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azuremist · 4 months

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Haruka isn’t autistic-coded – he has an intellectual disability (and why that matters)

(AO3 Mirror)

A lot of people in the MILGRAM fandom (especially English-speaking MILGRAM fandom) state that Haruka is autistic-coded, as if it’s fact. Most recognize that Haruka is coded as disabled. (If you didn’t recognize that, I hope this post will help to explain why.) However, to state that he is coded as autistic specifically is incorrect. Haruka is coded as intellectually disabled.

Now, there are likely two things that contribute to this issue. One is the invisibility of intellectual disability as a whole, and another is the fact that a lot of this has to do with things that only someone who speaks Japanese would understand (such as complex vs non-complex words in Japanese).

In this post, I plan to lay out what an intellectual disability is and how it differs from neurodivergencies such as autism or ADHD. After that, I want to discuss the way Haruka speaks and uses words, the symbolism in his MVs, and how this lends to him being coded as intellectually disabled. Finally, I want to discuss why this even matters at all. Because, in truth, viewing Haruka as autistic instead of intellectually disabled leaves the viewer misunderstanding his story in a huge way that seems far too common in English-speaking MILGRAM fandom. So, I hope you listen to what I have to say.

What does it mean to be intellectually disabled?

Confusing autism and intellectual disability (henceforth referred to as ID) is not an issue unique to the MILGRAM fandom. They are quite commonly mistaken for each other, in the same way that autism and ADHD are both commonly mistaken for each other. And for the same reason, too – autism and ID are comorbid. This means that, if someone is autistic, they are more likely to have an ID. For this reason, it makes perfect sense to headcanon Haruka as autistic. I headcanon him as autistic, myself, actually. But, in this post, I’m going to be strictly talking about his coding, not headcanons, and he is very specifically coded with an ID.

So, what’s the difference? In the words of the National Institutes of Health, “Whereas ID is associated with general deficits across developmental domains, ASD is in fact defined by the observation that social communication deficits are particularly impairing.” (Source)

To say this in layman’s terms, autism is primarily characterized by difficulties in social communications. Cognitive abilities in autistic individuals vary, just like with allistic individuals, but the defining features are issues with social interaction and nonverbal communication. Autism by itself effects how effectively one communicates, but not intelligence. On the other hand, ID is a limitation on intellectual functioning, just like the name implies. This causes issues in areas like learning, problem-solving, and abstract reasoning.

A lot of people think ID is a synonym for ‘learning disability’. ‘Learning disability’ is an umbrella term that covers things such as dyslexia and dysgraphia. This isn’t the case. For one thing, ID can be a diagnosis on its own. ID is subdivided into syndromic ID, where intellectual deficits are present with other signs and symptoms, and nonsyndromic ID, where ID is, itself, the diagnosis. Examples of syndromic IDs include fragile X syndrome, and Down syndrome. For another, those with learning disabilities tend to have average to above-average intellectual abilities. Their disorder affects their ability to acquire and process information, but they are still able to learn. In contrast, ID affects the ability to learn at all, as well as affecting development and general function.

ID is a debilitating disorder. Many people with an ID cannot live independently, require help with self-care activities, and have limited communicative abilities. Understanding this – particularly, how ID is often a disability that requires a caregiver – is a key point to understanding Haruka as a character. But that’s to be covered later.

Words

The reason why this is a problem in the English fandom specifically is because the main thing tipping off the viewer to Haruka’s ID is the way that he speaks.

‘Weakness’, Haruka’s first-trial song, is written entirely in INCREDIBLY basic, elementary-level kanji – mostly hiragana and katakana. In fact, his first-trial song is misspelled in a lot of official releases of the song (‘Weekness’), which is a good way to get the same effect across. This is not the case across all platforms, though, for whatever reason. He also writes, in his trial 1 interrogation, with only that elementary-level kanji; often only one-word answers. The only complicated characters he knows are usually ones that mean something along the lines of, “I’m a stupid, idiot child,” which can be assumed to be because that’s what he has heard his whole life.

While I’m unsure if it is ENTIRELY in this basic kanji, his second trial song and interrogation is at least mostly written like this, as well. At this point, Muu is teaching him how to read and write (or, that’s what’s implied), but, even with that one-on-one attention, he is still speaking like a child most of the time to the Japanese ear.

When he’s forced to use or listen to words outside of this elementary-level kanji, he gets audibly confused, as well. In the AVIOT earbud collab, he has the voiceline, “Pairing seems to be in progress,” but, if you listen, he says “pairing” like it’s a question. (“Pair-ing?”) He doesn’t know the word is an English loanword that isn’t often used in everyday conversation, so he’s struggling to say it.

He also struggles when speaking to Es in his interrogations. He tries to say, “I will acknowledge any falsehood or silence,” but the words used are very advanced in Japanese. As such, he struggles with it, repeating, “False-hood? Si-lence?” Multiple similar exchanges happen in his interrogations, with Haruka misunderstanding words Es uses, and stuttering over unfamiliar words. The implication is that Haruka struggles with higher vocabulary or unfamiliar words, and with speaking and communication in general. He apologizes multiple times to Es for struggling, saying that he is not intelligent as an explanation multiple times. Additionally, in his second trial investigation, he talks about how he could never do the same things as everyone around him. When Es calls him stupid, he agrees. Es even states, “You really have no learning ability whatsoever.” When, mind you, having delayed or slowed learning is, like, the symptom of intellectual disability. It’s quite blatant. (Why is this not fandom consensus yet, again?)

Moving on from the point of how Haruka uses words, we can talk about other forms of word-based MILGRAM media. For example: when introducing himself, he says he thinks he’s 17, which implies that he isn’t actually sure. Additionally, there is lots of evidence for his intellectual disability in his interrogation questions:

He considers it impossible to learn another language

His dream is to ‘live normally’

He states he disappointed his father (not inherently an ID-related thing, but also, makes sense with his coding in mind)

Many answers imply that he’s been unable to live his own life, and he doesn’t really have any aspirations outside of being given attention

Finally, we have the lyrics to his songs. Again, on top of being written in very basic kanji, we have lines like the following, which include repeated themes of needing a caregiver (being ‘hopeless’ by himself), not being able to do what others can do, hating how he was born, and struggling to function. (I have bolded examples that I think are especially apt.)

“Why was I born like this? Why does it hurt so much?” / “Why was I born to be me? Why does it hurt so much?”

“Instead you kept calling me “hopeless” / You never called me by my name / You were always comparing me to someone else”

“If I tried and couldn’t say it, you would get angry at me and say “You’re hopeless”” / “When I tried to understand it, you’ll make that disappointed face again”

“I just wanted to be your good boy” (what did the MILGRAM team want us to think when they included this line? likely that he’s childish or ‘hasn’t grown up’, right?)

“Mommy, look / I’ve done great” (calling her ‘mommy’ instead of ‘mom’ – again, ask what the MILGRAM team wants us to think when they included this)

“If only I could do what anyone else could do”

“It’s enough, I am a “disappointment””

“My life started in a wrong spot”

With regards to his relationship with Muu, he doesn’t understand why Muu using him would be a bad thing, or how she is manipulating him. People with ID tend to have poor judgment, and Haruka not being able to tell the difference and not caring about the difference between negative and positive attention shows this (although his trauma definitely also plays a role).

Finally, we have the trial song titles.

We’ve already discussed how “Weakness” is sometimes alternatively misspelled as “Weekness”, and that is because the title in Japanese is, arguably, misspelled, too. The Japanese title is a play on the phrase jakuniku kyoushoku, which is equivalent to the English phrase, “Survival of the fittest.” More directly, it translates to, “The weak are meat, the strong do eat.” The character for “strong” (kyou) is replaced by “together” (also kyou) – with the implication being that Haruka forgot which version of the word was correct for this situation. This also works to create a pun, of sorts, as this makes the title more like, “The weak are meat, communal eating”, creating an emphasis on the fact that there are more people eating than there are ‘weak people’. There are differing ways to interpret this pun, but one way is to view it as a statement on Haruka’s status as a minority, oppressed (‘eaten’) by the majority.

On the other hand, we have All-Knowing and All-Agony. In Japanese, this song title is Zenchi Zennou, which can be translated as “Omniscient and Omnipotent”, used to describe the Christian God. Once again, we have what we can assume is Haruka misspelling the title, creating a pun. One that is much more on the nose, as the character for “ability” (nou) is replaced with the character for “worry, distress, pain” (also nou).

