#I should be able to read special interest and know someone is autistic from it but noooo

[nothing-ramblings]

i DO think laios is "autism creature" autistic. I think he's actually a great example of that. Most of the time i see the autism creature associated with special interests and hyperfixations and there's no way you could argue that's not a trait he has, it's a major plotnpoint that drives the story forward along with his other motivation. Something I also see a lot is the austism creature being used as an example of cluelessness, because of its expression. How are you gonna point to his social awkwardness, the fact that he's literally completely clueless about making people uncomfortable unless it's explicitly stated to him, and say he doesn't fit that description. I'n not sure what "tumblr" autism is supposed to mean, the person was probably talking about the more palatable traits people discuss more openly, but do you really think people aren't socially awkward in this webbed site?

i saw a rlly good post reacting to someone else's rotten take, unfortunately at the time i was too tired to read the full post and i ended up losing it, so i don't remember what all it said but basically the rotten take was calling laios creepy (in a "funny haha way" to disguise it) due to his traits, and op of the post i saw was explaining how that's fucked up. I think from what I skimmed it was very personal, comparing their own experiences to laios and honestly that might be my favorite thing about him. He doesn't just have the "palatable" traits that people are comfortable seeing. He is clueless, he had no idea someone disliked him, he even thought they were close friends, because that person never let him know when he was crossing a boundary until it was too much. Soon after this almost the opposite happens, where he doesn't believe someone else wants to be his friend, because now he's aware that he can't pick up on social cues, and he also knows he caused this person discomfort before, so why would they want to be his friend? He's "messy" in that he has a lot of traits people like to avoid when talking about autism, because it's stuff neurotypicals don't like.

He's literally that kid who people would be like "oh well if i knew he was autistic i wouldn't have treated him badly" (which is stupid, you should treat people well in general and not be an asshole then apologize because someone is actually neurodivergent or mentally ill). And guess what? He has friends who love him. They know he's awkward and clueless and has "weird" interests and they still love him. He has people who will stand up for him even after coming to the conclusion that he's "a little creepy" because they know he's a good person, and they like his honesty. Someone explicitly admits they envy his ability to be so openly himself, even after that same person tried to frame that trait as a bad thing, because they realized what they hated wasn't laios honesty but the fact that laios is able to act that way, while most people feel trapped by social rules and don't have that same freedom to be themselves. Laios can be himself not because society accepts him, in fact the first assumption when the elves learn he likes monsters is that he must be prone to evil. Because that's weird and creepy. Society does not accept him. His friends do. His sister does, she loves him and looks up to him as an adult as much as she did as a child. He has a support system. He is loved. Even people who don't necssarily love him know he could never become evil, even if they also think his special interest is a bit creepy. Because they know laios, actually know him, and they know that in his awkwardness he's still a kind person. He misses a lot of social cues, sometimes he says things that are tone deaf without realizing at all, and his friends know he means no harm. He just struggles with these things.

I think laios is a very good example of how nobody is unlovable, regardless of how awkward or clueless you might be, even if your special interest is something perceived as creepy. To me Laios is a reminder for anyone who needs to hear it that you are deserving of love too. Maybe you just beed to find a better support system, and that might take a while, but there's people who will love you the way you are, and accept you the way you are

#dungeon meshi #laios #blank rambles

[centipedelightning]

Hey. Hey psstttt Valentine you should totally tell us all the ways Papyrus shows his Autismcore Swagger(tm) 👁️ 👁️

This is gonna be a dissertation good god. Toni you don’t know what you’ve brought into the world. Also this isn’t really gonna be a “look at all the way’s he Is autistic!!” As much as look at all the correct reasons he’s autistic so I will be covering a lot of character misconceptions.

The correct and lore accurate reasons why Papyrus is autistic (and debunking some incorrect points bc I can’t stand misinformation) in no particular order. A whole lot more under cut.

Safe Food

a lot of people consider spaghetti to be Papyrus’ safe food or something but papyrus hasn’t even eaten his own food.

You might be able to argue that him making spaghetti all the time is a weird habit or missed social cue, but it isn’t a “safe food”. Hell, him not eating his own food is why he constantly misses social cues about how it’s actually super bad.

Face Blind

Is face blindness an autism trait? Tbh I’m not sure, but I‘m autistic and mildly face blind so I’m bringing it up. Papyrus seems relatively unable to tell the difference between faces. He does not recognize that Toriel is a different person from Asgore.

You might also be able to make a case about how he refers to Frisk as “Human” the whole time because he can’t differentiate than from others but that’s not really a strong point, so it’s being skipped.

Sarcasm/Humor

Humor is under this section for a very important reason: PAPYRUS’ MAIN SENSE OF HUMOR IS DEADPAN SARCASM. I’m not sure where people got the idea that he misses sarcasm tbh.

He’s joking here.

Another joke.

Listen, I am autistic and make the exact same types of jokes. Deadpan, obvious lies are so funny, but people usually miss that it’s a joke. That’s the case here. He’s just making jokes without making it clear with tone or phrasing that it’s a joke.

I just want to highlight some of his wordplay/puns bc people refuse to acknowledge that he likes puns too.

Another joke. Also he has a style of humor where he just stumbles into what he thinks is funny and commits to the bit even if the joke doesn’t really work and he’s so real for it.

Difficulty Lying

I don’t have any screenshots for this section because I’m not actually sure where people came up with this. Maybe it��s that his lies are super easy to see through, but he actually lies All The Time.

This is jumping ahead a bit, but the reason Papyrus’ speech is all caps is because he’s lying. If you go back a bit and reference fighting Migosp, until you get rid of the Whimsum that fights with them, they’ll speak in all caps. Once you spare the Whimsum, the Migosp’s case goes standard because it is not putting up a front.

Papyrus speaks in all caps because he is constantly lying about how cool and confidant he is. In reality, he’s very lonely person with a lot of insecurities.

If I can find the post about case setting and lying that I saw years ago, I’ll link it here.

Special Interests

He absolutely has a special interest in puzzles/puzzle making.

he spends a lot of his time making, thinking, and reading about puzzles. There’s no way this isn’t his main special interest. He also gets annoyed that Sans doesn’t recalibrate his puzzles as often which is so reflective of someone that’s into your special interest but not as much, so you get really annoyed when they aren’t as involved as you are.

tbh he might be joking here but if taken as a fact, that’s not normal!! That is not a normal level of enjoying something! (If true) he walked his ass over to the cliff and spent who knows how long painting it to make it look like a rope bridge, all for the sake of one puzzle. That’s autism levels of liking things baby.

He also has a lot of robot action figures so I’m saying he likes to collect them bc I collects dolls. MTT might also be a special interest, but I think it’s more that Mettaton is like the only celebrity other than Undyne down there.

Misses Social Cues

This one is easy and the most obvious. Very often Papyrus will miss social cues and facial expressions.

We know that his food is practically inedible, so this would obviously not be a scrunch of pleasure.

And here we see that he completely misreads Frisk’s face. Maybe he’s intentionally being dense but I highly doubt it. This paired with the supposed face blindness is screaming autism.

Voice Level

…..

I think people aren’t gonna like this one but it’s so often cited as a reason he’s autistic that I need to acknowledge it. I don’t think Papyrus has a volume issue. I think if the theory about all caps=lying then we can pretty safely assume all caps are not inherently indicative of loud speaking.

Undyne is a loud character. A lot of her voice lines end with lots of exclamation marks and very expressive sprites. She specifically only has words in all caps for emphasis because italics (as far as I can recall) aren’t used. Papyrus, on the other hand, is always in all caps, but rarely has things like added exclamation points to denotaste loudness.

That’s all to say I don’t have a strong opinion about the matter. You can bring up how, psychologically, people tend to raise or lift their voices in volume or octave when telling lies, so Papyrus may still be a louder character than most.

Love of Organizing

This one I found while looking for certain voice lines so there’s not much commentary.

He greatly appreciates when things are organized in a certain way, and especially when that way is visual.

Echolalia/Making Up Words

Another small section.

small example of repeating words (echolalia)

One of a few examples of him making up words

Difficulty Making Friends

Yeah this is one of the few sections people so manage to correctly cite. Papyrus has a huge problem making friends. Hell, most of his voice lines are about how he wants friends and capturing a human/joining the Royal Guard will get him that.

Other than his brother, Undyne is the only person Papyrus can really call a friend. Even then, the only reason the two are friends is because Undyne pitied him and agreed to “train” him. That’s not exactly standard friend making.

When Papyrus does have the chance to make a friend a bit more normally, he gets a manual from the Library.

*note that this voice line is only from the hangout, if the player chose to flirt with him, i would be a dating manual*

Do you think allistics need a manual on how to act normal and make friends? No of course not. He also is very strict in following the manual closely as to make sure he makes a friend “properly”.

he’s flying blind here y’all.

Also, he’s very emotionally intelligent and I think people overlook that. In the hangout, he’ll tell the player that he doesn’t like how they’re speaking to him and gives them genuine (and good) advice about having more than on friend so you don’t obsess over/overwhelm said friend.

Routine

Unless Sans was joking, which in this case I doubt, Papyrus has been wearing his battle body every day. For weeks.

It’s a comfort item and something that he clearly has gotten very comfortable having on all the time.

Whether or not the puzzles need recalibration, Papyrus makes it clear he has a set routine and needs it to be done. This specific screenshot is also an example of the “wanting people to be as into your special interest as you are” thing I mentioned earlier.

Strong Sense of Justice

Papyrus feels very bad telling a lie that conflicts with his friendships, and has to come up with a convoluted reason to eat around it.

I don't think this needs further commentary.

That’s all folks! I can’t say just how exhaustive this meta is, but it’s damn near it. I tried to pull up a list of basic autistic traits but gave up once damn near immediately. Autism Speaks I am hunting you down. Anyway, there’s more examples I could have pulled but I really dont want this to be a mile long post.

