K. Chen
@tznkai.bsky.social
5.3K followers 1.1K following 41K posts
Heartless humanist, unmovable automaton, distributed midwit, fount of terrifying knowledge and purveyor of Collegey Velveteen Discourse. Insightful and painful enough to be the germ of something really excellent. @tznkai on Twitter and elsewhere
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tznkai.bsky.social
I think I'll use this thread as a table of content for my health insurance and personal finance explainers, but with clickbait titles
tznkai.bsky.social
we're all working through our stuff
tznkai.bsky.social
The Microsoft office suite has to support every file that has ever been created under any version in its entire history because sometimes the creators of business critical processes refuse to adapt (and have also left the company / this earth)
balzac-asimov.bsky.social
As the custodian of several Excel workbooks made by the person who was doing my job 4 people ago, some of which I only partially understand, I just screamed.
tznkai.bsky.social
I am being vague about the actual facts as opposed to the feelings and you know what? The particular facts didn't matter much as much as it felt like it did at the time.
tznkai.bsky.social
I would never have walked away. *THAT WAS THE PROBLEM*. I kept exposing myself to the makings of my own misery out of a misguided self of obligation, a comforting narrative of heroism and martyrdom all rolled up in a neat little self-destructive package.
tznkai.bsky.social
I am forever grateful to the friends who stuck by me when I was in the worst of my depression and part of that gratitude is from realizing they had every right to walk away to protect themselves.
tznkai.bsky.social
But at the same time being on the treated side of depression it's just so blindingly obvious when people are externalizing their own misery in an antisocial way and I want to help them but there's absolutely no way to.
tznkai.bsky.social
My understanding is if you use a cleaning service you're basically at par and if not well, someone's dealing with a lot of gross cloth diapers all the time. @sameoldstory.co, I think you may have mentioned using them in passing?
tznkai.bsky.social
At some point i should really put proverbial pen to paper on externalizing blame versus externalizing salvation but honestly dredging up those feelings in myself sounds difficult in multiple senses.
tznkai.bsky.social
I very much doubt people decide whether or not to have kids based on the price of diapers, at least not directly. But people on the fence do hear from people in their social circle talking about the experience.
tznkai.bsky.social
It's objectively not that big of a deal at my income level but also it's probably not great for parenting vibes if a bulk unit of diapers cracks 3 figures, even if it is only by some cents.
tznkai.bsky.social
Catching up on YNAB and holy shit diapers are expensive.
tznkai.bsky.social
Yeah the social incentives are pretty one way on here
tznkai.bsky.social
And at that point, you just kind have to quarantine them off until they want to get better. Wanting to get better isn't sufficient but it is definitely necessary.
tznkai.bsky.social
But at the same time being on the treated side of depression it's just so blindingly obvious when people are externalizing their own misery in an antisocial way and I want to help them but there's absolutely no way to.
tznkai.bsky.social
I can feel myself getting very mad at these people because you know AT LEAST I DIDN'T MAKE MY DEPRESSION EVERYONE ELSE'S PROBLEM which is a little true and also kind of a lie, so I want to give some grace.
tznkai.bsky.social
This is a great explanation for what I've referred to as verbal pollution on Bluesky.
zeblarson.bsky.social
Bluesky’s unique poster archetype is “depressed liberal/leftist who is making others responsible for their emotions” and they all need to be muted.
sjjphd.bsky.social
Half the time I post something related to race on this website I get someone in the comments like, “yeah america is a racist country what do you expect.” I’m starting to think folks like this are bots or ops designed to make people feel helpless. Think we should call it “doomsplaining”
tznkai.bsky.social
about 10% I am shy and 90% I try to avoid inflicting internet strangers on myself while gaming especially with voice.
tznkai.bsky.social
Never played, would probably be willing to try if it wasn't for voice chat with internet strangers
tznkai.bsky.social
I really recommend the series. Games are rated 2-5, in my experience the 2s are far too easy, but the 3s are quite challenging. They run ~15 (online) - ~25 (retail) USD before tariff nonsense and are absolutely the one and done nature. It's cheaper than a movie.
tznkai.bsky.social
EXIT games formally serve any size group, but I suggest 2, because there's usually 1 puzzle, sometimes 2 to work on at a time. There's some exceptions, one game has a murder mystery element and that took a whole person while the other 2 solved the rest.
tznkai.bsky.social
For those of you unfamiliar with the EXIT series, it's kind of like an escape room in a box, made by a married couple who appear to be mad geniuses. Each EXIT game can only be played once because gameplay is destructive. You are likely to have to mark up or cut up the components or even the box.
tznkai.bsky.social
My wife just alerted me to the existence of EXIT: The Game – Adventures on Catan (2025) which is the most self indulgent concept for a boardgame I've ever heard so that's date night sorted.
tznkai.bsky.social
So social deduction elements are fine to be loadbearing, they just can't be The Whole Game.
tznkai.bsky.social
(there's hunters, shadows, and civilians, and as I recall if hunters or shadows can identify each other early they have a commanding advantage)
tznkai.bsky.social
I actually enjoy Shadow Hunters where the social deduction is mostly just an element instead of the entire game
tznkai.bsky.social
Like I argue for fun, which makes me gigantic fucking weirdo, while most people do not, /except in social deduction games/, which I find bewildering.