It seems that the reason why Haruka uses new complicated words (aside from the words meaning “idiot” and the like) in All-Knowing and All-Agony is because Muu is teaching him. It features the more complicated “食” (shoku; food), when we know from Haruka’s 2023 birthday portal that Muu is bringing him meals. It also prominently features Muu’s name, 夢 (yume; dream), which is more complicated, as well.

Imagery

Now, we get on to the non-verbal, more visually-based evidence for Haruka’s ID. Be prepared for a lot more images!

Going back to Muu teaching Haruka how to write: it’s not just clear in his usage of kanji, but also how he writes. Comparing his handwriting, it becomes much easier to read after Trial 2’s start, and his writing is soft and bubbly; much like a teen girl’s writing might be.

All of these improvements are able to be linked back to Muu (both his style of writing and in the more complicated words that he knows), who we know is looking after him. Considering this, it’s pretty clear why he sees her like a maternal figure.

One of the Minigram comics shows the prisoners eating curry udon together. Of the four shown (Amane, Haruka, Shidou and Mahiru), Amane and Haruka are the only two who make messes out of their clothes. Since the other two characters in the comic have active roles, and Haruka has the most passive one, Haruka’s inclusion can be assumed to be because he is the only prisoner aside from the child, Amane, who would make a mess while eating.

Childish themes and imagery are seen scattered throughout his MV, as well, especially his first one. He draws with the skill level of a child, which is a very prevalent motif, and he is shown to sleep with a plushie.

Additionally, he seems to have trouble putting on his clothes. He wears two entirely different socks – not just different colors, but also two different lengths. His pant legs are also two different lengths when he tries to roll them up in his Trial 2 art, and he seems to exclusively wear slip-on shoes up until he befriends Muu (where we can presume that she begins helping him, and even then, they're not done properly).

There are various visual parallels drawn between himself as a child and himself as he is now (for example, the way that his clothes are a mix of his current shirt and the vest he wore as a child in All-Knowing and All-Agony), and he often compares himself to a child wanting praise.

Even the violent acts that Haruka is shown committing are also a sign of an ID. People with IDs tend to have meltdowns, and devolve into fits of violence. The reasons for these meltdowns vary depending on the person, but reasons can include anger / frustration (especially in reaction to not being able to communicate well), sensory overload, and confusion.

You may note that Haruka’s mother reacts the exact wrong way for dealing with these meltdowns. When trying to help someone experiencing a meltdown, especially a violent meltdown, the last thing you want to do is appear frightened. The number one piece of advice everyone gives for helping someone experiencing a meltdown is to remain calm. It’s also not advised to leave the person alone, either, because that sends the message, “I want to avoid you when you feel this way.” (Which I suppose, for a neglectful mother like Haruka’s, would be technically accurate, but still not at all helpful.)

It only makes sense that Haruka’s tantrums continue to get worse and worse.

But after the meltdowns fade, he seems to not understand what he’s done. He’s shown experiencing fear and confusion after he hurts something, even shown as his child self at one point. A major part of IDs is being unable to connect actions to consequences.

Finally, we go onto his body language. Frankly, I considered putting, “Imagine this as a real person doing these things and not an anime boy, and you’ll see my point.” Which is true. But I decided to go a little more in depth.

Swaying is heavily associated with people with IDs. This is, in part, because people with IDs have reduced postural balance, and general body balance. Because of that lack of postural balance, people with IDs tend to slump quite heavily, as well. Both of these traits are shown very obviously with Haruka, in All-Knowing and All-Agony.

In the same MV, he’s also shown biting his nails. Like autistic people, people with IDs stim, and this could also be a version of hand mouthing (repetitive contact between the hands and the mouth / tongue), which is also heavily associated with / often seen in intellectually disabled people. He's also shown doing this in promo art.

So, why does this matter?

Haruka being intellectually disabled is a huge part of his story, and, when taking it into consideration, it changes how one views his story a lot.

Haruka being treated better as a child makes more sense with this framework. He wants to return to when he was a child because his level of intellect then was seen as more ‘normal’. There wasn’t as much obviously ‘wrong’ with him yet. Children are expected to be a little slow, but it’s when they remain that way that many parents begin to become concerned. He yearns for when his mother didn’t know he was disabled, and when she treated him better for that reason.

Haruka being severely neglected / abused by his mother would be awful, no matter what, but him being intellectually disabled makes it so much worse. He needs attention and care from his caregivers even more so than the average child does, because he has trouble even functioning on the day-to-day without help. This is why he thrives under Muu’s care; she is meeting his support needs. Likely not perfectly (she’s just a teenage girl, and she is almost certainly not trained or educated in this regard), but even with the amount of support that she is able to give, Haruka is thriving. He’s more confident, he’s learning how to write, and he’s eating more consistently.

Without that care, he struggles so severely that he melts down regularly, going into fits of violence over the fact that his support needs aren’t being met (on top of all of the other emotional baggage that comes with any child being neglected by their parent). Haruka’s mother continued to ignore these cries for attention, for help, for care… Until it went too far.

The way that Haruka’s story is viewed changes drastically with this information. If Haruka was autistic, it would affect very few of the things that I listed. So much of Haruka's story hinges on specifically his intelligence level, not how he socializes. And do you have any idea how many people I’ve seen say, “He’s a neurodivergent with a shitty mom, but so am I, and I didn’t kill anyone about it”? No. If you are not intellectually disabled, you do not get to compare your experiences as if they are equal. If you don’t have an ID, your experiences cannot be compared in this way.

Haruka has a debilitating disability that requires support which he was not getting. He was experiencing ableist abuse at the hands of his mother, and he didn’t know how to handle it. All of his violence happened during his meltdowns, and his disability makes it harder for him to connect his actions to the consequences, or find alternate ways to solve his problems – this is all extremely important information and context when you’re discussing whether or not his crime is forgivable.

If you still don’t forgive him, that’s alright. But to neglect this aspect of his character is, to be frank, baffling, if you’re trying to participate in the spirit of the series and understand everyone’s crime to the fullest extent. And to make jokes, comparing your own experiences to Haruka’s, since you assume him to be neurodivergent and nothing else, does a huge disservice to his story! And, when it’s done to demean him? It honestly comes off a slight bit ableist.

So, I’d like everyone to keep this information in mind moving forward. Don’t infantilize Haruka for his disability. But do consider this information in your analysis posts, your discussions, and so on. I’d like to see this become common knowledge in the MILGRAM fandom, especially since the idea of him being specifically autistic-coded is so widespread by this point.

Thank you!

#haruka sakurai #milgram #the milgram project #milgram meta #milgram analysis #intellectual disability #haruka #sakurai haruka #azure does a thing

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cogbreath · 8 months

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i think some of you should reconsider about reclaiming the r slur. genuinely. like idk for me its the fact that theres a disconnect between the groups of ppl who would have been medically described as such when that term was in usage (referring to intellectual disability. this term was never medically used to refer to autism. or adhd. or any *developmental* disability. this is usa term usage btw. i know uk terms different. ) vs the people who are reclaiming it. maybe there is some overlap but i have yet to see much of it. i get that many disabled ppl regardless of diagnosis have been abused with this term often but...i dunno. especially because imho, i have yet to see anyone who says they reclaim this term ever use it in a way that would be something you could call "taking back" the word. or in an empowering way. really imho many cases seem like just still an insult way or negative way. even when referring to self. you know. especially considering we had a whole public campaign to discourage casual usage of that word. i guess everyone has a different opinion about who can use it but honestly i wish people were more careful and consider more about maybe why they want to reclaim it and if you do reclaim it really think about how you're using it and if its actually something you are doing for empowerment. because if you arent imho you arent doing anything new different from the negative slur context useage of it. really the opinion is that those who have the most 'right' to reclaim it is people with intellectual disability and/or borderline intellectual functioning ........ i personally agree that its for the better to probably not if you do not have that. do you understand what i mean. ..? im not trying to like attack anyone really but just saying this as food for thought , yeah?

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acearohippo · 5 months

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Don't mind me, just rambling

Sometimes, I see childhood!Wei Wuxian and think "wow, the untreated ADHD is really powerful with this one". And then I see him post ressurection as mo xuanyu and go "wow, he really be suffering from that lack of oxygenated brain" and then I pause and think.