#undertale #Undertale meta #papyrus #papyrus meta #ut!papyrus #character analysis #do I need a ‘not a fic’ tag or something? #Oh well #autism king #autism #•centipede writes• #•centipede talks• #i dont want to proof read god #So I’m not gonna :3 #undertale analysis

[panics-side-blog]

Shattered glass Shockwave headcanons

So today i read someone being upset that all the sg headcanons they see about shockwave isn't really good and they wanted to see some more input from others, i forgot who they where nor what the blog is called but i decided to give my own two cents in this form. Shout-out to this person this post is for you and i hope you can enjoy it

👾Still a scientist and looked up too for his amazing inventions but he isn't the same infamy then his counter part.

👾Mainly because he is messy and disorganized/not being able to set priority's because he doesn't understand what is a priority and what not since all of it is important for him.

👾 He also refused to do stuff if he sees the invention being used to harm others or if the negatives are too damaging in his opinion. The safety for others are his priority and his invention is just for the people in need.

👾Very autistic (his counterpart too but he is somewhere else on the spectrum). The type of autistic that, instead of having flat effect/ a monotone voice, has it going all over the place. It being very expressive and more loud then calm and quiet. Which also can come off as not so great because people still interpretate it wrong a lot of times. Thinking he is angry because his voice has a lot of intensity that is meant to show his happiness and eagerness to help or what also happens is that they think he is sarcastic because his voice tone goes up and down a lot essentially having a voice; LiKe hOw yoU WouLD ReAd ThIs OuT.(happens the most when he indulgence in his special interest).

👾A lot of his intellect comes from him being emotionally very smart. Like he knows exactly what your feeling and why and can help you with this exact problem and comfort you just right, making you feel like the world could end but everything's is alright as long as he has you in his arms, telling you sweet and encouraging words that hit just right.

👾But ironically (or better said autistically) he has problems to express his feelings in words. He doesn't seem to find the right once or can't read his own emotional right because their all over the place/just ????? (I hope you get what i mean, other autistic people who know that feeling give me a yippe in the comments/hj)

👾Will explode if he can't stim. Which also paired with when he info dumps it can be very intense. His voice gets loud and booming not being able to tell that it just does it's thing and he either walks up and down or rocks back and forth very intensely. He once feel back from a chair because he broke the backrest due to his stims. But he laughed about it and thought it was funny.

👾LOVES humans, most of his info dumps is about humans. A lot of inventions are for humans (also the reason why he isn't seen as much as a great scientist because like 60/70% of his stuff are ment for humans. And the Cybertronians just think "wtf are we suppose to do with this".) He has to be thoroughly convinced to not spend the next cycles to build some sort of stuff for humans. It can be really hard to do so. Not just for the one who tries to convince him but also for shockwave because it makes him sad that he can't spend more time with it :((. (It's also a high chance he will half ass his Projekt if no one checks in often enough or give him some sort of reward to motivate and show him it's not a wasted of time). But once you pull out the *insert Bot who struggles because of a thing out of their control and needs support for it* he is convinced. The other projects are much harder to convince for,their is going to be a hour long conversation with a really well made PowerPoint presentation that was made by a group to show him why he should do it.

👾 Beside that all of his project are ethical, his moral and justice compass is STRONG. Like STRONG STRONG. He would rather die then do something immoral that could hurt someone. It's just not logical for him to hurt others.

👾His work also besides helping humans, mostly focuses on Cybertronian health instead of war inventions. Be it support for disabled Mechs or the once who have mental health issues or just figuring out how you can get rid of a common cold the fastest and easiest. He generally focuses a lot on health and super for other's.

👾is very cheerful in general always here to build you up and share his love and passion with others.

👾Can also get overwhelmed by a lot of work very easy so he needs support on that with people he trusts the most.

👾Originally wanted to work as a Psychologist or sociologists but due to the war making his plans very messy he realizes right now the Mechs who lost it all needed inventions to help them out. He still pursues his original plan and already is called the "psychologist friend/Psychologist that has an invisible degree" because he knows so much about it.

#maccadam #transformers #transformers shattered glass #shattered glass Shockwave #tf shockwave #transformers headcanon #transformers shattered glass headcanon #i still have some more headcanons that are more about himself as a person then his role as a worker #man i haven't done such a list in a while hopefully it's good:)) #anyway going to eat my soup haven't eaten the whole day and the day is almost over so oops #autism strikes again making me hyperfixated about a dbd like i haven't in years

[autisticgirliesbracket]

What makes Nagi Usui from The World Ends With You the autistic girlie ever of all time? Here's what the people have to say:

Nagi-related asks/reblogs: x This post will be updated after each round!

Image ID in alt text and under the readmore.

[Image ID. White slide with a screenshot of Nagi Usui in the bottom left corner, her glasses are all white and there is blue lightning coming off her. She is surrounded by text boxes which read,

"Has a special interest in EleStra, a mobile game, and it is her main motivation to live (or to come back to life, at least). Has an unusually formal, sometimes awkward manner of speech; often refers to others with Lord/Lady honorifics. Hyper-empathetic; can sense when people are masking their feelings, and is strongly affected by others' negative thoughts and emotions. Her power allows her to go into others' minds, but she dislikes doing it, both for their privacy and because dealing with their strong emotions exhausts her. Puts significant thought and care into her interactions, calculating every aspect of her behavior when communicating."

"Winner of the The World Ends With You autism bracket! Nagi is very emotionally perceptive and is easily overwhelmed by others' emotions, suggesting hyperempathy. She has a big interest in a game called Elestra, which she talks about often and relates situations from it to situations in real life. She particularly loves one character from the game, and pretends that someone from real life that she knows is that character. While Nagi is very empathetic, she struggles to see things from the point of view of those who are very different from her."

"Trapped in a death game and her sole motivation for escaping is to get back to playing her fave video game which she hyperfixates on. She has a speaking quirk where she talks very eloquently and overly formal and makes a lot of sounds/unintelligible noises to express when she’s feeling excited. Hyper empathetic and makes an active conscious effort to understand and communicate with people, calling it a skill that can be honed like any other."

"Literally died and landed in a death game, but was more worried about not being able to play the next chapter of her gacha game hyperfixation than y'know, being dead She is also hyperempathetic and makes So Many Noises"

" "I am simply aware of the importance of communication. And I take great pains to ensure my interactions with others remain as peaceful as possible. Asking questions. Gauging responses. Reacting aptly. I leverage every element at my disposal—actions, words, emojis, anything at all—to ensure everyone feels welcome.” - This is a direct quote from the game, which should be pretty autistic on its own. But wait, there's more! This is how she's able to Dive into other people's souls and help rid them of their inner demons. When she ends up in a three-week-long series of death games in another layer of reality played by the dead for a second chance at life, her motivation to get back is that there's a new chapter of her special interest mobile game and she can't play it until she's done with all of it. She joins the team because there's a dude who looks eerily like her favorite character who hangs around with them. Her arc resolves not by being less interested in EleStra (said special interest mobile game,) but by getting someone else who she'd previously had trouble getting along with because he spent the game masking INTO EleStra, on the grounds it'll help him cope with grief and improve his social skills. Nagi was voted Most Autistic Swag of the game duology in a fandom tournament, and this is saying something because you can make a case for like 60% of the cast at a low estimate being readable as autistic. She is an autistic queen."

"She obsesses over a mobile game (and one of her teammates because he looks JUST LIKE her blorbo/husbando). She has an ita bag covered in pins of said blorbo. She speaks in an old-timey fashion (she's 19 in modern day Tokyo) and refers to others as "Lord/Lady [Name]". AND she refers that special interest game to others as a way to "heal (their) hearts." She was voted Most Autistic TWEWY character on tumblr in a finals match against someone who's literally nonverbal with a special interest in tech who talks EXCLUSIVELY using text and rarely facially emotes. That's how autistic she is."

"Nagi is described as devoting most of, if not all her time to her pastimes, especially for a certain in-universe mobile game (Elegant Strategy, or EleStra), which she carries an itabag completely decorated with merch of a singular character from the aforementioned game, from several buttons and pins, to a charm, to a keychain plushie. She is also described as "more of a subdued character who can't assimilate into a social environment as easily as other people" by her character designer. I could go on but I'm not sure how to put concepts into words"

"She has an INTENSE special interest in a mobile game called Elegant Strategy to the point where playing it is her main motivation for trying to escape the literal actual death game she gets chucked into. She is highly empathetic which is highlighted by her psych (essentially the magic system in this game) being the ability to dive into other people's minds. She is extremely observant and puts a lot of effort into effectively communicating with the people around her, calling things like jokes or emojis "tools" to make sure everyone has a good time. The twewy fandom hosted an autism poll and she won so she absolutely deserves to go here" End ID.]

#autistic girlies bracket #autistic girlie masterpost #nagi usui #the world ends with you

[justanotherdumbteenboy]

A little rant over the why I consider that Midoriya Izuku is autstic

Disclaimer: This is just one of my many mha theories. I would rather if peope didn't attack me for this. If you don't like it, just ignore it!.

______________________________________________________________

Special interests

Having a special interest is one of the most common characteristics for autistic people, and personally, I believe that his interest in heroes, quirks, and All Might can be read as special interests. Specially having in mind how this interests are actually very deep and time consuming for Izuku, and a very important part of him. This derivates in another characteristic that is infodumping and that is something that Izuku does A LOT.

He even shows distress when he doesn’t know something about one of these topics. (More specifically, when All Might told him that he used a support item, and Izuku was upset that he didn’t know that and went on a research rampage after finding out (I relate)).  

I also think that his hero quirk analysis notebooks are an outlet for him. Like a safe space where he can rant, and store information etc. And that is really important, because it seems like his notebooks were another reason that people bullied him for (although that is not confirmed, apart from that one scene with Bakugou).

Stimming

He stims a lot through the show. He rocked back and forth as a child, he repeatedly jumped, and is constantly exercising  (vestibular stims (i think)), and he built a habit of watching the same All Might video all of the time (and he still does that as a teenager when he is upset.  After the USJ attack he is watching the video in his bedroom before his mom calls him for dinner). This can be considered a visual stim. 

