ADIOS!

first of all, his iconic coat. casually wearing a solid black leather trench coat is already a little unusual, but the fact that dude wears one all of the time (even in the middle of a blisteringly hot arizona summer) definitely implies a few things. though it's entirely possible that he just isn't willing to give up his sense of fashion or the utility of inner pockets, it's worth mentioning that wearing a trench coat is an awfully convenient choice of attire for someone trying to pass as male. it hides your curves, makes your shoulders look wider, and just generally gives you a more imposing (and masculine) silhouette. plus, while not necessarily related, leather is also durable and more resistant to bullets than most other fabrics. so for dude, his trench coat may very well be a way to protect himself, in more ways than one.

there's also his mannerisms. dude is edgy, sarcastic, and sometimes outright cruel, to the point that it almost feels like he's compensating for something. this especially makes sense if you interpret him as being trans. as someone who wasn't originally born a man, he may feel the need to try all the harder to convince people of his masculinity. he exaggerates the qualities about himself that are "manly" and represses his actual feelings and any other sign of vulnerability as a self defense mechanism, albeit a very misguided one. (as a side note, i think dude had probably unlearned a lot of this stuff by postal 4, as evidenced by his much more laid back demeanor and willingness to experiment with his gender presentation.)

additionally, we've never seen dude naked (afaik). it's not just that we don't entirely know what his downstairs situation is, we've never seen him topless either. the closest we've gotten is a censor circle whenever he unzips his pants and the information that he's canonically "below average," but even then it's still kind of vague (i mean, for all we know, that could be referring to his bottom growth LMAO)

dude doesn't have any kids either, which to be fair, doesn't really prove anything on its own. however, if you check the bucket in the sample drop room after completing the first mission in apocalypse weekend, you'll see it's the exact same as it was before. in reality this probably doesn't mean anything, but i think it'd be really funny to imagine that it implies dude is either firing blanks, or he never had the right kind of "ammo" to begin with.

this last one is probably a stretch, but i've always thought it kinda looks like he's got a bit of a boob bump in the gimp suit? it's probably only me that sees this, but eh whatever, i think it's still worth mentioning.

Hi there. Are you autistic? Do you currently feel like shit and don't know why? Try this checklist to see if you can Fix The Problem!

When was the last time you used the bathroom? If you answered "I don't know" or "at least 3 hours ago", go now!

Do you need a drink? Go get one if you don't have one in front of you.

When was the last time you ate? If you haven't eaten yet today, consider eating A Meal, or perhaps A Snack. Something is better than nothing, eat whatever you feel able to!

Is there something in your immediate surroundings that is bothering you? If the light is too bright, turn it off. If there is an annoying sound, make the sound stop or reduce your ability to hear it (earplugs, headphones, etc.). If your clothes are bothering you, change them.

Is your space messy? Pick one area of your room and clean it up as best you can. Clean your whole room if you have the energy!

When was the last time you did An Activity? Scrolling on social media doesn't count. Try actively doing something fun! Play a game you like, read a book, make something, or go for a walk.

When was the last time you Spoke to a Person? Consider talking to a person you like if it has been a while.

How long has it been since you did something Special Interest related? Make some time to do that today. Infodump to a friend, have a nice long research session, look at related images or gifs, make art about it, whatever works best for you!

Try stimming actively! Put on some music and dance, spin in circles, go to the park and use the swings!

If you still feel like shit after trying all of these things, you might be tired or sick. Go to bed early and get some rest. Hopefully you will feel better tomorrow!

my mind is completely fine