"Wait. holy crap... Did mxtx purposely make him TBI (traumatic brain injury) -coded?? Did she understand that, as he wouldn't be in his original body, the ADHD wouldn't've followed him, but mxy being legally dead for who knows how many minutes (aka, no oxygen/blood flowing to the brain) before the soul of wwx completely merged, WOULD cause a whole load of similar symptoms but with less executive dysfunction??"

Because if that was on purpose, I am blown away at the attention to detail. And if it wasn't on purpose... I'm still blown away at the difference! Not to mention, the more stable he became with support from Lan Wangji the less debilitating his symptoms were to him.

And I was already shook by Lan Wangji, Jin Zixuan, and Jiang Cheng's autism-coded personality clashes. It's not often we see (accurate) portrayals of when two (or more) neurodivergent characters clash, usually there's more emphasis on solidarity vs neurotypicals. There's no "trauma-bonding", no "coming to a truce through marriage", no "I hate socialising, you hate socialising, let's avoid it together". And it's accurate, because when stuff goes down and they need to work together, there's no hesitation because the expectation is that- well, they need to handle the shit that hit the fan. And when all is over and done with? They don't fall under the societal pressure to bond with each other, there's no need. They did their jobs, they're good.

Mxtx is just really damn good at writing complex characters with complex neuroses. I ain't even touch how you can almost always tell who's the "coded" ones in her stories and they're not all the same character archetype. It's glorious.

#the hippo speaks #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #wei wuxian #lan zhan #lan wangji #jiang cheng #jiang wanyin #jin zixuan #not mentioned but a standing ovation for best jiejie jiang yanli for accommodating not one not two but THREE neurodivergent men #in their own individual ways??#she would've been SUCH A GREAT SECT LEADER'S WIFE ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚

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beanghostprincess · 6 months

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I Gift ye with some silly cross guild concepts:

• Buggy with autism and ADHD, with a special interest in explosives, weapons, chemistry, and who uses the circus performances as stimming.

• Mihawk who is Not Neurotypical At All being faced with the antithesis of his whole vibe and somehow being roped into other stims

• (Buggy absolutely makes a swing with silks, and they cuddle in is Often. Ritchie is a living weighted blanket AND HE PURRS)

• Crocodile walks into this not expecting to start a side hustle making stim toys but here we are.

• dadodile theory where Luffy shows up and suddenly oh the stim toy stock is sold out, neat :))

• Buggy getting carried like a kitten by his Big Boyfriends

• polyamorous fighting bc someone's hair oil smells too strong or this brand of soap is Icky or smth so very domestic and sweet and all three end up pausing bc Damn. They're pirates and yet fighting over rose vs lavender scents or what detergent is best.

• sometimes after hours when everyone is asleep, Buggy will do small performances and tries to teach some tricks to the other's. Mihawk offers gardening lessons, and Croc likes teaching them old games from Alabasta when he was a child. Results are.... mixed.

• Buggy oftentimes make azidoazide aside completely on purpose bc Big BOOM Go Brr.

• people think Croc and Hawk have the braincell, but secretly none of them do. They're all a special brand of Absolutely Unhinged.

• Mihawk has a bad tendency to just... bite his loved ones like a cat.

• Crocodile would sooner cut off his other hand than admit to being needy. (No, he totally doesn't just yank his victim of the hour into his lap and then hold them in place with his hook until he's got his cuddle fix, shut up-)

• Buggy is both very smart and very stupid. Bro is a chemist, a weapons maker, a dealer, runs numerous businesses, heads an information network, grew up on the Pirate king's ship with training from the best of the best, could probably stage a world wide coup d'etat if he tried, but still fights against the impulse to swallow a muggy ball Just Because. Smart of Brain, Dumb of Ass.

((You can probably tell Buggy is my favorite but shhhhh let the Guild cook- /hj))

Okay, no, these are all amazing. And don't worry because Buggy is my favorite too, I get it.

They're all just a trio of neurodivergent men who think they can rule the world but actually they're oversensitive and also pretty dumb sometimes. I love their poly relationship so damn much. It gives me life.

#these are all actually pretty sweet #the one with them carrying buggy i love it #and mihawk biting as a love gesture so true #i luv them #they're so meow meow coded #one piece #cross guild #buggy the clown #dracule mihawk #sir crocodile

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aspd-culture · 7 days

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Sorry ig in advance since you get questions a lot but got curious about a few things

1. Is it normal for pwASPD to view unbeneficial relationships as chores? I know I, a likely prosocial, when I don't see the benefit in a relationship, I have to view it as being a chore to continue it.

2. If a connection is established between harming others and being harmed, will a pwASPD, for lack of a better term, be able to mimic empathy or remorse?

3. Do you know if pwASPD and another comorbid disorder, if the other disorder causes already low or fragile self esteem (like another cluster B), can seem like they don't have ASPD?

These are mostly for project research but also out of curiosity because I can

Nothing to be sorry for!!/gen

1.) Oh yes. So very, very much yes. And honestly, it's even worse than a chore - more like if a dead-end job decided to stop paying you but you'd go to jail if you quit. If you've ever seen a kid stuck dress shopping with their mother on TV, that's the way I would like to act through every single interaction with an equal part useless and annoying but unavoidable prosocial irl. Every single non-Exception prosocial is that coworker you hate who won't leave you alone./hj Joking aside, not all prosocials are actually that annoying actually. So it kind of depends; sometimes it's fine at least for me.

2.) Yeah, I'd say so. This goes differently for all of us, but for the most part "connection formed" would probably go in the direction of an Exception, and that's where some symptoms of ASPD are lessened for those of us that have them. That includes often having some degree of effective empathy and/or a desire to work on cognitive empathy with them in particular (I use them as practice to make the necessary use of cognitive empathy less annoying with non-Exceptions). Ditto with remorse for some pwASPD, though for me in particular that depends on the Exception in question. Some still do not bring out remorse in me for whatever reason. This is a good place to note that actually, since I don't think I've mentioned this elsewhere. Exceptions do not all have to be the same even for the same pwASPD. Two friends may have different symptoms they alleviate vs don't affect vs worsen, and of course platonic vs sexual vs romantic Exceptions often vary in that as well. For me and a few other pwASPD I've met, this may also occur with some groups of people who aren't Exceptions but cause an Exception-esque response. For me, kids get that as most do other people struggling with mental health disorders beyond just depression and anxiety (nothing easy about those two it's just in our current world most people have those). If I hurt a kid's feelings, 25/10 times I am going to cry with them or force myself not to. And that will vary for each pwASPD based on how much social neurological development was completed before it was fundamentally changed and started developing antisocially too. Some of us have more empathy than others, or more remorse than others (and vice versa) in general, so that'll impact those situations too.

3.) So this depends on what you define as "seem like they don't have ASPD", though it won't be self-esteem that affects that. Generally I'd point that more in the direction of NPD. But yeah, looking at the symptoms of ASPD, there are a few specific disorders that cause someone who very much has ASPD to not be diagnosed and/or believed both professionally and personally. In personal relationships, it's honestly just not being a serial k*ller that will get most to think you don't have it. Professionally, you're looking at disorders that cause social problems (such as autism, SAD - social anxiety, and GAD - generalized anxiety), impulse control (ADHD mostly), emotional instability (bipolar disorder, IED - intermittent explosive, ODD - oppositional defiance, and yeah your other cluster b PDs). There are others that make a whole lot less sense imo to get in the way of an ASPD diagnosis too. Schizophrenia comes to mind, with some professionals thinking that it's just... so many episodes of psychosis that it starts to look like ASPD which, don't even get me started on how much of a medical failure it is that I have heard of that specific thing happening. But mostly, it's going to be the ones I listed previously. None of these are mutually exclusive with ASPD, but they have symptoms that overlap with or mimic ASPD's, and so you'll have genuinely good professionals who are trying to avoid over/misdiagnosis where it applies to a *very* stigmatized disorder, and you'll have lazy ones that don't care to try and pick out which it is if not both. That will all just depend on the pwASPD's presentation of symptoms. I had more than one professional refuse to believe I had ASPD, and my (very lovely and dilligent/gen) psychiatrist was also leaning to just diagnose autism until I said some line about the reason I try for social interaction not being because I want to but because everyone has to to be able to get what they need in life. Once she realized I see it as an irritating requirement to associate with other people - even ones I kind of like - she quickly turned on that and diagnosed both. That's why it's important to speak openly and with as much of the mask removed as possible without getting yourself in trouble. They will try and avoid labelling you with something like this unless they are 1000% sure because of its connotations and the social and professional implications of having ASPD. It is very possible to pick out which is which or if it's more than one with overlap in regards to any set of comorbidities even outside of ASPD, but it takes a lot of work for that to be done properly especially if you're still masking in front of them.

