I was told in an online forum discussing it that he isn't releasing the files because he learned that Dems altered/forged the files to make trump look bad and the Dems look great

Truth means nothing to these people

While I agree with you for most alternatives to Spotify, I have yet to not be able to find any song from anyone on SoundCloud particularly in more niche genres. I obviously don't know everything you listen to but the reason you describe is the exact reason I can't always use Spotify

Last of us is an obvious answer I think if you haven't played either of those games. The exact opposite of your request, when I am feeling as you describe I really recommend wandersong. The game is like therapy, it looks campy and stupid at first but the dialogue has incredible depth and uplifting vibes.

Yep. My partner is basically the same as yours here. Too many niche communities on other social media and unwilling to give it up in spite of the ideological issues.

I think it's just harder for some than others. I was never THAT attached to social media anyway so...this is fine for me. If I run out of content on my feed for the day its probably time to log off anyway

Meanwhile in America "you guys got trains?"

Changing things up seems generous. Palworld already has real time combat in a monster catching sim. This feels like further being a dick to palworld and stealing their mechanics after suing them into oblivion.

It does look fun, but I struggle with Nintendo these days.

Disco Elysium can totally be pacifist

Our office allowed voting to elect a committee to determine what return to office should look like. I was elected to it. They also hired external contractors to mediate basically. Some people came into it thinking everyone should go back to office, but by the end of it we settled that being in office should be required for certain types of work activities and not for others, and apart from the required activities for in office employees could be wherever. We drafted this up into a formalized agreement and everyone was happy with it.

Then the president who did that program retired and the new guy immediately scrapped the whole thing and forced everyone back into the office overnight without any discussion from the committee or other employees.

I mean even if you genuinely thought that's what it was asking for, just ceiling is extremely nonspecific

I feel this deeply. Others have said it already, but the thing that's helped me the most is getting involved with the solution. Local community organizing, mutual aid groups, political candidates in your area, etc etc etc there are many options (and feel free to message me if you want more help finding them) and nothing felt ok until I could feel like I was doing something other than passively sitting around watching the country/world collapse.

Others have also said closing off news and social media. This is also a good step, but I would caution against doing so 100%. Maybe set aside a day or two a week where you get caught up for an hour or two then turn it off the rest of the time. It's still important to be aware, particularly as the suffering is becoming more and more local and ubiquitous, but it definitely becomes all consuming if done too much.

You sound like an empathetic person, and people like you are needed to help drive change. Fascism won't go away in it's own or with one more election cycle to vote it out. The upshot is most organizing and community strengthing efforts are just generally positive for mental health in their own right and may lead and may lead to new friendships and activities that you enjoy

79??? That would have to make them about the youngest lawmakers in the country!

I sooooo wish this were true. Quality protest strategy