Trouble identifying social cues and has a hard time socialising 

He doesn’t seem to be able to fully understand when someone is completely invested in what he is saying, or on the contrary, when someone is bored and wants him to be quiet. He also seems to have trouble knowing when to stop talking, getting interrupted multiple times by All Might, and getting yelled at by Bakugou especially when he infodumps. 

He has a hard time meeting new people and socialising in general. I think that this is easily appreciated when he first started to interact with class 1-A, in his first interaction with Night Eye, when he met Hatsume, etc. There are many examples of this honestly. 

Sensory processing issues 

He doesn’t exactly go on sensory overload but he does have a crazy pain tolerance, and that can be connected to difficulty processing pain stimuli. We can see this on pretty much every single fight Izuku has been involved in. 

Hyper empathy and emotional dysregulation  

It’s obvious that he cares about others and feels deeply for them and what they go through. Maybe a little too much. I think this could be one of the roots for his hero complex and his need to fix everything and everyone by himself. 

And he is a very emotional person, we have seen him having mood swings, and crying a lot both in public and in private. Apparently his tears are something that he cannot control, even if other people make fun of him for it. (I relate). 

Has a different way to view the world 

This is something that both All Might and Gran Torino have pointed out about him. He has a different perspective, a different way to think about things (like when he was trying to figure out how to “not make the egg explode”). 

Adherence to a certain way of doing things 

I think this is why it took him so long to develop his shoot style. He was so focused on using his quirk in a specific exact way, that he kind of forgot he could just use his legs. It could also be why it took him so long to figure out that he should see one for all in a more natural way and not as a special move (I don’t think I explained that correctly, but for reference, it happens around the Stain arc).

And this is very minor, but I would also like to mention his very iconic red shoes. 

Safe food

This might be a little bit of a stretch, but I think it is a possibility that Katsudon is one of his safe/comfort foods since it is canon that it’s his favourite food. 

Physical contact

He seems to struggle receiving physical contact from people he is not close with. The only people that if I remember correctly he actually seeks physical contact with are Inko, All Might, and Bakugou sometimes. 

Note: this could also be a cultural thing and not be autism related, since in Japan people tend to avoid touching others unless it is unavoidable , especially if they are strangers, not related, or not close. (Little side note not mha related, but this is quite the cultural shock for me as a Latino, since physical contact is widely accepted here in Colombia. Which is funny, because I hate physical contact).

Speaking differences/struggles

He mutters a lot in the show, and many times, he seems to be doing it unconsciously, others having to stop him, and even sometimes being annoyed with it. This is something that I struggle with as well, since I’ve been told that I speak to fast and too low, and I do it completely unconsciously and have to apologise many times for it, just like Izuku.

He is a very detailed oriented person

I think this is evident mostly on the way he is fast to analyse fights and his opponents (like in the fight against Gentle Criminal and La Brava), and also on his quirk analysis notebooks. 

Since the very beginning this has been an important trait of his, that shines when he saved Bakugou from the sludge villain, or when he analysed the fight between Mount Lady, Kamui Woods and the giant villain in literally the first episode when he was still in middle school. 

This is even seen on the Provisional Hero License Exam, the joint training arc, etc. 

————————————————————————

In conclusion: Izuku Midoriya is autistic and I’m absolutely convinced that he is. 

If anyone else has something to add please do, I thrive for neurodivergent mha headcanons. Izuku isn’t even the only character I theorise to be autistic. 

I’m sorry for any spelling or redaction messages. I think my English is pretty good, but I apologise for any mistake I did here (which I’m sure I did, because I wrote it at midnight in the google docs app in my cellphone without my glasses on). 

And if you read all of this, then thank you for reading, because I think I went a little overboard.

#my hero academia #boku no hero acedamia #kohei horikoshi #midoriya izuku #actually autistic #autism #autism spectrum disorder #neurodivergent #autism special interest #autistic positivity #all your favourites are autistic

[rainbowsky]

so today my mom was over at my place and my desktop background is a picture of xiao zhan from his winter solstice shoot, and when she saw it she asked who the hottie was and i had to restrain myself bc it was not the time place or the right person to info dump to! luckily or maybe unfortunately as an autistic person "conceal don't reveal" is a thing at which i excel alkjhslkdjf

but that got me wondering if i could perhaps ask for your perspective and experience with this, since i know you are also autistic. i find it very difficult to determine how much of my hyperfixations and special interests are safe to reveal to others and i've had some not so great reactions before so now i tend to keep up the mask and hold it all in, even with people close to me. as a result i know i probably come across as a very boring and negative person who is never interested in anything. i don't think i'm like that, but honestly i'm not sure anymore. i've pretended for so long i don't really know who i am.

do you share a lot with the people around you about your special interests? how do you know when where and to whom it's safe? does it all come down to surrounding yourself with good and understanding people that you're comfortable around and that accept you completely? writing it out now it looks so simple, like yes of course that's what i'm supposed to do! but how?? i don't know how to read people and on the occasions i have decided to trust someone and it turned out to be a huge mistake it feels really bad to be proven wrong, and being wrong lowers the chances that i'll open up again.

i can't help but fear that i will never be able to truly be myself around other people. in online spaces it's possible to stay anonymous and it's easy to just block and ignore the assholes, but it seems much harder irl. do you perhaps have any tips? since we have some of the same interests and your blog exudes a calm and accepting energy i feel like you would be a good person to ask. i hope it doesn't put you out.

thanks so much and take care! 💜

Hi Anon! 💖

It's not your job to protect people from your personality. I'm sad whenever I see this being taught to people, it's so wrong.

There is an affirmation that's been making the rounds for years that is so true: "You deserve to be loved without having to hide the parts of yourself that you think are unlovable."

A lot of neurodivergent people seem to carry the baggage of neurotypical people's disdain toward, impatience with and disrespect for the differences of others, and to that I say: BS. Their bigotry, ignorance and entitlement are not your problem.

A lot of the standards and expectations around how people 'should' be are a product of dominance culture (aka white supremacy culture). The belief that there is 'one right way' to be - and that the only way to be worthy and acceptable in society is to conform to that 'one right way' - is a core feature of dominance culture. That culture is one of the most destructive forces on the planet, and I urge everyone to root it out and dismantle it wherever they find it.

In fact there are many wonderful ways to be and live, and in a conformist world our choice to love ourselves, be ourselves and pursue self-actualization is a revolutionary act.

Of course we can and should work with others to build bridges across our differences and find ways to ensure that both people's needs get met in our relationships. But it's important that it is a two-way street, and not just a situation where we're doing all the adapting and accommodating and they're reaping all the benefits of being catered to*.

When that happens we end up having our value and self-esteem undermined while theirs is boosted, validated and affirmed. That only exacerbates the power imbalances and further erodes the relationship and our ability to build healthy, trusting connections.

*Contrary to popular belief, neurodivergent people spend their lives and a great deal of energy accommodating neurotypical people - not the other way around. The fairly recent, mostly tokenistic attempts to make spaces and cultures more 'ND-friendly' can't even hold a faint candle to the insane pretzels ND people have had to twist ourselves into for decades trying to 'fit in' and be accepted into a world which still caters almost exclusively to able-bodied, white, straight, cisgender, affluent, educated, neurotypical people.

So, to answer your question - be yourself, and in this way you will find your people.

Authenticity is the only way to build authentic relationships and connections.

If there are people in our lives who don't understand us and who treat our interests and our personalities as 'a problem', that's a problem that both sides need to address. We need to self-examine and make sure we are making space for the other person to express themselves, but they also need to do the same for us.

Balance is found by working together toward a common goal - a genuine connection between two people. Make sure that you both share that goal. Communicate your needs and ask them to share what their needs are as well.

Our needs matter.

Don't let them go unnoticed, unacknowledged and unmet. Not by you or anyone else.

We're all in fandom, we're all familiar with the concept of 'the confession'. This is actually an important concept in all relationships, not just romantic ones. Because in ALL relationships, being yourself is the ultimate act of love.

Just like a love confession, it requires vulnerability, trust and a desire to connect. When we reach out to someone to share some part of who we are inside, we are initiating a connection with that person and giving them the gift of our authentic self.

If they are unable or unwilling to accept that and meet us where we are, then they are probably not the right person for us to connect with, or else they aren't yet ready to connect.

That can be painful and can feel like a form of rejection, but I try to take those things as useful information, and treat my personality as a friend filter. Those who are put off by me aren't the right people for me to try to be close to. I want to surround myself with people who are able to be real with me and accept me and celebrate me for who I am (and vice versa).

Special interests are a big part of that, because they become so central in our lives. If we have people close to us who can't make space for us and our special interests in some way, then we will end up feeling lonely and invisible. That becomes even worse when we are shamed and ridiculed for our interests.

I go back to what I said before - our needs matter. If we work toward having truly reciprocal, equitable relationships where both people's needs are being met, we will be happier overall.

Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication is a great place to start on that project.

Trust is hard. I am naive and trusting to a fault, and I have to lean heavily at times on others who have my best interests in mind, or else I end up being bullied or taken advantage of.

If you're struggling with that, I urge you to find someone you can truly trust (preferably multiple people) - such as a close friend or family member who has proved to truly have your best interests at heart, or if you can't find that, a therapist who understands your needs and vulnerabilities and can be a support and a sounding board - and get their help and advice in situations you're uncertain about.

If you can't find a therapist and you have no close people you trust, there are many online communities and groups where you can find like-minded people to bounce these things off of.

Most importantly, always remember that everything we say, do and think can only ever be a reflection of ourselves, our values, and what's in our hearts and minds. It can never be about anyone else.

If people treat you badly it's not because you're bad, it's because they are.

(or rather, because they're unexamined, unevolved, mean-spirited, in a dark place, self-focused to a fault, etc. etc. but that doesn't make as memorable a sound bite)

Don't let unexamined, unevolved, mean-spirited people, etc., etc. teach you to think or feel badly about yourself. Understand that hurtful criticism is about the other person and their expectations, values and attitudes, not about you.

Exercise healthy boundaries. Understand where the other person ends and where you begin, and refuse to take on things that aren't part of who you are. Ask yourself, "Do I truly agree with what this person is saying?"

