theradicalchild | The Sound of Silence (Reply)

My driver's license expired on my birthday, and as I waited too late to schedule an appointment last year on the Texas DPS's website, my appointment date ended up being a week afterward, so my dad had to drive me to work for the rest of the week after Tuesday. This morning, however, he assumed I took one thing for lunch when I took something else, which really irked me since it really showed that he's more concerned about food than anything else, and it triggered me since autistics such as I really detest small talk, which he's prone to making. In the past, he's been really nosy about knowing what I ate for lunch and such when he could be mindful of more important things such as my mental health, where my parents can easily undo weeks of psychiatric progress, which I had been making since I started seeing my new psychiatrist. As I couldn't get it off my mind, I texted him while I was at work to tell him politely to fuck off about things like that, and when he picked me up after my shift, the drive was completely silent, which was somewhat scary, and it felt like he drove aggressively back home. Mom was nice, though, which was a bit relieving, since my father is an acceptable target in my family given his imbecility. I also got access to chat in a group I discovered through Twitter, Furry Healing, and venting my frustrations somewhat relieved me as well.

I got a few small presents when the managers at the call center where I work heard about my birthday, such as a $10 Raising Cane's gift card since I frequent the one in the town where I live. I also got $20 in cash from my sister and her family, which was somewhat odd given that I'm a middle-aged man, and a type of gift usually reserved for children or teenagers, but it really didn't offend me, though there's no chance in hell I would give cash as a gift to any of my siblings (but in the past I gave $20s to my niece and nephew when I gave them birthday cards, not to mention my stepnieces and stepnephews when my younger brother was still married). It was still probably my worst birthday to date, but I'm largely over it. I won't be able to go to church this Sunday given my transportational interregnum (and there's no way I'm going back to my dad's church since he's way too involved with the one he goes to). I lacked the foresight to stock up on booze for my minifridge, and I find hard cider more tolerable than beer, with the alcohol definitely helping me cope and seeming to keep my mood balanced, though I do fear that my parents would freak out if they found out about my drinking (but I'm definitely no alcoholic), given their rampant infantilization.

I didn't play games much this week, though I did get some Ocarina of Time 3DS in, and managed to collect four heart pieces given my exploration between dungeons, killing enough gold skulltulas to get the adult wallet from the cursed family as well. I'm making decent progress in Pokémon Violet too and managed to wipe the floor with my 'Mons at one of the gyms, aiming to visit one in the middle of the frozen area where they're at higher levels. I also started Nier: Automata, and it's been really good from what I've played thus far (though the introductory sequence felt a little drawn-out), with the auto-battle mode available in it as well, and I like how there are sidequest destination markers and/or ranges on the in-game maps. I'm working on Persona 5 Royal too, and am able to send the calling card for the ship Palace, though I'm boosting social links until the deadline gets close. I actually find the plot a bit relatable since I wish I could "steal" my parents' hearts and get them to realize the error of their ways in raising me, but I'll doubt they'll ever change before they eventually die, given that they hopefully predecease me.