I think i would be mostly proud of myself. I did a lot of things right, but recently i keep asking myself the question “would i want to spend time with myself”? Like if there was a perfect clone of myself, same mindset, same body, same everything, would i like them?

Most of my life, the answer has been “Yes”. Now, i’m starting to respond to it with “no”, actually not. I’m just not the kind of person myself that i myself would like to be around; ironically that’s what makes me more popular among other people, it seems. So i’ve traded liking to be around myself to others liking to be around me. I still like myself, but i wouldn’t wanna be with another version of myself, if that makes sense. Of some things, there better exist only one of it, if you know what i mean.

I’m not sure if I’d be proud or disappointed.

I don’t know if I’d be excited that I found things that made life worth living, or consider myself a failure for getting it wrong when I tried. Reflecting on that age, I don’t think myself an idiot or anything, I just see a kid who tried their best with what they had, and had already given up on what seemed like an inescapable situation. I feel bad for 14 year-old me, and I’m not sure I’d be able to face that kid without feeling completely destroyed.

Yeah

At 14 I was self harming and only couple years from my first suicide attempt. I don’t do either now, so yes, probably

Look man, If I wanted to disappoint two people at once I’d take my parents out for dinner or find a couple of neurotypicals and have a threesome.

If I had advice to give my younger self, I’d have to be very careful about the whole causality problem. At 45 I have two awesome kids aged 5 and 2. I have an amazing wife who multiplies both my happiness and ability to make a living. Both my wife and I were previously divorced. I wouldn’t change anything that might prevent me from meeting her and helping to bring my kids into the world.

If I had perfect temporal guardrails that would ensure this family path, I’d tell my younger self that it works out pretty well in the long run, but huge mistakes were needed to forge me into who I am today. Also, buy Nvidia stock.

I’m going to enjoy torturing my 14-year-old self. My 14-year-old self was a shithead. But I was raised in a conservative Catholic house, and at that age I firmly embraced the version of reality common among the Fox News set. I was that annoying conservative high schooler. Sure I was repping hard, but I was still an idiot.

Now I’m a late-30s trans woman, about to celebrate 8 years of marriage to my wonderful husband.

The things I can say. I’m going to haunt this kid’s dreams.

I dunno about “proud”, 14-year-old me was around when saying “gay” was usually a punchline, or an insult. Maybe he’d be surprised about my ex-boyfriend. Or my current boyfriend.

Whatever problems he might have with my current self, he’d definitely come around after all the insider trading information I’d give him. Then he’d definitely be quick about doing things I actually wish I’d done sooner, like quitting marching band and switching to theatre. Focusing on trades, rather than racking up debt, then later burning out trying to get an engineering degree. Things like that.

14 year old me would be confused and horrified by more than one thing. Starting with the LGBTQ+ acceptance, no faith, the fact that I’m doing a job that would be considered inhumane at all, and that I’m under some boss.

On top of that, I am no longer asexual, so imagine how mind-blowing that is to someone for who doing the things I did was completelly unthinkable.

Oh and the whole saving a life thing, my psych diagnosis proving I’m not simply lazy, the anti-human relationships outlook, lack of gaming desire.

14 year old me unironically listened to Sargon of Akad. I would kick that little shit in the ribs before sacrificing him in a Blòt.

Hell yeah she would. I’m relatively safe and no longer being traumatized, that’s all she ever wanted.

Yeah. Wiser, a bit less impulsive free from the abuse of my parents, still playing Magic, still reading comic books, covered in tattoos, been to every punk show that kid ever dreamed of going to and more, touched boobs (like, under her bra even) on a few occasions… I got to be the adult 14yo me wanted to be.

More than anything he’d probably be enlightened by the fact that I like banging dudes too.

Shocked that I am still alive.

Extremely unsurprised by my mental health.

Probably not, but the Steam Deck would blow his mind.