Is what the other person claims true, fair, honest, and said in the spirit of compassion and connection, or was it said in a judgmental, self-absorbed (focusing on their needs at the exclusion of your own), punitive way? Are they trying to connect with you or are they trying to control or change you?

We can often have a tendency to hear criticism - particularly from those who we look up to or want to have a connection with - as truth being served to us by someone who sees something in us, when in most cases other people's criticism truly has nothing to do with us. It's about the other person and what they want.

This tendency to gobble up negative messages from others ties in with the nearly universal experience of imposter feelings - the idea that deep down inside we are unworthy, a fraud and an imposter, and it's only a matter of time before others will find us out and condemn us. This is another feature of dominance culture.

People are much more attuned to negative messages than to positive ones because of the deep, secret fear that we are bad. Which is so tragic, because the people who know us best and have our best interests in mind are the loving voices we tend to dismiss, while the mean-spirited messages from hurtful people are taken to heart.

But as I said before, their criticism has less to do with us and much, much more to do with who they are and what they want.

And what they want might not be right for us, so we should be cautious and considered in how we handle it. We need to unpack and examine it, and only take in what feels fair and helpful and can enrich our lives and lead to growth.

I know I say this a lot, but we should never let anyone else tell us who we are. We are the only experts on ourselves. If we are self-examined, honest and personally accountable, and if we are doing our best and acting in good faith, that is all anyone can ask of us.

So as I see it, you are dealing with two separate issues:

The internalized belief that you are 'too much' for neurotypical people to want to be around.

Issues around trust in relationships.

Recognizing these as two separate issues and reflecting on them as such might help a lot.

The first is an issue of self-acceptance. Only by looking at yourself as worthy and valuable and interesting can you go out into the world and take your place in relationships as an equal who has something appropriate to contribute rather than approaching it as though you are a burden.

Only by championing your own needs, traits and beautiful qualities as every bit as valid and important as the needs, traits and qualities of those around you will you find a balance and build relationships where you are appreciated and valued.

The second issue is something that takes time, but building trust means taking risks - there's no way around it.

Don't take other people's disappointing behavior personally. When we test the waters to see if someone is worthy of our trust and they show us they aren't - that's useful information about our incompatibilities with that person. It doesn't say anything about our selves, or about our worth as humans. All it tells us is that we are going to have to look elsewhere to find the right connection.

Long-winded and meandery, but I have a lot of thoughts on these topics because they're issues I've grappled with a lot in my life. I hope any of it is helpful, Anon. And I hope you find ways to be comfortable sharing more of yourself with others who can accept you and celebrate you for who you are.

I talked in more detail about conformity, acceptance and dealing with people who ridicule our interests/fandom here.

I talked more about dealing with issues around autism here.

EDIT: A couple of follow-up posts

About the limitations and barriers some people face with building in-person connections

Further tips and reading on self-esteem

#personal #autism is my botox #ask

[adultautismsymptoms]

Autism Spectrum Disorders - What Are the Main Symptoms of Autism?

Autism is a neurological condition that affects how people see, hear and feel the world. It is a spectrum disorder and can be diagnosed by doctors in different ways, depending on which symptoms are present.

How does autism develop?

A child with autism usually has a very difficult time learning to communicate with others. This is known as social communication disorder (SCD). Their language skills can be very delayed and they may not be able to read facial expressions or tone of voice. They often have problems with interpreting other people’s body language and they may make unusual movements such as shaking their arms (commonly called stimming).

It can also affect their motor skills. They may move very slowly or in a very clumsy way. They can also have poor attention and concentration.

They may also have a very limited imagination and enjoy things that are not real. They can also have repetitive behaviors and extreme interests in specific topics like sports teams or science.

How can my child be screened for autism?

A doctor or other specialist will look at your child’s behavior and developmental milestones. They might use a simple questionnaire, or they may perform a more in-depth evaluation.

When you have a child with autism, the most important thing is that they get early, effective treatment. It can make a big difference in their lives.

What are the different types of autism?

Autism is a complex brain disorder that can be hard to diagnose. It can have different effects on a person, ranging from mild to severe. The main symptoms of autism are trouble with social communication and interaction and restricted or repetitive behaviors or interests.

Some people with ASD can learn new skills and improve over time. This can help them gain more independence.

They can also get better at using gestures or pictures to communicate. They may have trouble with certain sensory sensitivities and problems regulating their emotions, such as anxiety.

Other symptoms of autism can include a lack of empathy or feeling overwhelmed by other people’s emotions, as well as issues with impulse control and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

In some cases, children with autism can have a learning disability or ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) as well. These conditions can make it harder to be successful in school and at work.

What should I say when talking to someone with autism?

The correct way to talk to a person with autism is not to use the words “autistic” or “on the spectrum.” It is better to refer to the individual as someone who has a developmental disorder or an intellectual disability.

If you are unsure about what to say, the best thing is to ask the person with autism for advice. They will know more about what it is like to live with autism and will be able to give you the right advice.

Some people have been able to change their behavior and learn to function in a more normal way by taking special education courses or other forms of treatment. This might include occupational therapy, behavioral therapy or speech and autism therapy.

#autism #autism symptoms #autism spectrum #signs of autism #symptoms of autism #autism in adults #adult autism #adult autism symptoms #is autism hereditary #autism therapy #autism levels #signs of autism in women #adult autism diagnosis #autism traits

[fanficfanattic]

I want to be clear that this is not an attack on anyone or any group. It isn’t a call to action. It isn’t an accusation of ableism.

It is a lament.

The fun thing about being autistic is that it is not an excuse to fuck up within other marginalized communities. I fully believe that. But it absolutely affects how you interact with the world. And so it also does with said groups.

It’s already hard to explain that you think you are going from A to B to C* . It’s how your brain works. But you recognize that your disabled fucking brain is capable of being wrong. That level of self-doubt seems to me to be the heart of being autistic. The default setting is that you are wrong. (At least for things that are social behaviors or norms. If it is one of my special interests I will plant myself firmly.)

So when someone else says you actually went over to numbers and then came back to the alphabet on F. You believe them. You don’t understand how though. And is it someone else’s job to point it out? Depends on whether you subscribe to “you are your brother’s keeper”. Generally I think the answer is no, it isn’t their job. And if they go to the trouble of helping me with that, I view it as a gift. I thank people for it.

I also don’t think anyone has to do me the honor of witnessing me process and integrate new information. No one owes me anything. But it is a hard thing to do and being told your effort is wrong? That you’re doing it wrong and are going to be punished for it?

It’s devastating. It is also just another day that ends in Y. Cause that is so often the response from society as a whole. And then also specifically to whom you are directly conversing with. Double whammy of being reminded your brain is broken (by current standards). But told as though that is something you have done by choice.

Is the fact that it is devastating anyone else’s problem? No. I cannot emphasize enough that I know my issues are in fact my issues. That’s why this isn’t pointed at anyone. The only person it ever applies to is myself.

I suspect that this reads as defensive. And maybe it is! I am not an accurate gauge of that and trusting non-disabled people to tell me is just me tilting at the same windmill over and over.

If you think that saying this is once again the wrong thing to do, I’d ask that you just mute or block me. I don’t begrudge or judge for needing to take care of yourself. But I won’t apologize for trying to take care of myself.

I am sorry that this derailed people’s days. That what I thought I was communicating was hurtful. Hurting others is one of the things I wake up and make an active decision that I don’t want to do that. I choose kindness whenever I can.

Impact is more important than intent. But ‘more important’ doesn’t mean the other has no place. And, again, if you disagree with that sentiment you can keep the concept from coming across your dash by blocking me. I support you making a healthy decision for yourself.

Normally I embrace my disabilities**. I know that I can see connections that others can’t or won’t follow. But that can create something beautiful when it comes together. I love being able to talk about my special interests with an intensity most people lack. I’m not ashamed of being autistic. I love myself as a whole ass person.

But as a person who always, always has to grow. I think that all white people (myself included) are racist overtly and/or implicitly. In America specifically but also most of the high white population colonized Crown locations. We grow up in a world that inundates you with false, negative “facts” about BIPOC people and equally untrue, positive “facts” about whiteness. We can and should push back on that social structuring. But it’s got tendrils that infect all aspects of life. We have to keep seeing and looking for the rot and dig it out.

All of that applies to us autistics. How we do that often looks different than how neurotypical people go about it. But isn’t that the whole point?

#* like in the sense that you are telling people outside of the conflict #fandom #ableism #racism #bigotry #actually autistic #autism #the wonders and hardships of being autistic #**also have an autoimmune disorder that is slowly fusing my spine together

[lilyliveredlittlerichboy]

ive seen a lot of hate towards body language experts... my partner (who is autistic & adhd btw) watches them a lot as a special interest thing and therefore i hear quite a lot and. let me tell you as an autistic person who struggles with social cues or reading body language it's actually been so helpful??

and yeah i don't doubt that body language analysis can & has been used against neurodivergent people and people of different cultures etc but that just shows that people don't really understand how to do body language analysis.

you see in order to be able to say anything conclusively about anyone's body language, you have to know their baseline first.

and that's so so important because if you do it right, this will minimise inaccuracies based on neurotype or culture. someone's baseline will show if they struggle with eye contact, if they are prone to stimming, if their gestures and mannerisms are different from what you're used to.

And then you analyse their behaviour against their baseline, which can give you an insight into whether they're consistent within themselves, whether they're telling the truth or are confident in what they're saying, whether they're being overly dramatic or exaggerating.

Which still doesn't tell you with 100% accuracy if they're a good person or a liar or whatever and you shouldn't treat it as such. But like, the thing is, humans read body language anyway, implicitly, and often our brains/gut/intuition will tell us Something Is Off and it helps to be able to recognise when a body language thing is not matching what they're saying or not consistent with how they usually act.

it doesn't always mean they're a liar either - maybe they're just having a really difficult day, but that still means that you get a bit of context to what they're saying, which (if you're brave, and possibly already their friend) you can then ask about or probe a bit. It's really helped me to identify when people I'm close to are chewing on something distressing that they're struggling to spit out, or having difficulty with something, and i think that actually makes me a better friend and partner

Like, okay, "definitely believe body language analysis always anywhere ever" is definitely not a good approach and you Will throw some neurodivergent and marginalised people under the bus if you consume body language analysis content uncritically, and use those """"skills"""" on people you barely know or celebrities or influencers etc.

