Sybilvane

People can turn on a dime, I've seen it happen. It's especially infuriating because a lot of these men's friends will only know the good version of them and refuse to believe they're capable of being dicks.

It's not just good acting, it's that some men genuinely aren't capable of treating a partner like a person and not a thing. So they can be nice to people they consider people, or to partners who are behaving they way they deem is correct. But the second you're dating and something doesn't fit their narrative of how things should play out, the claws come out.

I believe they were referring to the use of AI.

This! Also a pop of color on that would be good.

When something was "dry" it meant it was bad. Never heard it again after I finished middle school.

More potatoes.

Magic the Gathering, other TCGs and board games.

I can have fun while playing them, but that's mostly for the social aspect of it. I don't really care to discuss it outside of actually playing. Maybe it's because my friend group is full of people who do want to discuss it and I'm just... Not that interested.

It's technically a work of fiction but The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin can maybe be considered an anarchist book. It does a deep delve into an anarchist society and how it could theoretically be organized. In my opinion it could also be interpreted as a critique, but I think it's stronger for it.

I came here to recommend this as well. While I wouldn't describe the MC as overly feminine, the fact that she is a woman is definitely part of the story and the wider commentary.

Walking back character development/growth.

How did you train them to do that? The amount of cat around me during their morning feeding time literally delays the process because they are obstacles!

Open body language is a big part of it. Or generally gestures that clearly communicate you're not upset - smiling, gentle/playful touches.

Also if you are angry but it's at a situation and not a person, make that clear. E.g. even something as simple as the difference between "this totally sucks!!" and "this totally sucks, doesn't it?" The second options conveys that you're experiencing an annoyance together, as opposed to you experiencing an annoyance and you may decide to take it out on them.

I am growing quite sick of living in interesting times...