QoL issues I’ll simply prioritize different games with the thought that maybe one day it’ll get the remake treatment.

That said I semi-recently played through the entirety of official Wolfenstein 3D releases (base game + prequel expansions) for the first time using a sourceport with WASD+Mouse controls and no other enhancements, I’m not a particularly picky player about elderly games.

I loved MGS 1 and 2 but I’m some kind of freak because I just could not get into MGS3 and people fucking obsessively love that game.

I just beat Rayman legends (though not to completion) on my Steam Deck. Rayman Origins was better IMO. Next Steam Deck game is Disco Elysium, a friend wants me to play it so we can discuss it. Thus far it seems really well made but I’m extremely early (I just finished the first conversation).

Also been playing Killing Floor 2 with some friends on my desktop here and there. Doing the whole spreadsheet analysis of the game’s weapons and classes. I often can’t enjoy casual coop and pvp games unless I can do in-depth analysis and theory crafting.

Also about to start playing Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (PC) on my desktop in my quest to check off every Ubisoft game I own. I recently beat Advanced Warfighter 1 and 2 on 360 (XB1 emulation) and can say they’re solidly enjoyable semi-linear cover shooters of their era. I even played Ghost Recon 2 & Summit Strike on OG Xbox before that (I like to play through the entire series of games from original release). Look forward to seeing how they evolved the series before they turned it into open world Ubi-slop with Wildlands & Breakpoint.

Also about to start my first playthrough of Last of Us Part II (PS4) in anticipation of the second season of the show. Technically restart, I’ve played the first 5 hours or so already, but lost my save file.

And finally, I hope to try and get back into Skyrim VR. but I’m already pretty overloaded so I’m doubtful I’ll have time to continue my current save this week.

Man I don’t exactly love two out of four of those genres myself, but this thread has a few commenters that seem to want to pretend they’re the adults in the room but in reality they’re just a bunch of miserable cunts that either hate music or only want to listen to the same fucking popular shit over and over.

Like, popular music is fine to be clear but so is wanting to listen to weirder stuff.

I think you are jumping the gun. I’m a soft anti-natalist (because people do not choose to be born), don’t believe in free will, and I kind of resent being born myself and the expectations that come with it. I’ve not loved life much and one of the main reasons I’ve not killed myself is that I am terrified of dying now that I’m alive.

By my own ethical analysis, I don’t owe the world anything on an intrinsic level. I did not choose to be here and I’ve not forced anyone else into the world. Like sure, I’ll help in a pretty conventional emotional/empathy sort of way for people around me in the present. And can empathize with kids in terms of feeling bad about how screwed they are though what with the state of the climate. Not my fault though.

If I had brought a new human being into existence I’d probably be in a perpetual state of anxiety over the responsibility of giving them a good life since I’m the one that fucked up and brought them here. Luckily for me that’s not happened and probably wont with my plans to get a vasectomy once I have the cash and a full vacation day or two for recovery.

But yeah, fuck you. I guess we’re just mortal enemies or some shit? Get your stick out of your ass. You aren’t morally superior.

I don’t have any kids and I believe when I’m dead I wont be conscious of anything so I really struggle to care unless its something that can be done faster.

That said, I kind of actually do think its physically doable within my lifetime, it would just require some technological advancement in automated construction and energy production.

My understanding is the existing Jewish population was integrated into Israel.

Do you think that they’d displace other Jewish people if they were living there already? I’m pretty sure its the religious fanaticism fueling this.

Also thanks for letting me ramble. I tend to get excited when I seem to be helping in some way so I’m trying to keep it together but may go off a little.

I enjoy discourse of most kinds so the pleasure is mine as well.

And hey, if you’re nailing it 95% of the time those are excellent numbers with so much wiggle room! You can be waaaaaaay weirder with numbers like that, and it shows me that you have a strong ability to read the room and measure your response to things.

Yeah but, those 5% moments can be ruinous… I still remember one particular Halloween party. The kind of memory that keeps one up at night.

Many times its just me breaking and being clearly either grumpy (sick of people) or smell of lonely neediness. Or I’ll mentally short circuit and say something way overly blunt/irrelevant/obsessive. All can just make me legitimately unlikable and maybe deserving of the label. Its not like “fun zany autistic” moments.