But also, "body language analysis is always harmful and ableist and you should never put any trust in it" is also a rancid take which also throws a bunch of us under the bus??

Please I'm literally just begging people to learn to think for themselves and not just parrot things uncritically, whether it's someone's body language analysis showing person xyz is an irredeemable abuser - or the condemnation of all body language analysis ever cus it's all evil and racist and ableist in every context ever. idk grow some brains and a spine and start thinking for yourself

#body language #body language analysis #body language expert #neurodivergent #actually autistic #actually adhd #nuance #u don't need the 47753th burning hot take on how x thing is always categorically evil #u need nuance. #and critical thinking skills

[notabled-noodle]

I have been trying to figure out if I may be autistic for several months now. The DSM-5 criteria and the other information I have found online have explained the traits, but it is hard to tell the difference between the trait in an autistic person and someone who is not autistic. Even the accounts of autistic people are not always helpful. I find many of the traits similar to my own, but I am concerned I may only experience them mildly and in a non-autistic way. Like, everyone stims, but do autistic people spend a minimum amount of time per day stimming? Do they stim more intensely? Everyone struggles with interpreting other people’s emotions, but do autistics have some minimum number of failures that set them apart from non-autistics? I know people's emotions from basic things like smiles for happy and tears for sad. Is even that too much for autism? It does not seem like it. Is it frequency? Is it how hard it is? I do not understand. How are people sorted as being autistic or non-autistic? Why does the DSM-V not include some sort of scale to measure a symptom severity to explain if something is an autistic severity level or a non-autistic severity level? Things should be quantified better.

To sum up, how are autistic traits distinguished from non-autistic versions of the same trait? If you do not know the answer, no need to answer question.

And if someone struggles with some traits but not enough for diagnosis, or if they are not officially autistic because of lack of intensity but they still struggle, does that person not matter? It seems wrong to abandon people caught between officially disordered and perfectly ordered. (I realize you may not have answer for this, but I feel very frustrated. Apologies.)

hey there and wowee! this is going to be a long post, but I will try my best to answer all your questions! I remember having this same conundrum a while back, so I understand the frustration. thanks for sending the questions my way though, this is always an interesting topic to think about

do autistic people spend a minimum time stimming? do they stim more intensely?

it’s more about the purpose of the stimming than anything else. most neurotypical people don’t stim to emotionally regulate, and if they do, there is a higher barrier to reach it.

a neurotypical person might jump up and down when they find out they aced a test, but all I need to end up jumping up and down is to have seen a cool GIF set about a special interest.

there is a general rule of it being “excessive”, but that’s a super flexible category. it can be excessive in the amount of time you spend doing it, the intensity of the movement, or any other feature of the stimming.

difficulty interpreting emotions?

this one definitely on a spectrum from “never reads emotions” to “accurately reads emotions every time”. understanding basic emotions such as happiness, sadness, and anger, but nothing else… that would be on the poor emotion reading side of the spectrum.

it can be challenging, because some autistic people are able to use their pattern-seeking abilities in order to work out different emotions. the way faces and bodies move when they express emotion forms a kind of pattern that can be learned over time.

keep in mind that most people do not have to consciously and deliberately learn how emotions work. if you remember learning about emotions in childhood, and still kind of struggle now, that’s a sign that you struggle enough for it to be considered an autistic trait.

how are people distinguished from autistic vs non-autistic? why is there no scale of severity?

it is a simple matter of ticking off the right number of criteria in the right number of sections. if you have the right amount of traits, you’re autistic.

if you have close to the right amount but not quite enough, a good mental health professional will check you out for other similar disorders — such as ADHD if you experience executive dysfunction, social anxiety if you experience social difficulties, or a learning disorder if you’ve had issues at school. that’s why there’s a “differential diagnosis” section in the DSM (send me another ask if you want a screenshot or breakdown of that section).

in a way, there is a scale of severity… or, at least, there are levels (in the DSM). level zero is that you don’t have the trait at all, and then level three is that the trait impacts and impairs your life at a severe level.

hope this answered all your questions and that it helped! you can always ask me more questions about specific traits if you’re confused!

#asks #autism

[protect-and-possess]

Hi, I’ve recently found out I’m autistic and it’s put a lot of things into context for me. I believe that’s where my deep connection and desire for a M/s dynamic comes from. That need for routine and structure and predictability. Having all my choices made for me because making choices stresses me out. That total power exchange dynamic gives me that. Having that person become my “special interest” as such. Focusing on them and knowing how to please them, knowing them inside out and knowing exactly what they expect from me. Being just happy in our own little world. Asking their permission for things. The enjoyment of pain and relief I get from that. I struggle with initiating daily tasks and self care sometimes but knowing I’m doing it because it pleases the other person in that dynamic makes me so much more motivated and able to do it. Having a full time job and being in employment brings me so much stress from both the job itself but also trying to fit in socially in that environment. Being a housewife within that M/s dynamic eases that so much because I can just be me and focus on my one job of looking after him and making his life easier. Not having to think for myself all the time because he makes the decisions for me. Just doing what makes me happy. My connection to this lifestyle just makes so much more sense to me all of a sudden. Would you rule out having an autistic partner or is that not something that would bother you?

It's good to hear you've come to understand yourself so well. It's always sort of satisfying to be able to put things into context like that.

What you write here appeals to me too; but I also know from experience that I don't match well with autistic people. They're not naturals at reading social cues and emotions, they don't experience empathy as strongly as I do. They need things spelled out to them in literal terms. I can't stand doing that. Because I am good at reading people, and I automatically expect the same from others in return. I like speaking in more metaphorical terms and abstract ideas, I'm focused on body language and subtleties of non-verbal conversation as much as the literal words being spoken. Being with someone autistic often feels like speaking with someone who only speaks half the human language. It's very draining for me to be around someone who doesn't speak the same language as I do.

With that said, if I should meet someone and have a natural click with them, and communication between us flows naturally and feels good, then if I should find out later they're actually autistic, that label would be irrelevant to me. Whether that will happen, remains to be seen.

#ask

[bulletbilltime]

And as an extra, here's the Picrews for my main cast of OCs, and info about each of them! I used this Picrew by @hellosunnycore, if you're interested in trying it out!

From left-to-right, top-to-bottom:

-Carol (she/her, bisexual cis girl shapeshifter whose favored means of fighting is using a shifted blade-arm and shield-arm. Very hotheaded and likely to jump in trouble.)

-Cascade (he/they asexual enby, he's the magic scientist of the team, and knows the most about the inner workings of magic in the Aerth realm. They specialize in chemistry. They were born without powers, so they make up the difference with runes, potions and tech. He's very laidback usually, but when he gets focused on their work, they become basically unreachable.)

-Vanessa (she/her bisexual girl who has access to large sums of money from her rich parents. Her ability lets her gauge others' stamina and physical well-being. It allows her to know exactly when and how to help people, but in combat situations it lets her know exactly where to hit an enemy and how much strength they have left. She doesn't like hurting people, however, and will not lay a hand on someone else unless absolutely necessary.)

-Mark (he/him pansexual man. His reputation for sleeping around precedes him. He can read minds, but he trained himself to be able to turn off and on the ability so as to not violate people's privacy. In fact, he refuses to use his ability on people who haven't consented to it. Despite appearing to be a bit of a meathead, he is very principled. However, he does sometimes get a bit of an ego and believe himself superior to others because of his moral code.)

-Budkin (he/him bisexual man. He's the newest member of Carol's friend group, hailing from the Earth realm. Just like other Earthlings, Budkin is non-magical, and has to learn the ropes of magic tools to hold his own. He was diagnosed as autistic in his teen years, and has developed a lot of anxiety over time.)

-Melinda (she/they pansexual girl. They're a very powerful master of magic, one that Carol's crew slighted at some point in the past. She has vowed to get her revenge on them at some point. She has absolutely no filter, and will tear a new one to anyone who messes with them, verbally, physically or magically.)

Note that these bios are far from final, as these characters are constantly evolving!

(Also, Mark should definitely be a lot more bulky than he appears here. He's basically got the typical football jock build.)

I'm hoping to getting around to doodling Cascade, Vanessa and Mark at some point in the near future, so keep an eye out for that! I also want to make official bios for them as well!

#my ocs #I am simply obsessed with these blorbos atm #also this picrew is so good so huge props to the maker!!!

[ourfavesareautistic]

Martin Crieff is Autistic

Character: Martin Crieff

Canon: Cabin Pressure (radio series)

Actor: Benedict Cumberbatch

Why we think they’re autistic: Cabin Pressure is a hilarious British radio comedy featuring four main characters and set almost entirely within an airplane. Martin Crieff is the rather young and inexperienced captain of the plane. Martin has always been obsessed with airplanes from the time he was a young child, and there is plenty of evidence that this is and always has been his special interest. In one episode he states that he’s wanted to be an airline captain since he was six, and when asked what he wanted to be before that, he says he wanted to be an aeroplane. In an early episode, he replies to a joke at his expense by the first officer Douglas by explaining how while Douglas was reading other things, Martin was busy “rereading Principles of Climatology for Pilots and underlining bits in red.” Later in the series we discover that Martin has a second job as a delivery man, because the way he got to be Captain over the much better qualified First Officer was by agreeing not to take a salary. His one and only goal and real joy in life is airplanes - flying them, reading about them, visiting museums about them. Martin frequently takes this very literally and believes in following rules to the letter. In the episode titled “Fitton,” the crew are going through different procedures and as part of his written procedure for an emergency he includes, “Captain dons cap,” which inspires jokes from the others he doesn’t understand. It becomes clear as the series goes on that Martin doesn’t have a lot of friends outside of the rest of the crew of the airplane, and it appears to have always been this way. Autistic people frequently find it hard to make or keep friends, or just simply don’t feel a need to have friends, preferring to be alone. He is also very awkward much of the time when interacting with anyone outside of the other three main characters. In one episode the crew is preparing to fly a very famous actress as their only passenger, and Martin is clearly quite nervous to meet her and rehearses exactly how he should address her when he meets her. This exchange from “Newcastle” perfectly shows Martin’s awkwardness in social situations and new people, and his total and complete obsession with airplanes and being a pilot:

Martin: So... Linda... you're a pilot.