I have no issue with anyone asking just out of curiosity by the way. Seriously like I guess I see why some people feel weird about it, but genuine interest is the reason why disorders get looked into, researched, and potentially normalized and accepted. There is nothing wrong with being interested in any topic as long as you're respectful in your interactions with sensitive subjects, and this ask was completely respectful, so I'm happy to answer it./gen

Plain text below the cut:

Nothing to be sorry for!!/gen

There are others that make a whole lot less sense imo to get in the way of an ASPD diagnosis too. Schizophrenia comes to mind, with some professionals thinking that it's just... so many episodes of psychosis that it starts to look like ASPD which, don't even get me started on how much of a medical failure it is that I have heard of that specific thing happening. But mostly, it's going to be the ones I listed previously. None of these are mutually exclusive with ASPD, but they have symptoms that overlap with or mimic ASPD's, and so you'll have genuinely good professionals who are trying to avoid over/misdiagnosis where it applies to a very stigmatized disorder, and you'll have lazy ones that don't care to try and pick out which it is if not both. That will all just depend on the pwASPD's presentation of symptoms. I had more than one professional refuse to believe I had ASPD, and my (very lovely and dilligent/gen) psychiatrist was also leaning to just diagnose autism until I said some line about the reason I try for social interaction not being because I want to but because everyone has to to be able to get what they need in life. Once she realized I see it as an irritating requirement to associate with other people - even ones I kind of like - she quickly turned on that and diagnosed both. That's why it's important to speak openly and with as much of the mask removed as possible without getting yourself in trouble. They will try and avoid labelling you with something like this unless they are 1000% sure because of its connotations and the social and professional implications of having ASPD. It is very possible to pick out which is which or if it's more than one with overlap in regards to any set of comorbidities even outside of ASPD, but it takes a lot of work for that to be done properly especially if you're still masking in front of them.

#is the culture unmasked?#who knows?#tw sex mention #aspd-culture-is #aspd culture is #aspd culture #actually aspd #aspd #aspd awareness #actually antisocial #antisocial personality disorder #aspd traits #anons welcome

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earthstellar · 6 months

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A lot of mini-bots (and quite a few other bots) have what might be considered neurodivergent traits (or have been confirmed as such), and I wonder if certain frame types or classes --or Cybertronians in general-- might have physically type-specific processor structures which allow for greater diversity of thought, and if some frame types or spark types might be more or less likely to have or develop neurodivergent traits

We know the Quintessons fucked with the Well of All Sparks in the Aligned Continuity which had unknown effects, and in IDW 1 given the spark as the core of a person's individual spirit (for lack of any better phrasing), it would make sense for Cybertronian sparks to imbue individual personality etc. while the processors are physical hardware with software flexibility to permit and adapt to those unique aspects of self

For example, in the continuities where spark development influences protoform development and therefore what type of frame a bot might ultimately have, it is still simultaneously possible to alter a frame to some degree with armour changes, mass manipulation, etc. (and in most continuities, alt-modes can be altered as well, to at least some degree within the range of someone's core specs)

But the processor and spark are the two things that generally (although we have seen some exceptions to this) cannot be physically altered without incurring significant damage-- Making them some of the few constant components in a species designed to physically change

Sparks have significant individual variation in terms of the personality etc. that evolves from each unique spark, so perhaps processors have some physical elements designed to best accommodate a certain frame type, while also allowing for individual experiences and perception etc. to form unique thought pathways for each individual -- This would allow for any Quintesson or Functionism-related frame alterations or requirements, while also still enabling a spark to produce a unique person as it forms and as experiences accumulate

Sort of like genetics vs epigenetics in human beings; Some things are physical and structural, but some things are informed by environment, experience, etc.

It's interesting that we do seem to see a lot of mini-bots specifically who might fall into a neurodivergent category or exhibit behaviours or thought process that might reasonably fall under the category, but of course it's not universal so there is still greater variation

Although characterisation varies from series to series, here's a couple examples:

Cliffjumper tends to have impulse control problems that are sometimes similar to ADHD impulse control problems, and he sometimes has difficulty prioritising or hyperfixates on one aspect of a situation, leading him to reach the wrong conclusion or focusing on the slightly wrong thing; He also struggles to manage frustration. This could all be related to something similar to executive dysfunction, as it commonly manifests in humans with ADHD.

Bumblebee seems to be conflict-avoidant to some degree in most continuities, and aside from that being part of his friendly nature and kind disposition, it might also hint at something similar to rejection sensitive dysphoria, or a greater sensitivity and emotional response to perceived interpersonal conflict or perceived failure. Some versions of Bumblebee have particularly struggled when faced with high stakes/high risk of failure scenarios, and he has a tendency to internalise blame, directing it towards himself even when a failure is not necessarily his fault or even truly a failed mission. This is often comorbid with Autism and ADHD in humans, but it can also exist on its own.

It's not just mini-bots; Misfire canonically has ADHD in IDW 1, Geomotus in IDW 2 is Autistic and his neurodivergency is even highlighted by other characters, and so on.

So all of this (and how it might work) varies from continuity to continuity, but I just like thinking about how neurodivergent bots do exist, and how that happens and how it manifests and how it is perceived by others and by society at large is interesting

In IDW 2, neurodivergency seems to be viewed in a more understanding and positive light. But in IDW 1, neurodivergency may be viewed in a more ableist way under the Functionist system, and in the Aligned Continuity, perhaps neurodivergency is seen as a potential indication of Quintesson alteration of the Well or of the individual themselves (this would depend on a bot's age).

We don't have too many details on Cybertronian medicine in general, but it's interesting to think about!

It's 8 AM I'm gonna go have a tea now lol

#long post #cybertronian medicine #minibots #maccadams #maccadam #medbay posting #idw 1 #idw transformers #idw 2 #aligned continuity #tf speculation #just thinkin #transformers #tfp #quintessons #disability in fiction #disability in media #tw brief mention of ableism

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thebearme · 8 months

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got any zoey headcanons?

YES!! imma bout to go off-

Zoey is Korean-Russian. (Dad is Russian and mom is Korean.)

Was a military kid so she hopped to place to place but when her dad was home the arguing would continue. Eventually leading to a divorce.

Her pet hamster and cat kept her company during these times.

Miss Puffy Cheeks (the hamster) is unkillable. Kid Zoey would make up stories of MPC being a tough, resilient military hamster that has a secret life outside of being her pet like Parry the platypus. She finds it silly now but she still can't figure out where MPC goes when she's at school.

Zoey lives with her dad. (she was always a daddy's girl even if she hates to admit.)

Zoey was a quiet but kind girl when she was younger, always a people pleaser and it only got worse in the beginning of high school.

She always got bullied by the jocks of the school for being a push-over, pick-me girl and a quiet kid.

One day they put gum soo far up in her long hair the next day it was ALL cut to her shoulders length.

Later she dyed her brown hair to red. (Cuz red looks cute but also because it gives her SOME control in her situation.)

When I think of Zoey being into indie stuff I think of arty tiktok. (like arthoe, indiekid, vintagecore suff like that)

During All Star Zoey was the girls counselor (by force) and a couple counselors (by force). By the end of it she got sick of being everyone's therapist. She LOVES helping her friends but it gets hard to do so when you have no choice.

Zoey's favorite time period is the 50s, as well is Vito. (the ONLY thing they have in common)

She's also go on dates with Svetlana. (🏳️‍��lesbeans)

Zoey also does Svetlana's makeup sometimes.

Zoey likes putting stickers on things and people.

In MZC team (Mike, Zoey and Cam) Zoey thinks she's the mom friend. (everyone is the mom friend.)

In a High school au their friend group is literally JUST Ned's declassified survival guide.