So imagine a super charismatic type just suddenly breaking character after something slightly socially unexpected and outwardly presenting as a lizard person or android following that.

I get what you mean. You get so used to doing it that you basically no longer have evidence for things being ok when you don’t. I kept a note going every day for a whole year writing down stuff that happened; It was like a journal but focused on working on this stuff and I was so surprised to find how much I was expecting to write “and then it all fell apart” but finding that when it came time to write it down I just couldn’t actually come up with examples. I’m not saying you have to journal, but food for thought.

Yeah I might start doing little journals on my phone. I started using an open source note taking app, Logseq and thought maybe be one of the uses for that. I just need to create a template or something for that I think.

I got the basics covered, in fact I tend to be fairly anxiety riddled about making sure I meet bare minimum expectations if I go out of my way to socialize. I only really let myself go (in multiple ways) when I’m depressed. Which admittedly I probably am right now.

Its funny you mention board games. I’m actually not super into board games on an intrinsic level unless its a supremely nerdy/crunchy game. I get very meticulous/competitive/analytical/meta-gamey but I do go to casual board game meet ups anyway because its “fun enough” and I can socialize occasionally.

I think though you hit on a key element: I don’t live in a metro area. I live in a rural hellscape, and commute into a small city. And for a number of reasons I tend to not socialize after work and instead head straight home. I’m usually tired after work and I worry about driving home later than that potentially and driving exhausted. (45 minute commute)

Vulnerability is definitely something I am not able to do without rumination or severe anxiety later. I usually only reveal my deeper thoughts when I’m seriously drunk (edit: or when I’m on the internet). It feels great in the moment, but then the next day I worry I came off like a nutcase (because I probably did) and agonize over it.

Normally I am very “survivalist” minded in my social interactions and I’ve been so for a very long time. I’ve gotten extremely good at it, so good that I’ve kind of forgotten who I really am to a degree.

I’m good at masking with significant charisma with preparation/rehearsal/caffeine for some amount of time. Though I have “high highs and low lows” on charisma. 95% of the time I’ll ace it and people will like me, other 5% of times I come off like an unhinged weirdo, robot, or alien. Usually when I’m socially burnt out or the opposite, socially starved/desperate.

what are you going to do NOW about it?

This mess isn’t on some of us. Some of us tried very hard to prevent this outcome and now suddenly we’re expected to clean up other people’s fucking mess.

Nah, fuck that.

I find it deeply disturbing that when I opened the comment section of a post discussing 400 (now over 700) dead people, mostly innocent children, men, and women, in less than 48 hours, the first reaction was to blame “Arabs,” “Muslims,” “Tankies,” “Leftists,” and “Pro-Palestinians,” using these minority communities as tokens.

Tankies are not “minority groups”…

This is a glaring display f hypocrisy, these groups are portrayed in a positive light only when it benefits politically, only to be thrown under the bus when they are no longer useful…

There is no hypocrisy. Arabs and Muslims are portrayed in a positive light to counter the American far right’s frothing hatred of them, that was the core reason.

Any human capable of experiencing empathy would have first reacted with disgust and indignation at the unfolding genocide, rather than resorting to scapegoating and divisive rhetoric, but it may also not be organic comments, what do I know…

“divisive rhetoric” you sound like a fucking centrist.

I suppose I’d like to have the happy carefree loving energy that people naturally gravitate towards and it to be earnest (rather than it being a mask or something). I’d want to be a normie.

Even more I wish to basically be a himbo. People love himbos. But I’d have to become dumber, less judgemental, and more confident in myself. Someone who believes in astrology/spirituality because everyone else around them believes in it. Someone who’s not anxious about politics all the fucking time.

Like, I want to be a different and happier person. Maybe its a “grass is always greener” situation.

Talking to people doesn’t make me a better person. It makes me mask and feel further alienation. (Though yes, being completely alone is awful so I still socialize.)

And I can’t talk to a therapist for many many reasons.

Its too bad there isn’t a gym for one’s personality.

Yeah you need to be in a high cost of living area, not in rural hell.

Vaush is confidently incorrect

On some things sure, hes confident about virtually everything he says. But I suspect what you think hes incorrect on and what I think hes incorrect on are different things. I even suspect you disagree with stances that aren’t even stances he actually holds.