for most of my life, i carried my jewish identity quietly. it was something i knew was there, even when i did not know what to do with it. in recent years, i have learned that identity does not need permission to exist, even when the world makes it complicated to claim.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A isn’t a game about wandering far. It’s about the quiet moments within Lumiose City. The laughter of NPCs, the glow of Prism Tower, and the small comfort of sitting beside your Pokémon. In a time when life felt heavy, this world gave me light again.

Sometimes it’s not the lyrics or the artist, it’s something about the sound itself. For a few minutes, you just feel alive again. That rush is called frisson, the moment music slips past all your reasoning and just makes you feel. It’s not just sound, it’s connection. A reminder that your capacity to feel deeply is still there, even when it hides.

i’ve spent much of my life fading away, whether it was quietly leaving rooms, letting texts go unanswered, or watching connections dissolve before they began. this piece reflects on that pattern of disappearing, the weight it carries, and the small anchors that keep me tethered, like the presence of my cats.