Btw Zoey and Mike are the types of mfs to instead of dancing in the prom they will dance in the rain outside together. (I watched too many 00s 10s Disney shows.)

Cause Zoey was a military kid she had trained with her dad in self-defense. (This is where commando Zoey came to be!) Even though she never uses it, it's still a useful skill.

Zoey is sumwhat able to catch up to Manitoba pace when they hike together.

Jo hangs out with Zoey and Svetlana, they go to the gym together.

Sammy and Zoey are friends and go to the same school (Zoey is two grades ahead.) and they spend lunch together sometimes. (depending if Amy kicks Sammy out from her lunch table.)

Zoey's cat (Fluffy) has beef with Mike because he thinks Mike is taking his mother from him. (Her attention whore cat.)

She does NOT like conflict. Zoey will have a panic attack if people argue in front of her, let alone make her choose sides.

Zoey takes a major in psychology and a minor in fashion.

Zoey and Brick are classmates and great friends.

Brick and her have a lil side project where they make outfits for Dekota size. (she really appreciates it.)

A little silly thing Zoey does when she's bored is that she draws on her or others skin. Mike tends to have the most drawings on him (hands & arms) it grounds him and also because her drawings are cute. She doesn't draw on Cam because he's to afraid of the chemicals in the markers or pen.

Zoey hates the idea of choosing sides so much after she finishes college she moves in with Mike. Not smart financial but at least she won't have to tell one of her mom or dad that she chose to be with the other parent instead of them.

Zoey has a little bit of strained relationship with her parents.

Mal and Zoey would ✨lovingly✨ beat each other up. They're ADHD VS AUTISM incarnate. (Mal hates mfs with red hair and pronouns!! /j)

Zoey is Molly McGee on adderall.

Her and Gwen would get tongue piercings together.

Zoey has a granddaughter relationship with Chaster, a good one but she still try's not to upset him anymore then he already is. (btw no one has told him that Zoey is half-Russian and none of them plan to.)

Zoey take more years in college later and became a teacher; I imagine she's Mille's teacher. After the TDI reboot Mille comes back to class feeling guilty that she couldn't finish her thesis paper about people her generation's psychology but made a backup paper about her own insecurities. And of course Zoey completely understands and tells Mill it's ok to feel insecure but make sure to keep yourself in check so that insecurity doesn't turn into judgement for others problems and trauma. (this one had abit more projection in this. superiority complexes in Gen Z's that "aren't like the others" virus is a real problem man.)

(Because I aint planning to re-re-redesign Zoey.) take a list of songs that give a Zoey vibe.

#total drama #td zoey #td headcanons #total drama headcanons #ask #i wont lie- i was waiting for someone to ask about zoey #i may only draw mike & the system but i still love my girl zoey #lil bit of projection but still-

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parvulous-writings · 9 months

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Bill and Ted Neurodivergency Headcanons

Just some little headcanons that have been bouncing back and forth in my mind recently! Very short, I just wanted to get my thoughts down and out there to be honest

Not my gif

Bill and Ted both have AuDHD (Autism and ADHD), but to varying degrees.

My reasoning is thus: they are both impulsive, stim a lot together, and are at times slow to wrap their heads around certain things, unless it truly interests them. (Such as their interest in launching their band, vs their ability to retain anything they learn in history up until being face-to-face with it). I believe they may also have echolalia - they both use "dude" and similar terms frequently - and whilst these were of course popular terms when the original two films released, the pair carry these phrases well into their adult life, and since they still spend so much time around each other I believe it may be because they're just endlessly bouncing off one another.

Not to mention the fact that they stopped being sneaking in the Tudor Castle to be nerds about Star Wars, completely disregarding their task at hand until Ted falls down the stairs. .... And that they play 20 questions whilst falling down a hole.

Also not to mention the fact the amount of lyrics that they are able to recite at the drop of a hat? Their knowledge of Rock is immeasurable - because it's a shared special interest.

I'm not sure if I have any specific evidence of this (None comes to mind immediately) - but I have a sneaking suspicion that of the two; in Ted, his autism is more prominent, and in Bill, it's his ADHD.

I think it's reasonable to assume that neither of the boys have a diagnosis until later in life - by that point though there aren't exactly many resources for them, and they've already got a somewhat functioning support system (mainly one another, and of course, their wives whilst we're thinking about it). Bill probably tried to take meds at one point, but came off of them after about 3-4 months due to the headaches and loss of sleep that he started to suffer with. Ted was never prescribed meds, even in adulthood.

Going back to childhood/teen years, I don't think anyone really had many suspicions that they had AuDHD, simply because their interests and hobbies were relatively mainstream. If anyone did have the thought that something "may not be right", it would probably be Ted's dad, but he wouldn't have gone to the doctor about the fact. He more considers it a disciplinary issue - I.e, the fact that himself or any tutors haven't been as rigid or harsh as they should be to keep Ted in line, and on the right path to success.

In later life, though, I think it might be more obvious. They go more into less mainstream instruments when they bring in the theremin to their music - not only showing their devotion to music and all it's parts and genres, but also their fixation. (I don't know many people who know or listen to the theremin or music it containing it besides myself). Their inability or unwillingness to change their mannerisms, also, I think is a sign. They don't like change.

I may update/add to these at a later date, but these are my ideas on Bill and Ted's neurospicy situation - I personally think they are AuDHD as mentioned, and that may just be me projecting onto them, but at the same time I don't think there's any chance that these two are neurotypical - if you have any thoughts, feel free to share them!!

#fluff #bill and ted's excellent adventure #bill preston #bill s preston esquire #bill s preston #bill and ted #ted theodore logan #ted logan x reader #ted logan #headcanons #sfw headcanons #drabble #late night rambles #late night ramblings #late night post #i wrote this at like 1 am

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salternateunreality2 · 3 months

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AGSZC ND AU: Finances

Disclaimer: not an expert

AU setup: all the boys are neuro-spicy except Angeal, who has depression/anxiety. I HC that GZ are more ADHD-leaning and SC are more Autism (ASD)-leaning

From: the archives of my convos with @strayheartless

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Zack struggles to save. Angeal and Genesis have to sit him down and talk him into setting up a retirement fund that automatically draws from his paycheck before he can touch it.

They also help him set up a savings account and encourage him to use cash to- Zack did you just give half your paycheck in cash to that beggar child? SURE, BUT NOT HALF YOUR PAYCHECK!!! YOU HAVE TO PAY RENT!!! ...and now they're setting up direct deposit on his bills.

There's at least 20 Zack Fair ID cards in circulation around Midgar. It's gotten so bad that he is the only SOLDIER who has to scan his ID AND put in a pin (Cloud's name, but with a 0 instead of an o! Super secure!). So you can imagine how many Zack Fair credit and debit cards have had to be canceled.

Angeal is frugal to the point of it being unhealthy. He washes plastic bags (ok, sure, but maybe once they're not water tight, let them go), wears clothes until they literally fall off his body (ok for some things, but Angeal, that shirt is more hole than shirt), reuses the coffee grounds as many times as he can before the other SOLDIERs start a riot (unhealthy in that they're asking for his head on a pike in Lazard's office)...

He's religious about not skipping meals; he considers it a sign that he's "made it" in life, and giving up on the ritual and right to eat upsets him.

Genesis got swept up in finance as a hyperfixation/special interest, so he's in the healthiest financial situation, and helps his boyfriends up their games. He set up automatic deposits, has diverse investments, and has controls set in place to help him avoid over-spending if he starts getting impulsive.

Cloud is broke and it's not his fault. He fully supports all of Angeal's endeavors to the point of obsession as well. Whatever part of his paycheck doesn't immediately get vaporized for housing, he sends as much as he can to his mom (much like Angeal), and since she refuses to take more, the rest goes into savings.

Unlike Angeal, he will skip meals if money is tight or he thinks he can get away with it. It helps that he forgets sometimes, and he also tries to sleep for meals as a two-for-one on shutting down his senses and saving money. None of his boyfriends are happy about this.

Sephiroth has a complicated relationship with money. It's very hard for him to consider it as a tangible thing, since his basic physical needs are met by the company. It took Genesis looking over his finances to realize Shinra was severely underpaying him, even embezzling from him. After a tirade involving Lazard, Genesis, and Angeal vs. the board, all that was straightened out. They couldn't get much back pay, but Hojo got scolded mildly and Sephiroth considered that a win. The others are still unhappy about it.

