The Misfit Library
A collection of evidence that you are not broken. Stories of specific misalignments and the people who survived them.
This city rewards the wrong version of me
On how an environment can amplify your worst traits instead of your best ones.
Read StoryI stayed because it made sense on paper
A story about checking all the boxes and feeling hollow.
Read StoryI became invisible here
When you speak but no one hears you, and you slowly fade away.
Read StoryEveryone else seems to thrive and I don’t
The isolation of being the only unhappy person in paradise.
Read StoryI outgrew the pace
When your internal metronome no longer matches the street rhythm.
Read StoryI mistook comfort for belonging
Why 'easy' is not the same as 'right'.
Read StoryThe Weather Was Winning
Physical environment vs. mental health. It's not just the rain.
Read StoryI Was Playing a Character
Performing a version of yourself that the city expects.
Read StoryThe Hometown Gravity
The guilt of leaving the people who designed you.
Read StoryThe Cost of Cool
Trading financial security for social capital.
Read StoryMy Nervous System Said No
Somatic signs that you are in the wrong place.
Read StoryThe Fear of Being Average
Why we flock to cities to be special, and why it fails.
Read Story