Linda: Yes?

Martin: Yes, obviously, sorry. That wasn't a question, that - that was just a preliminary statement before the actual question I was gonna ask... which is... How long have you been a pilot?

Linda: Twelve years.

Martin: Twelve years, right, twelve years, well... that is not a long time or a short time... And... do you like it?

Linda: What?!

Martin: Being a pilot?

Linda: Yes, I do. Do you?

Martin: Yes, I do. I like it. Like you. I mean I like it like you do, not I like it like I like you, I don't like you. I mean I don't not like you, I just... I don - I don't like you as much as I like being a pilot.

Linda: Don't you?

Martin: Well, not yet. I - I mean I'm sure, if I got to know you, I'd like you more than being - well, probably not more than, because I LOVE being a pilot and I don't suppose I'd love you... well I suppose I might. No - I mean... I'm just gonna go and have a wander down the cabin now.

Why It Matters: All autistic representation matters. Martin Crieff shows an example of someone with a lifelong special interest who worked hard to achieve his goal related to that interest. It shows someone who is ultimately successful at what they do, and is eventually able to form relationships with others when he is ready and chooses to.

Challenging Tropes: Not much to say on this one. Martin is the stereotypical media autistic - white, male, cisgender with a relatively stereotypical special interest.

Bonus: John Finnemore, the writer and creator of Cabin Pressure, who also played the character of Arthur, has been asked about whether Martin Crieff is autistic, and his response was that he didn’t deliberately write him that way but believes he is on the spectrum.

“That's an interesting point. Yes, I think he may well be on the spectrum somewhere, though as Miss Pear suggests, probably nearer the Asperger Syndrome end than full-on autism. But I did not set out to create a character with the condition, so let's say it's present, but undiagnosed. (It has only just occurred to me that AS sometimes impairs motor skills and co-ordination, so it's possible that the very thing that gave him such a drive to become a pilot was also what stood in his way...)”

Also, Benedict Cumberbatch has played several other characters (Sherlock, Alan Turing, Stephen Hawking) who are or were likely autistic, and there is some speculation that Cumberbatch himself might be undiagnosed autistic.

(source)

#martin crieff #cabin pressure #actuallyautistic #by judy

[ghostietea]

Furuba autistic headcanons

With it being April, or autism acceptance month, I wanted to finally drop my list of characters from Fruits Basket that I read as autistic! This is based a lot on my own experience, as well as that of other autistics I know or have seen talk online. I hope some people can get something out of it, feel free to tell me what you think 😊, though please refrain from getting upset that I would dare suggest your fave is autistic.

Hanajima

Before becoming able to better control her powers, she would be constantly overwhelmed by the things she heard to the point that she couldn't even really go out in public. This reads a lot like sensory overload.

Constantly picked on in school because other kids thought she was weird. Eventually reclaimed this weirdness and turned it into a whole persona.

Seems to talk usually in a relatively flat tone.

Had trouble socializing with no friends outside her family until middleschool.

Has a very funny, dry sense of humor that I find very similar to a bunch of autistics I know, including myself.

Hatsuharu

Listen. You have seen the funky little man, you have seen the way he talks, the way he acts around others. He is, and I mean this in the best way, a weirdo. I do not know how you could look at him and see a neurotypical.

Once again, like Hana, Haru is funny in a way that feels very autistic.

Very flat, dry, tone delivery. Sometimes just Says Things that make everyone else go huh??? Suuuuper blunt. Doesn't emote facially a lot of the time.

When this man sees a social norm he doesn't get he WILL NOT follow it. Pierces his ears just because his hair got flak, defends Momiji wearing whatever he wants because sometimes y'know the social rules are just dumb and don't make sense. Especially dress codes.

Sometimes says things not befitting the current tone of the situation.

Represses (masks) a lot of his emotions, leading to outbursts that seem uncharacteristic.

His main childhood trauma revolves around adults branding him as "dumb" and ridiculing him. Haru, however, is super smart and wise!! Just in an offbeat way that not everyone may get.

Machi

Reads as very "flat" emotionally to the point that others would call her boring. Also has a flat vocal delivery.

Relies on specific habits or ways of doing things or else she gets super upset (her hatred of imperfection.

Has trauma surrounding adults completely misconstruing her intentions and thinking she's doing something malicious when she's not.

Generally behaves in a way that's hard for others to understand, one of her formative moments with Yuki was him saying he wanted to "see how the world looks" through her eyes.

Once again, trouble socializing.

Tries super hard to please her parents but in the end they still see her as somehow inherently "defective."

Listen. A lot of this one and the last two are mostly vibes, hard to verbally define. You just have to look at them and trust me.

Tohru

Displays behavior very reminiscent of masking throughout the story, a huge part of her arc is about how she hides a lot of herself and has a very controlled persona. I think it would fit very well if she had other autistic behaviors that she suppresed also it helps explain why she is relatively socially adept, it's learned behavior to make people like her more.

Yes she is very good at saying what others need to hear, but especially early on she is pretty blatantly imitating her mother's words. She only gets better at getting through on a more personal level later on (see her with Rin and Akito v. early series Tohru). She does this by relating her own experiences, a very autistic way of showing empathy that often gets us written off as self centered. The way she relays things her mom said could also be seen as this, and she even worries at a few points that she's being insensitive for going on about things like that.

While emotionally repressed she is hyper empathetic and feels other's emotions so strongly she cries.

Her speech patterns are all imitated from her father and she often copies verbal things from others (see Ritchan-san). Noted in canon that people think her way of speaking is slightly off/not befitting of someone her age. Additionally, her father was polite more sarcastically, while she plays it straight and sometimes takes things very literally or fails to get the message, indicating trouble with reading tone. Has numerous strange verbal tics, including saying parts of her internal monologue out loud without context.

Very expressive with her hands including waving them around and flapping them up and down.

Does have a bit of trouble with accidental insensitivity in social interactions, like how she constantly fixates on her mom and realizes that might bug the Sohma.

Has trouble paying attention in school since it doesn't have much to do with her interests

Her only friend until she was a middle schooler was her mom

Has a pretty unique outlook on things compared to others, people seem to think she's pretty eccentric. There's always a "this girl is nice but in an odd way, she's our weirdo and we love her" vibe.

Sometimes has an "inappropriate" emotional response to situations

Has a lot of trouble with change, similar to Akito. Which oh, look at the time, next hc coming up.

But first, a disclaimer. It is cathartic for me to read Akito this way, but with that reading comes the baggage that she would, mayhaps, be showing a more negative side of things... It doesn't bother me since it's a joint hc with other characters and she does develop at the end but yeah, general villain hc baggage. This is in no way me trying to excuse her being The Worst being autistic doesn't absolve you of being able to do wrong . Also, a lot of these points can and do have other explanations related to her upbringing, but things can be for more than 1 reason. With that said, she really strongly comes off as autistic to me, in a way that's sorta hard to explain. I wrote a lot more for her than the other, both because I felt I needed more to convince people and that this headcanon was more sensitive and I needed to be careful in my explanation. Also hey! She's my special interest within a special interest.

Akito

Shown to have a dislike of summer weather due to heat and brightness, could be due to sensory issues in tandem with sickness things. Also covers her ears when people raise their voice sometimes which is partially her trying to shut down opposition but also 🤔 can read a different way. She'd also avoids louder Juuni like Ritsu and Ayame because she can't handle them.

Wears pretty much the same outfit every single day. Said outfit is also pretty loose fitting.

Always seen sitting in a pretty unconventional way. Evidence:

Of course this is also the isolated in a cult thing and there is a level of her purposefully doing things to intimidate but: doesn't follow a lot of social rules (overly touchy with strangers, legit doesn't get that what she's doing is wrong, ect.). Repeatedly confused when people indicate she should act otherwise without explanation. Has a breakdown when this comes to a head and approximately says that "they" shouldn't expect her to know "common sense" if "they" never explained it to her, that the way that she was was her "common sense."

Often talks in a way uncharacteristic of her age when shown as a child in a more faux mature/pretentious way. Might just be the translation and idk how to explain it but her speech as an adult also seems off from what one would normally use in conversation. Additionally, when she tries to fake being friendly in her intro chapter, it comes of as extremely stiff and unconvincing.

Generally displays behavior that could be thought of as childish as an adult, but a lot of this behavior could also read as autistic (covering ears, emotional deregulation and meltdowns, ignorance of basic social norms, ect.). It's also important to note that she knows that this behavior makes her seem younger and more helpless to the older zodiac and uses it as a manipulation tactic. Has issues regarding people treating her like a child or only hanging out with her because of pity. While she does weaponize it, we can tell that this grates on her, as seen with her finally blowing up on Kureno, which is partially triggered by the maids saying some sorta infantalizing stuff about her. Irl, a lot of autistic adults and teens struggle with being infantalized for our behavior generally or treated as little babies that can do no wrong. Even in fandom, you see people doing stuff like jumping to call autistic adult characters, such as Entrapta from Shera, "minor coded." It is also common for us to have at least one bad experience with someone hanging around us out of pity. This is something that really gave me a similar feeling in Akito's arc. She's not a baby and she can understand and do better if she is given the chance to learn and break from all the freaky cult indoctrination she's been subjected to instead of just being constantly enabled. In the end, a lot of her growth is represented by her showing that she is capable of changing and being independent.

Shows particular difficulty with socialization, often sits by herself spacing out at social events. A lot of her fear is rooted in the fact that she doesn't know how normal relationships work, becoming overly reliant on the curse because she doesn't know how to make friends.

Clings desperately onto the notion of being "special" and in some way superior to others to be worthy and to make up for perceived inherent "flaws." It's the nd gifted kid burnout vibes for me.

