One thing you might have noticed when taking a look at my fursona is that he often wears womens' one-piece swimsuits and leotards for various things. He wears one-piece swimsuits when going out for a swim, and he wears a leotard for various athletic things. His 80s workout and space hunter personas also have him sporting a leotard.

So, why would be male fur like Michael wear them?

Well, I feel that he's more comfortable in them, as his body isn't bothered by lots of stuff while he's moving about. The added compression from his suit also helps him feel relaxed.

There's also the fact that these one-piece suits can be designed in so many ways. You can get a variety of interesting designs and patterns on them. Michael wears suits with lots of different colors and arrangements, as you might have noticed.

Of course, male furs like him can sport these suits well because the arm and leg hair match, not to mention the junk can be retractable (or at least not super visible).

But I think the big point about Michael wearing these swimsuits and leotards is because he feels comfortable with his body. He's not afraid to show off his arms and legs, and he knows that all of him is something he can feel good about. And the one-piece outfit accentuates not only his limbs and but also his torso, which makes for a perfect well-rounded look.

He's not afraid of himself. He's comfortable with who he is and isn't afraid to be on display. It's the most prominent part of why he (and so many other male furs) wear these suits.

So, does your male fur wear these one-piece outfits? And if so, what inspires it?

I've been doing some streams on Twitch as of late where I play video games of assorted sorts. I've been doing it mainly because I figured it would be a fun thing to do in my spare time, especially since there's so many Twitch streamers I follow. It's also about helping me feel more comfortable about speaking and my voice; I have that stereotypical autism voice and have been working my hardest to make peace with it.

I've been doing lots of Oxygen Not Included streams, but I have also been playing UFO 50 games. And I have done some retro stuff here and there. I did a Turbo-Grafx 16/PC Engine roulette, and I'll be doing an Intellivision roulette soon.

I've also been streaming some stuff for Wreckfest 2 as it's in early release. I'll keep posting videos as new updates and edits come.

I just like sharing things I love with others, and what better way to do it than by streaming me playing games I love? And you might learn something about those games too. Did you know that the gases in ONI have different weights? Natural gas can spread fast, but it does eventually sink below oxygen if you have enough open room below it.

Anyway, check me out at
https://www.twitch.tv/tigercat919

I'm writing this as Autism Acceptance Month has a few hours left (at least here in the US/Canada Eastern Time Zone). And I've been thinking quite a bit about myself and how I've been living with autism for so long.

I was initially diagnosed as having autism when I was four years old. At the time, hardly anyone knew much about it, and everyone assumed that I would never be productive in society. But as time has progressed, it's become clear that autism is not the single-definition thing people assumed it was.

I had been trying to shun my autism for years when growing up. It wasn't until I got to high school when I was able to prove that I could operate independently and alongside other students. I did above average in school and got in the top third in my class, plus I eventually went to college and got a regular job.

But even with all my success in integrating into society, autism still haunted me. I've had problems in so many ways relating to autism - speaking to people, handling stress, managing my anxiety, focusing on super specific details instead of the big picture, and so forth. And don't get me started on eye contact.

I've tried my hardest to hide it from others, and I kept wishing it would someday go away. Even as the definition of autism became more understandable to where it's easier to tell who has autism (not to mention there's a very diverse array of people out there with autism), I still felt ashamed. I've heard the word autism be used as an insult for so long, not to mention I've been called a particular word (you know the one, the one that's making an unfortunate comeback) so many times.

But as time has progressed, I've realized something - trying to mask myself and cover it up and wish it would go away doesn't work. If anything, hiding my autism only makes things worse. I'm keeping things to myself, but I'm not getting the help I need, and it makes life harder. Not to mention it's so easy to burn out when you're trying to hide your true self.

Today, I'm not as ashamed as I used to be. I haven't told everyone in the workplace I have autism, but I have told my managers about it, and they are more than accepting. And I'm willing to bet some people who don't know about it have figured it out by now...

I understand that there's a whole community of people who care about autistics like us. That community is different for each person, but there's plenty out there who understand us and want to help us and accommodate us. They know everyone is different, and there's nothing wrong about it.

Unfortunately, we still have a good way to go. The comments of a particular American politician this past month have only reminded us of how the world isn't perfect. If anything, it just reminded me of my teachers in elementary and middle school telling me about how my brain isn't normal.

I have been doing my part to make myself feel better about who I am. I've accepted that I do indeed have autism and that I shouldn't try to hide it.

I only hope that society will be more accepting. It's getting there, but we still have a while to get there. The fact that the world's most powerful man has the ear of someone who wants to shun us and put us on a list isn't going to help...