He doesn't like touching his finances. Genesis encouraged and guided him as he set things up one miserable April, and now it takes care of itself, and he's happy as long as he has enough to treat his boyfriends and buy pasta.

#ff7 #sephiroth #zack fair #cloud strife #genesis rhapsodos #angeal hewley #lazard deusericus #agszc

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script-a-world · 2 months

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Submitted via Google Form:

I'm building species for my world and I want to know the difference between human races and variations vs animal breeds and variations biologically. Also, why is selective breeding humans called eugenics and gets a nasty rep, but selective breeding animals is a good thing? Is that just 'humanity' talking? Like killing animals is just nature although nasty stuff moves into cruelty, but killing humans is just straight up murder?

Wootzel: This isn’t really a worldbuilding question the way you’re asking it, it’s an ethics question. However, since it has come up a few times on this blog, we’re going to try to break it down as we’re able to and address the implications of thinking about humans using the terms in the ask. It should go without saying, if you’re thinking of a made-up species with human-level intelligence, everything said here should apply to them as well.

Discussions of eugenics, humanitarian atrocities, and racism under the cut.

People cannot be forced to reproduce or kept from reproducing by other people without ethically horrible results. Full stop. The only exceptions to this are people who do not have the cognitive ability to understand child-rearing, either because they are children themselves or because they have cognitive impairments that result in them being in another person’s custody in adulthood.

This DOES mean that people who are not fit to be parents raise children. This DOES mean that people can have children who are physically or mentally incapable of taking care of them. This DOES mean that sometimes debilitating genetic problems are passed on. There is no ideal solution to any of these problems, and there never will be.

If people can be kept from having children based on any criteria other than individual cases, there will always be opportunities for abuse, and there will always be abuse. Humanity is too complex for us to ever draw lines between those who “should” be allowed to reproduce and those who “shouldn’t,” because a line that would be beneficial in one case will be a violation in another case.

To make this clearer, I’m going to include some examples. These are not based on any individual case or person, but do reflect real-life scenarios. Reader, if you’re a member of a group that is often threatened with eugenics and might find these discussions distressing, proceed with caution or skip the next two paragraphs.

Genetic Cognitive Impairments, such as severe learning disabilities and autism, are often mentioned in conversations about eugenics. Some of these conversations can even seem well-meaning, because there are absolutely people in these diagnostic groups who would be entirely unable to parent a child. They’re still wildly unethical because these people exist on a spectrum, and there are people with every mental condition known to man who make wonderful parents. If one person’s autism diagnosis could be used as a reason that they aren’t a fit parent, then what’s to stop that precedent from threatening every other person with that diagnosis? Where does one draw the line? ADHD has some similar symptoms to autism, and in some cases it can make parenting difficult, too. So can depression or anxiety, which in most cases are not genetic. NONE of these conditions can ever be used as an indication that a person is not fit to parent. I have ADHD and know several autistic people, and most of us would not choose to trade in our weird brains for a neurotypical one, even though they can cause us difficulties. There is joy to be had in life at every difference and level of functionality, so no argument against letting children be born with these conditions holds validity, either.

There are lots of heritable conditions with primarily/only physical symptoms that might be the target of eugenics discussions as well. I don’t know enough to touch on all of these, but I can still break apart some arguments here as well. Some conditions, like Sickle Cell Disease and Cystic Fibrosis, can be debilitating and no parent could ever want their child to inherit them, but most conditions that are this severe are recessive (must be inherited from both parents) and without genetic testing (which is not even possible for all conditions due to the complexity of genetics), it’s difficult or impossible to know if a child might inherit a condition. Many other conditions, for example Diabetes and Migraines are associated with multiple genes, and most of them aren’t well-understood yet, so even the presence of a group of genes isn’t a guarantee. A possibility of passing on a genetic condition is not a good enough reason to restrict someone from having children.

End of real-world-condition examples.

The argument of “no genetic condition is bad enough to justify eugenics” is only part of the picture. Another issue is: How would this ever be enforced?

There is no form of preventing someone from reproducing that is ethical to do to a human due to our highly developed sense of self, sense of agency, and comprehension of our circumstances.

Preventing access to reproductive partners is way too much restriction of freedom and would probably result in social needs not being met.

There is no form of temporary birth control that’s effective and safe for everyone, and there are probably some people who can’t use any form without suffering. Many of these can easily fail or be sabotaged. Forced medication is a violation of bodily autonomy, which comes with trauma, and there’s no way to force someone to use birth control without restricting basic freedom as well.

Permanent sterilization involves surgery no matter what gonads you have, and surgery is inherently risky. Forced surgery is also a massive violation of bodily autonomy, which is deeply traumatizing, and might have long-term unintended consequences on bodily health.

Legal consequences to reproducing would not change the outcome: A child was born. They would also result in children being separated from fit parents. This would probably also result in people--children and parents alike--having a lower quality of life because of legal or social consequences of existing.

If someone has a condition they don’t want to pass on, but they could have a healthy child with the help of something like IVF, they should be free to make that choice just as much as someone without any known genetic problems.

The third side to this problem is that if there’s precedent for restricting someone’s reproductive rights against their will, people in power with shitty intentions will use it against groups they don’t like and fall back on a medical excuse, even if one doesn’t exist or is invalid. This is not a hypothetical: women of minority groups have been sterilized against their will while in surgery for a condition that didn’t require them to be sterilized to survive.

The only thing that can ethically be done to prevent the passive of heritable genetic conditions is education and access to medical care. LOTS of people with genetic conditions will go to great lengths to avoid passing them to their children, and these choices should be available to everyone.

To wrap it up: Humans have a greater capacity for understanding than other animals, and we can make our own choices. Removing those choices and removing the potential for parenthood is enormously damaging to individuals, and can even result in genocide on a larger scale. There is no way to adequately draw defensible lines around the people who “shouldn’t” be allowed to reproduce, or to prevent those lines from being crossed if there were to be drawn.

Tex: This is historically a hotly-debated topic, so I’ll be adding a lot of reference links for your perusal that I recommend reading, in order to add an appropriate level of context to my answer. Very broadly speaking, eugenics involves a group of people deciding that a selection of characteristics - usually phenotypes but now the argument has begun to include genetic code - that are allowed to reproduce. This is usually enforced by killing, sterilizing, and/or maiming anyone (via bad medical practices) that does not get approval from this group of people. Who these people are matter very little, as it changes according to era and geographical region - they share the common characteristic of violent enforcement of their ideals, which often leads into things like war and the accompanying war crimes.

Animal husbandry typically does not include humans, though only by the slightest framing of definitions - we still have plenty of similar actions taken against other humans, such as human trafficking, forced births, and arranged marriages. The domestication and rearing of animals is generally used for agricultural purposes, such as meat, dairy, and egg consumption, when it does not also include textile, leather, and sundry product production.

“Killing” animals implies that an animal died for purposes other than the above listed purposes. This would include social habits such as trophy hunting, which is frequently frowned upon as the people participating in such hunting do it for obtaining social status among their peers rather than subsistence.

Predation - which often includes but does not only include animals - is when one species preys upon another species (I use “preys upon” in the literal sense, here, not the metaphorical or euphemistic). When this happens, for various reasons such as energy conservation in the predator, impatience due to hunger, and need to prevent injuries from the prey fighting back - the prey is usually killed rather quickly. Predation establishes trophic levels, and the differentiation of species from autotrophs to detritivores.

Humans are omnivores of varying degrees, obtaining their nutrients from a variety of food sources. I bring this up because it impacts both reproductive habits within human societies and the development of food resources by community. As the following links will inform you, there is a gradual, shifting line between the definitions of “who” and “what”.

Across many, many different cultures and across many, many different eras there has been debate upon what is human, and therefore, who is human.

Is a human merely that which is part of the community? If so, is a pet dog human? If not, why so? What lines are being drawn? A pet dog would, in some parts of the world, not be considered a source of food - some places have both considerations in hand, where the animal we know of as a dog can be both a pet residing in a household as well as a component in a dish. The same goes for cats, birds, horses, and any other animal - or non-animal - one could conceive of rearing and caring for within the boundaries of one’s home. Is a human who is not a member of your household - and thus, your community - a person? There are varying degrees in nearly every part of the world that changes whether one answers “yes” or “no”. In which case, if you define a human not part of your community as a “who” rather than a “what”, even if another community holds this same human as a “what” rather than a “who” - who is correct? Who is more correct? On what grounds can these opinions be enforced?