Easily bothered by things that don't bother others. Feels emotions very strongly to the point of getting physically ill and has bad emotional regulation.

Relatively good at reading others in an analytical sense (though has more trouble when it comes to seeing how they feel about her since she's wildly delusional) but brings up her observations in a very cold, detached way and hurts people even on the rare occasion she didn't mean to. Has extreme trouble connecting to others and understanding their point of view. This makes her come off as pretty unempathetic even though that might not fully be the case. Also thinks that people like Momiji are trying to look down on her when they try to empathize with her. A lot of why Tohru can get through to her is that she manages to convince Akito that she's not condescending by relating shared traits and experiences. As I said earlier, autistics often empathize by sharing their own experiences with someone, and I know I often have an easier time confiding in other autistics because of a fear of being seen as lesser by those that don't understand me. I think the connection between these charachters and the way that Tohru manages to reach Akito like that while others couldn't makes a lot of sense through an autistic lense!

Additionally, when Akito herself gets around to trying to help others instead of just projecting trauma, she tries to reach out to the old maid by relating back to her own experiences. This however, doesn't work.

Has "cold" emotional reactions sometimes even to things that do make her upset. For example, how sort of calm and detached she acted after her father's death can make her seem uncaring. However, we know that this event did mess her up a lot and she is still (poorly) dealing with a lot of grief from the death of her father years later.

Copies mannerisms from others, the most blatant example is with Ren, who she directly parrots lines from as a child to Yuki.

Partly just her posturing, but gestures a lot with her hands when she talks. Also seen several times clutching her hands in her hair.

Deals extremely poorly with the idea of things changing to the point that it is a driving force of the story.

Does not understand when people tease her.

Ect. Ect. Ect. Listen, I could go on for ages but just trust me, the mean gremlin lady is autistic.

#fruits basket #akito sohma #tohru honda #saki hanajima #machi kuragi #hatsuharu sohma #actually autistic #meta

[longitudinalwaveme]

Writing the Rogues

So, as anyone who has followed this blog for more than a day or two probably knows, I write a lot of fanfiction, especially about the Flashes and the Rogues. Here’s some observations I’ve made about writing these characters: 

1. Sam Scudder’s basic personality is easy to write (self-confident, dramatic, and vain), but if you want to write about him in any depth you basically have to make up a backstory for him wholecloth, since the comics give us very, very little information about where he came from. I basically have an entire Sam Scudder spotlight issue that exists only in my head that I use for the purposes of characterizing him. 

2. James Jesse is easy and fun to write if he isn’t the POV character. Getting into his head is surprisingly difficult (except if you’re writing him as a child, which I’ve done once or twice). It’s hard to know how much of his zaniness and childishness should be an act, and how much should just be a natural part of his personality. It’s also hard for me to get a read on how secure in himself he really is. 

3. Roscoe Dillon is one of the easiest POV characters for me, because I write him as being on the autism spectrum (an idea I borrowed from the wonderful fanfics of @gorogues). As I am also on the spectrum, characterizing him is pretty easy. This is obviously not the only way to write the character, but if you want to write him this way and aren’t on the spectrum yourself, here are some suggestions: 

-Roscoe likely grew up before knowledge of autism was particularly widespread. As such, he’s likely internalized a lot of outdated ideas about the condition and might not want to admit to having it (he’s a very arrogant man). 

-A lot of people on the spectrum speak in rather unusual ways; we might talk too fast, speak in something of a monotone, or sound more aggressive than we mean to. I tend to think of Roscoe as speaking in a bit of a monotone most of the time, but of course this isn’t a strict guideline. 

-Eye contact is a big one. People with autism have to be taught to make eye contact, or none of us would do it. (I was in high school before I could do it even remotely normally.) Roscoe should probably make eye contact only irregularly, and usually only when he’s making a point. When he’s nervous, he probably shouldn’t make eye contact at all. 

-A lot of people on the spectrum tend to be excessively precise and/or formal in speech. Roscoe in particular is likely to be excessively formal in diction, as he’s also a bit of a snob. He’d also be likely to refer to people he doesn’t know well insistently by their titles; he’s been taught to do this and, like many people on the spectrum, he doesn’t know when to relax the rules. 

-Not being able to understand social cues can be extremely frustrating, especially for someone like Roscoe, who prides himself on his intelligence. Having him express annoyance with social convention would be well within his character, as would him expressing frustration with his own inability to understand them (but only in his own mind). 

-When autistic people get stressed, we tend to engage in repetitive activities called stereotypies, such as rocking back and forth or flapping one’s hands. Roscoe’s spinning in and of itself could be portrayed as a stereotypie, but he could engage in others as well (I have him rock a lot, probably because that’s my main stereotypy).

-Tops are his special interest. He talks about them enthusiastically and at length, and there’s probably nothing he doesn’t know about them. If he feels comfortable with a person, there are good odds that he’ll start monologing  about tops to them out of a desire to share his enthusiasm for them. He’s bewildered by the fact that not everyone is interested in tops as he is. 

-Most people on the spectrum become aware of the fact that they are different from everyone else quite early on; Roscoe is likely well aware of the fact that he’s seen as odd and is very, very defensive about it.

-Almost everyone on the autism spectrum seems to be over-or-under-sensitive to sensations. I hate loud noises and am a bit of a picky eater, and I hated clothing tags when I was a kid. Conversely, I love the feel of rubbing clothing and of being on a swing. While every person on the spectrum has different sensitivities to sensory phenomenon, it is likely that Roscoe is sensitive to at least some of these sensations in some fashion. I tend to write him as being rather touch-shy and as disliking loud noises. 

 4. Lisa can be hard to write, because you have to balance her intense devotion and loyalty to those she cares about with her incredible viciousness when crossed. It’s easy to write her in such a way that she loses her edge, and that’s something you don’t want to do. That being said, once you find that balance, she can be a lot of fun to write. She’s an interesting mix of very feminine and highly aggressive, and that’s something you don’t necessarily get to write too often. 

5. Len is a character that I find surprisingly easy to write. I honestly don’t have much in common with him at all, but in spite of that, I’ve never had too much trouble getting into his head...and he’s a lot of fun to write. Like basically everyone else who writes Len, my take on the character draws a lot on Geoff Johns’ world-weary, blue-collar portrayal of him, and it’s nice that Len has such a full backstory to work with (especially when you compare him to Sam or Mark). It makes him a unique POV character. Like his sister, there aren’t many characters who have a voice like Len’s. Oh, and his dynamic with Roscoe (mutual loathing only tempered by the fact that they both love Lisa) is great fun. 

6. Hartley’s another character whom I have an easy time writing. Like Len, he has a very well-fleshed out and unique backstory to draw off of, and also like Len, he’s been very fleshed-out over the years. Few things are as much fun to write as Piper’s soapbox rants. He’s also a great character to bounce off of other characters (he and James are an especially fun combination, which shouldn’t surprise anyone to hear). 

7. Digger is essentially a walking Id. As such, his responses to things are usually very easy to work out. He can be a bit of a tricky POV guy, since he’s one of the least pleasant of the Rogues and his inner thoughts have to reflect that on some level, but he’s great for comedy and for stirring things up. And of course, looking up Australian slang to sprinkle into his dialogue is great fun (even if I do live in perpetual fear that I am inadvertently making him even more of a stereotype by doing this). I’ve also found that writing Digger with a strong undercurrent of rage towards the world underneath his casual, devil-may-care attitude helps to make him a little more rounded. 

8. Evan McCulloch is a strange, strange character, and it took awhile for me to work out how to write him. The key, at least for me, was to lean into his sheer oddity. In addition to his Scottish accent, which I hope I at least write better than Geoff Johns did in Rogues’ Revenge, I generally have him speak rather oddly, repeating himself a lot and referring to himself in the third person. He also grins and laughs a lot at weird times, appears and disappears at weird moments, and generally unnerves everyone around him. Doing this helped to capture that sort of creepiness that Evan gives off in the comics. My take on the character is kind of a mix of Grant Morrison’s and Geoff Johns’, with the sheer weirdness and general good humor of the former and the backstory and psychological issues of the latter. That being said, I think he generally works better if he’s not the POV character, simply because it enhances the sense that he’s not quite all there, usually in more senses than one. 

9. Mick Rory is easy to write as a POV character; he’s strongly characterized and has a strong backstory. As a result, I tend to write him as Pre-Johns Mick in terms of basic personality (sweet, loyal, a bit dim), but with the pyromania Johns established. That being said, for whatever reason I tend to use him primarily as a supporting character. Someday I’ll really have to write a story that focuses on him. 

10. Mark Mardon is very hard to get a read on in the comics. Of all the Rogues, I think he’s the one whose basic personality I have the most trouble determining. Like, how smart is he actually supposed to be? Is his talk about being well-read and cultured legitimate or him putting on an act? (For whatever reason, I tend to accept the idea that Roscoe is actually more sophisticated than the other Rogues, but find it hard to believe the same thing about Mark. Maybe it’s just because Roscoe is more of an inventor than Mark?) How malicious is he supposed to be? What do the other Rogues think about him? I tend to base my characterization on his appearances in the Silver and Bronze Age, where he often seemed like a clueless doofus who had no idea of just how much power he wielded. As a result, my Mark is a bit of a self-aware screw-up, although I did give him the inferiority/superiority complex he displays in modern comics. I also had to make up most of his backstory, since, like Sam, he doesn’t have much of one in the comics themselves. 

What about you? If you write the Rogues, what have you noticed about them? 

@gorogues @secondratevillain  @belphegor1982 

#flash rogues #flash comics #fanfic #writing

[mellometal]

Is it time to tear ANOTHER Dhar Mann video to shreds? YOU BET.

I've been sitting on this one for a bit because I wanted to make sure I talk about this tactfully. The subject of parents abandoning their disabled children is a very touchy one.

Parents abandoning their disabled children simply for being disabled is way too common. Like, I understand that not everyone has the resources to care for a disabled child (which is why you reach out for help, and why people like me, who work with disabled people, exist), but it doesn't mean you just walk out of their life. There are exceptions, like if you truly didn't want children or something like that, but just flat-out walking out of your kid's life BECAUSE they're disabled is fucked up.