By that same metric, if another community considers you a “what”, does that mean you cannot be referred to as a “who”? On what basis is this defined, and “who” gets to enforce these definitions?

If someone is a “who”, can their reproductive habits be dictated by another? If something is a “what”, can their reproductive habits be likewise dictated? Can a human be treated like an animal? Can an animal be treated like a human? To further articulate, which of these is a person? Can a person only be a human? Can an animal - or other species - be considered a person? What is the definition of personhood? What is the definition of humanity? Who gets to decide that? What gets to decide that?

Further Reading

OpenStax Introduction to Philosophy

OpenStax Introduction to Anthropology

OpenStax Introduction to Sociology

OpenStax Concepts of Biology

Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species By Means of Natural Selection

Wikipedia Deductive reasoning

Wikipedia Abductive reasoning

Wikipedia Inductive reasoning

Wikipedia Existentialism

Wikipedia Philosophy

Wikipedia Infinite regress

Wikipedia Value theory

Wikipedia Outline of philosophy

Wikipedia Problem of universals

Wikipedia Subject and object (philosophy)

Wikipedia Selective breeding

Wikipedia Animal husbandry

Wikipedia Culling

Wikipedia Eugenics

Animal Cognition (tw: contains images of spiders on home page)

Addy: Tex and Wootzel put in some absolutely fantastic stuff, so I'm just going to share a bit on why I think we generally differentiate between humans and animals when it comes to genetic lines… and animals as working animals (plowing, herding, meat, livestock guardians, etc) vs animals for aesthetics (pugs, Scottish fold, pets).

Golden retrievers were bred for a strong retrieving instinct and for soft mouths, that they'd cause less damage to waterfowl carcasses. Collies have generally been bred for intelligence and herding instincts, for obvious reasons. Draft horses are bred to pull loads. In a working animal, you don't get the severe health issues you get in aesthetic animals. They're bred to do a job, and if they're sick or ill, they can't do that job very well.

I think there's something about being responsible and something about being careless with genetic lineages in animals. We have a degree of control over these things (re: domesticated animals that are born for the purpose of human use), like it or not. It's what we do with it that matters.

Many animals will happily commit incest. Dogs from the same litter, for example, will happily mate with each other. Do you stop it (either by separating the animals or by neutering/spaying), or do you stand by and let it happen? Animals, just like humans, carry recessive genes that can cause health issues. Responsible breeders keep all sorts of records to keep genetic issues out of their lines. Irresponsible breeders don't care.

Think about the practice of fixing (neutering/spaying) animals in general - it's common practice to get an animal fixed once they're old enough, to keep them from reproducing. These animals don't live in a wild environment, where their populations are kept in check by other factors. We domesticated them, and they live in our spaces. If we let them breed willy-nilly, their populations will grow out of control and ruin/imbalance local ecosystems. They live in a human environment, and they're our responsibility.

On a tangent, mules used to be a whole industry

When it comes to making decisions re: the reproductive habits of other humans, the power imbalance of domestication isn't present. Other humans (and their reproductive habits) are not my responsibility. It's their business.

You do get some laws in some places about letting first cousins marry, but – on the whole – if someone with a genetic issue thinks about having children, I am not part of that discussion. That person is allowed to make their own decisions about what to do with their genetics. Since their genetic code is theirs, having an outsider mess with that (eugenics) is seen as a human rights issue. It takes the autonomy of that choice away from them.

Also…. The other side of selective breeding isn't just culling, it's breeding. With animals, that generally isn't an issue. If it is, there are all sorts of strategies to make animals more likely to be willing to do to the do with each other. But humans? If you have a human that doesn't want to have children, who doesn't want to reproduce, eugenics would say that that doesn't matter. That you want to push forward certain genetic lineages, even if the members of the population with those desired traits don't want to comply.

And that, for obvious reasons, causes issues.

#google submitted #reproduction #species #evolution #eugenics #racism

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moodr1ng · 30 days

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(making my own post after being in someones replies again lol) i do think there was kind of a Moment on tumblr in i wanna say circa 2019-2021 where a lot of the accumulated biphobia that was present in the lgbt community at large and in particular on tumblr sort of blew up into a number of bi bloggers starting to talk a lot more on the subject and make a lot of posts explaining the material consequences of biphobia, the lack of support bisexuals have always gotten from the rest of the community, the specific biphobic opinions/takes that are popular both offline and in online communities, and also a lot of conversations about bisexuality, what its like to be bisexual, what it means to us, a ton of education on bisexual history, a lot of trans and nonbinary bisexuals talking about how bisexuality interacts w our genders, etc. at the time and being involved in all of this tangentially it felt a bit like a sort of tumblr bisexual renaissance where the pot finally boiled over and a ton of us started to be really loud and in your face about bisexuality and biphobia. i think this was a major reason for why a lot of takes that had previously been very widespread and either accepted or at least treated as debatable (thinking about butch/femme discourse for example) got rolled back and a lot of people who had been very casually biphobic all over the place suddenly changed their tune, switched their public opinions, and started sharing a lot more of support for bisexuals (though, tbh, i dont think i have seen literally one apology for past biphobia).

i do think there was some discourse that went a bit too far and ended up counterproductive (ive personally rolled back a lot of my past anger about the pansexuality vs bisexuality shit into a view that i think is a lot more charitable and community-oriented), but overall bisexuals on here did a lot of work to get heard, get understood, and get some much-needed support by the rest of the lgbt community, and there were also a lot of behind the scenes conversations where bi people created spaces like very active discord servers where bisexuality was explored in-depth among bisexuals, which tbh i largely credit for me being able to comfortably identify as bigender.

but, well, this Moment of bisexuals being loud and proud about bisexuality and refusing to continue to tolerate biphobia was met with, like, extremely caustic and vicious backlash which has led SO many bi bloggers who i followed, knew, was in servers and dms with, was/am friends with etc to either quit tumblr or move to new blogs where they only keep around vetted people and no longer widely engage w the topic of biphobia. my alter ran one of those blogs which i dont think could have really been qualified as popular, but which had a ton of constant interaction and some really big posts, all of which led to daily biphobic harassment as well as scrutiny of every other part of his identity and repeated cruelty about things that it was incredibly inappropriate for people to attack him on - some of you who followed him will recall the repeated attacks and accusations of ableism for his 'weird' typing style, despite a disclaimer on his blog that he types like this bc of autism+adhd+did, as well as a lot of vitriol and aggression which i think was at least partially racially motivated. like, im not even willing to disclose the url or his name here because im STILL paranoid about getting harassed years after he deactivated, which, like many others i know, he did because the constant biphobia was so bad for his mental health that the blog even just continuing to exist was not sustainable.

im not sure to what degree the conversations that were started on here during this time are continuing - im not seeing much of it anymore, but then again maybe im just not following the people having them - but it certainly feels like that Moment has died down now, though i certainly still feel the aftereffects in how a lot of people have changed their stances on bisexuality. it does feel like an acute loss still that so many bi people were effectively shut down and harassed off tumblr or into silence and reclusiveness by the backlash to bisexuals speaking out (and this especially imo affected bisexuals of color, especially black bisexuals, as per usual on tumblr). i miss the posts i would get to read daily as well as the very active discord servers and other conversations i got to be privy to at the time. i think this, as much as the discussions on biphobia themselves, rendered very explicit the degree of biphobia thats present within the lgbt community. as soon as a number of bisexuals got fed up with it and started to talk about it openly, the open and unashamed biphobia also ramped up.

ig the thing im stuck on is - were not talking about it as much, but all the people who dedicated themselves to harassing bisexuals into silence for years are still here. some stances have been changed and a lot of performative "we love bisexuals!" posts got shared but ultimately the work is still cut out for us going forward. however, i dont think i or my alter will be doing any of that work on tumblr in the future. the focus will have to be on real-life community to spare ourselves the backlash that comes from speaking about this on here.

idk, not sure how to end this whole tirade. i just happened to be thinking about all this earlier today and a mutual brought it up again just now so its on my mind. i do still miss that sense of heightened bisexual community that came from all of this. i personally not only was able to re-identify as bisexual after identifying as gay for a few years bc these conversations led me to reevaluate my sexuality in a more accepting light, but also i unlearned a ton of internalized biphobia which i had not only tolerated but often strongly believed myself, usually with a sort of self-flagellating notion of "i have to bow down to the rest of the community and accept that my opinion is inherently lesser because bisexuality is an inferior sexuality" which i only stopped believing after being in these bisexual communities. ig i just have to be content with the circle of bi friends ive built both online and offline and what benefits ive gained from these discussions.