I know someone personally whose biological mother abandoned her when she was born. Why? Because she's disabled. Physically, and mentally, to a point. I work with this woman on a daily basis. I don't really know WHY exactly her biological mother abandoned her, but I do know that her being disabled was part of it. It's sad. It doesn't affect her, thankfully. I'm happy that she's got her biological dad, her brother, and another maternal figure in her life, at least.

ANYWAYS. Before we get to the topic at hand, I need to put an obligatory trigger warning, like I do with EVERY Dhar Mann post:

This post will be talking about parents abandoning their disabled children simply for being disabled, treating disabilities like they're tragedies (in this case, we're talking about autism...again), divorce, and some SPICY ableist bullshit from an allistic (nonautistic) PIECE OF SHIT.

If any of this triggers you or makes you uncomfortable in any way, you don't have to read this post. This isn't worth putting yourself in a bad state mentally. I would never ask for any of you to put yourselves in that position all for a post. Put your mental health and well-being first. Consume media that sparks joy for you.

As far as my response goes, it's definitely more calm than normal. Funny....since this video is about autism spectrum disorder again. (Third time's the charm, huh, Dhar Mann? NOT.)

LET'S FUCKING GET IT.

The video starts off with these two parents (Gwen and Allen) in a psychologist's office. The psychologist tells the parents that their son (Chance) is autistic, and she tries to explain what autism is to the parents, but Allen cuts her off. Why? Because he teaches at a prestigious university, so he AUTOMATICALLY knows what autism is from that fact alone.

Um, excuse me? Just because you're a teacher at a prestigious university, it doesn't mean you're an expert in everything. It doesn't make you an expert in ASD or anything like that. Unless you SPECIALIZE in that area. Even then, shut the fuck up. The people who know about being autistic are AUTISTIC PEOPLE THEMSELVES! SHOCKER.

Hey, Dhar Mann! QUIT WITH THE VIDEOS ABOUT AUTISTIC LITTLE WHITE BOYS AND YOUNG WHITE AUTISTIC CISHET MEN! I'M SICK AND TIRED OF IT. It's annoying, ignorant, and it feels like you're doing this on purpose at this point to piss people off. If you're so uninformed about autism in women and girls, FUCKING ASK AUTISTIC WOMEN AND GIRLS! DO BETTER RESEARCH THAT DOESN'T INVOLVE AUTISM SPEAKS. The Autism Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) and the Autistic Women and Nonbinary People Network (AWN) are great organizations to go to for any kind of research on ASD in women and girls. STOP GOING OFF OF THE BRAINS OF AUTISTIC WHITE BOYS AND AUTISTIC WHITE MEN.

I don't feel I need to go too deep into the fact that autistic women, autistic girls, autistic nonbinary people, autistic BIPOC, autistic AAPI, autistic LGBT people, autistic teenagers, and autistic adults exist. Y'all already know.

Gwen asks the psychologist if that means Chance isn't healthy. (I understand not knowing about autism, but don't treat it like it's a terminal illness. Please.) The psychologist tells her that Chance is fine, but he just learns differently and might need more support compared to his peers.

Yeah, autism can affect how you learn about certain things (limited and repetitive patterns), but there are other disabilities that can affect learning as well. Like how dyslexia can affect your ability to read, dyspraxia can affect your ability to do math, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can affect your ability to focus or on impulse control. Autism affects how your brain is developed, it affects you socially, behaviorally, and how you communicate.

Allen is upset, says that he can't have a son "with a learning disability" (ASD is a neurological disability, not necessarily a learning disability), and treats Chance like he's stupid for being autistic. Gwen tells her husband that autism doesn't make you any less intelligent, WHICH IS SO FUCKING TRUE. ABSOLUTE FACTS. I was totally with her until she began that little monologue with "Just because a person HAS autism". SAY "JUST BECAUSE A PERSON'S AUTISTIC" INSTEAD! IT'S NOT HARD. PERSON FIRST LANGUAGE ISN'T WHAT EVERY DISABLED PERSON PREFERS. Allen says that "they could have another kid" and "put Chance up for adoption". Gwen obviously wasn't down with that. Allen gives his wife an ultimatum that it's either HIM or their son Chance. Gwen says that she can't choose between the two, but she will stand by her autistic son. Allen gets up and leaves the office, saying he wants a divorce.

Years pass by, Gwen is single and taking care of her autistic son Chance, and Allen has a new life with a ✨perfect son✨ (Samuel). He never mentions the son HE abandoned (Chance). He's completely forgotten about Gwen and Chance. (YOU OWE SO MUCH CHILD SUPPORT, ALLEN.)

Hey, Allen, how much do you wanna bet that your ✨perfect son✨ Samuel is autistic too?

There's the SATs, they're announcing a winner, and guess who it is? IT'S OBVIOUSLY CHANCE, OF COURSE. He's got the highest score in the country, with Samuel in second place. Allen is PISSED.

Chance gives a speech about how his mom really helped him, he struggled with autism, how Allen LITERALLY ABANDONED HIM, and THE CROWD GOES FUCKING WILD. Samuel, instead of being a sore loser, APPLAUDS FOR CHANCE. Stay humble, Sam.

My thoughts on the video? If you cannot tell by my tone throughout this post, IT WAS DOG SHIT. This video was insensitive to the true reality of parents abandoning their disabled children just because they're disabled. What do I expect from Dhar Mann at this point?

Here's my response to his video below. Don't worry, I will fully type out my response soon for anyone who cannot read the screenshots easily. It's a lot easier for me to do that on the desktop site than it is for me to do it on my phone.

For anyone who can’t read my response, I’m typing it out for you. Like I said, it’s easier for me to type it out on the desktop site than it is for me to type it out on my phone. It’s a real royal pain in the ass. But because I’m trying to make my posts easier to read for people, I’m doing this anyway. /lighthearted

First, second, and third screenshots (broken up into paragraphs):

Hey, listen, I appreciate the message you’re trying to go for, but can you please stop putting autistic people into a box? Can you stop treating being autistic like it’s a tragedy? Not every single autistic person is a little white boy in elementary school who’s considered “wild and unruly” or “super quiet and makes no friends”, nor are they a young white cishet man who’s a super genius or is how Chris Chan was before she came out as trans. (For anyone who doesn’t know about Chris Chan, there are many documentaries people have made on YouTube, and I highly recommend Geno Samuel’s docuseries, if you’re really interested in learning about Chris Chan.)

Autistic women, girls, nonbinary people, BIPOC, APPI, LGBT people, teenagers, and adults all exist too. 

It’s very apparent now that you get your resources from Autism $peaks, a hate group that spends the vast majority of their money on funding eugenics instead of helping autistic people like they claim, claims that only little white boys and young white cishet men are autistic and ignores all other autistic people who don’t fit that description, have no autistic people on their leader board or on any board for that matter, have members who have actually fantasized about k1lling their autistic children, treat autism like it’s a tragedy or a disease someone can catch (completely false), act like autism should be cured (there is no cure, and ABA therapy is a total shit show in itself), and treats autistic people like they’re broken and need to be fixed. Also, not every autistic person is a Super Genius(tm). That’s so demeaning to autistic people who aren’t seen as intelligent in any way. I’m autistic and seen as smart; however, there are subjects I’m stronger in than others.

If you can’t handle the possibility of having autistic children, or just disabled children in general, DON’T HAVE CHILDREN. If you can’t handle working with or alongside disabled people, including autistic people, maybe find a different profession. Even if you do that, you’ll never get away from disabled people. Disabled people aren’t a disease. We’re human beings just like neurotypical and able-bodied people.

Fourth and fifth screenshots (broken up into paragraphs): 

I would highly suggest getting resources from reputable organizations for ASD, such as the Autism Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) and the Autistic Women and Nonbinary People Network (AWN). Talk to any autistic person who isn’t a little white boy or a young white cishet man. 

Instead of using the puzzle piece, which is a symbol that many autistic people, myself included, are offended by (because of Autism $peaks and other organizations before them using it, plus it symbolizes that only autistic children exist and that we’re “missing a piece” like we’re broken), use the rainbow infinity sign (for all neurodivergent people) or the red and gold infinity sign (just for autistic people). Instead of “lighting it up blue”, light it up red or gold. Do both if you want. 

I’m actually really sick and tired of seeing just autistic little white boys and young autistic white cishet men being represented in the media, and y’all manage to fuck that up too. 

Before anyone mentions Sia’s movie “Music”, that’s also very poor representation of autistic girls. Besides, the actress who played the autistic girl isn’t even autistic. She MOCKED autistic people. I know she’s a kid, but that’s still super fucked up. I hope she’s able to turn that around. 

If anyone would like to discuss this topic with me or ask any questions, feel free to. I’ll answer as best as I can. Thank you and have a good night.

Before I get attacked for mentioning Chris Chan in my response, I bring up Chris Chan because allistic people think that every autistic person is like her (especially before she came out as trans). That person is part of why I wasn't open about being autistic or talking about my diagnosis until this year. I didn't want to be grouped up with Chris Chan because I do have very similar interests to her, I've been seen as cringey for having said interests, and just the way Chris treated autistic people who were formerly diagnosed with A$p3rg3r$ $yndr0m3 (like I was) really made me feel even more alienated.

Also, S1a supports A$ (Autism $p3aks). She's not a very good person to support. Some of her music is good, but her as a person....no. Her movie "Music" was gross, from what I've read about it and seen pictures of.

If you've read this far, thank you so much!

#mello speaks #dhar mann #dhar mann talk #dhar mann will live to regret his decision to make these fucked up cringe videos #dhar mann will live to regret his decision uwu #dhar mann is a piece of human garbage #please stop supporting dhar mann #autism isn't a tragedy #we need better representation for autistic people who aren't little white boys or young white cishet men #dhar mann is a cringe ass nae nae baby #tw abandonment #tw ableism #cw sia mention #cw chris chan mention #tw dhar mann