#97 #long post #and tbqh i can still think of some specific popular bloggers who were super biphobic before this and suddenly changed their tune #and who ngl i have not forgiven! most of them i still have blocked despite their 180 turn into 'bisexual positivity' posting.#primarily bc of the aforementioned 'no acknowledgment of past biphobia was ever there just silently deleting old posts and changing dnis'

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brighter-by-the-daly · 1 year

Text

Millie Bright x Reader

Part One: Triggered

Posted 05/04/23 : Edited 27/06/23

AN - I wrote this after a dream I had last night sparked the initial concept. I woke up midway through and didn’t want the story to end as Millie being mean so had to finish it. Based on my own struggles with ADHD and Autism and judging by this dream I’m a bit anxious about the game next week!

A text came through to your phone “mate, Millie is such a bitch she keeps giving me evils and barely even talking to anyone, it’s so awkward!” with a photo taken on the sly. “Omfg Millie’s there?! Get her to sign something for me pleeeease!” you replied. “Fat chance of that! She’s well stuck up!” “I don’t care, I love her!!!” was the last text you sent to your friend. He had won a chance to be at an open training session for Chelsea, he’d asked you to go with him but you had tickets for the England game tonight. Millie was injured so you didn’t expect her to be at either event but here you were with a photo in your hand showing she was at Chelsea rather than supporting her national team vs Brazil tonight.

You had met up with your friends earlier in the day who live around the corner to the stadium, his mum had made dinner and passed you a plate. It was a lovely sunny day and Mack’s mum was the type of person to have the front door open at all hours of the day. You perched on the door step watching the fans trickle towards the stadium, munching happily away at the bbq chicken when you heard the garden gate click open and shut. Looking up to see the familiar blonde figure approaching the house. Gobsmacked at who it was and why she was there you moved your body to the side so she could enter the house. “Millie! I didn’t think you were coming, I just gave your plate to (y/n)!” your friend’s mum called from the kitchen. Feeling a shift in her positioning behind you, you looked up to see the defender towering over you “I’m assuming you’re (y/n)?” she snapped. Yes, that was me. The bitch eating Millie Bright’s chicken, of course that could only happen to me. “Do you want some? I’m not gonna eat all of this anyway” your words quickly exiting your mouth in panic and becoming more frantic when she nodded in a ‘well duh’ sort of way as she opened her mouth. Screwing up your face in confusion “y-you want me to uh“ stabbing your fork into a piece of crispy chicken as Millie rolled her eyes and nodded again. Lifting your fork to towards her mouth you were obviously shaking and accidentally smeared bbq sauce on her cheek. You felt the mood lift a little when she chuckled wiping her mouth as you passed her the plate to avoid anymore mishaps. Your friend went inside to wash up leaving a space next to you on the door step where Millie plopped herself down, her knee grazing yours. “How’s the injury?” you asked trying to make small talk “I’m not allowed to say” she replied bluntly still shovelling food into her mouth like she hadn’t eaten in days.

“Guys we should probably leave soon” you called through to your friends in the lounge. “Why? Kick off isn’t for another hour yet” Millie scoffed at you “because I get anxious” you responded honestly “why? It’s just football” she sneered like you’re an alien species. “I just like to know I’m on time” your friends knew your AuDHD traits come out the most when there is a set timed thing to do. Like football. You liked to be there early so you could find your seats without an overwhelming amount of people staring at you arriving. You found comfort in knowing you wouldn’t have to tell people they were in your seats and you could relax knowing you were in the right place. You’d never been to this stadium before and new places triggers your anxiety. “You don’t need to worry about that” she muttered between mouthfuls “gee thanks, I’m cured” sarcastically rolling your eyes at her ignorance as you rose from the step and entered the house to move away from her. Maybe your friend was right, she is a bitch!

An hour passed before you actually left, you were now a nervous mess and on the brink of a meltdown. Millie lead you and your friends down an ally to a gate you hadn’t seen when looking up the maps online. You fell behind your friends as you rushed to find the tickets on your phone and missed the email containing them. “I can only find two guys!” you called out to the group in panic “slow down, I can’t find the other two!” you pleaded. “You don’t need tickets you’re with me, put your phone away” Millie sniped at you. This game you were so looking forward to now made you want to leave and go home, everything was wrong and nothing like you had planned for weeks. Millie handed over her pass to a steward as you were frantically trying to find the other tickets, your friend noticed, pushed your lock button and gestured for you to put your phone away with no explanation. You stood there wondering what the hell was happening until you heard the steward “5 yeah? All good.” With that, the others started to shuffle you inside and to seats that weren’t the ones you had carefully chosen when booking them. To be fair, they were really good seats just above the dug outs and in front of a box but you couldn’t help feeling on edge knowing these weren’t actually your seats, worrying someone’s going to come at any moment and tell you to move. Millie sat down next to you with her huge England puffer jacket encroaching on your personal space, hearing every squeak of the fabric against the chair and the rustling against your body, you had never felt more uncomfortable.

Noticing you were stimming - your foot tapping and fiddling with your thumb ring Millie heavily placed her hand onto your thigh making your leg stop shaking instantly. “What’s wrong?” she asked moving her hood so you could see her face “nothing” you shook your head violently trying to stop her from asking anymore questions. You were trying so hard not to have a meltdown and anymore questions might push the tears you were trying desperately to hide out of your eyes and you wanted nothing more than for her not to witness this. You’d looked up to the defender since you were young and thought meeting her would be like a dream but today had been nothing short of a nightmare. She’d hit all your triggers without realising you had any and you were really struggling to hide your contempt. “Tell me” she said forcefully. Staring out to the pitch you thought deeply about what to say but it all came blurting out like a car crash of words leaving your mouth. “I have ADHD and Autism, I’ve never been to this stadium before so had looked up all the maps and knew what time to get here so I could find my seats, I always feel like someone will be sat in them and I’d have to have an awkward conversation to get them to move, The Lionesses are my special interest and I was so looking forward to this day but you changed all the plans and it’s been a lot to deal with. I like being on an aisle so I don’t feel trapped, I wanted to watch the warm ups, I hate being late and your jacket is so noisy it’s making me want to throw something at you.” Your words left your mouth in one extremely long sentence barely making time to breath, your monotone voice wasn’t raised just sad that nothing had turned out right. Millie stared blankly at you like everything you had just said flew straight over her head. You couldn’t help that you felt uncomfortable, your friends knew what triggers you and should have been more understanding to all these plans changing. One thing you could have dealt with but this.. this was a lot.

“Do you drink tea?” the blonde asked you after a long awkward silence, nodding gently she asked how you have it then rose from her seat and entered the box, re-emerging with a cup in her hand. “Sit in this one” she gestured to the seat she was in before which was on an aisle and passed the cup to you; instantly feeling a little relief as the warmth spread through your hands. Hearing the zipper of her coat undo she took it off and started to put it around your shoulders. “What are you doing?” you asking while trying to shrug it off, “trust me, it’s a like a big safety bubble, put it on” she nodded smiling as encouragement. Feeling the warmth around your body and the weight of the coat acting like your blanket at home you sunk into your seat, your heart rate returning to normal and your eyes were no longer acting like dams for your tears. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realise” her words sounding sincere “why would you? I have to work very hard to appear like everyone else, to seem normal. Nobody would know unless I told them or I suddenly snapped. They’d just see me flip out over one tiny thing without recognising all of the other things that had lead me to snap” you said looking down at your cup. “I get it, trust me” she smiled. With that the teams walked out onto the pitch - immediately making you happy again. Millie took hold of your hand and held it between hers on her lap. It’s like she had heard you and understood exactly what you needed - to feel safe.

Part Two

#millie bright #millie bright x reader #woso masterlist #woso x reader

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