#Neurotypicals please verify is this real

[idontknowenglishplzhelpme]

Ok, so, I actually have a lot of experience with this because when I was a kid I could actually feel every single one of my body signals but at some point during puberty it all just went away. I had to relearn a lot of shit but even now I can't feel these things without a lot of effort:

Temperature: I just check If my fingers can move for the cold or if I'm sweating for the heat

Hunger: when I was a kid I was like: "I am a 62% fullnes and will need 3 grams of sugar and at least 400 grams of food at some point in the next 3 and a half hours before I become uncomfortable". Now i just feel 3 things: 1- so full that I feel like about to puke 2- nothing 3- my stomach acid is eating at the walls of my stomach. So now I just eat in a schedule like the article suggests (I recommend it, it's pretty useful in the whole "not fucking dying" business)

Can't feel wind now. I need to look where shit is flying to if I want to know. even if there is enough wind to knock people over I just can't figure it out without visual confirmation

Feelings might be different now? Not sure about this one but it's not something to discuss here

Pain: I can't really explain this one but the way I process pain changed at some point. It just feels different

ramshacklefey talked about the need to go to the bathroom but honestly for me this one has been the same all my life and I don't if it's normal or not I can normally feel it well beforehand but it's extremely easy to ignore. So much so that I do it on accident a lot of times

Those are the ones I can think of that changed at some point and are now probably different to those of a neurotypical person at least based on the people I talked with but I'm not an expert so who knows

For years I would look at posts and questionnaires about neurodivergence that takes about being so focused on something that you forgot to eat and be like, "Couldn't be me. Being hungry is so uncomfortable! Your stomach is growling and cramping? How do you ignore that?"

Then someone informed me that neurotypical people have a whole bunch of "hungry" sensations before they get to that point.....

[veltroxx]

Anyone else have a partner who's surprisingly good with a knife? I'm honestly impressed and a little bit nervous! 🎃🎃

While many celebrate fantasy and fun, let’s not forget those who suffer in Palestine. 🎃🎃

Please take a moment to read @falesten-iw Falastin’s story and consider supporting her family. Even the smallest donation can help rescue them and give them a chance to survive in Gaza. Together, we can make a real difference in their lives.

This campaign shared by 90-ghost [here], and verified by el-shab-hussein [here]. #282 in El-Shab-Hussein and Nabulsi's spreadsheet [here] and #957 in the Butterfly Project spreadsheet [here]

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[ahedalshaer]

25/October ⬆️

URGENT EVACUATION OSUPPORT REQUEST!

Be the light on our path.🥹✨

Be the reason for our dreams coming true.🕊️🩷

Be the hope we need.♥️🫶🏻

I'm Ahed from Gaza .please donate to save my life and my family 🇵🇸🍉.

Asking for help is not easy, I ask for a small donation of only 20€ from each person, 20€ will save my family from death in Gaza 💔 Donate through the link in bio (gofundme) Together, we can achieve our goal within a day and provide crucial support to me and my family in Gaza. Your contribution means everything to us and in these difficult times your kindness is our greatest hope. We are very grateful for any assistance you can provide and thank you for your kindness and generosity in our time of need.

‏the link to my first campaign was stopped and the scam was directed against me and my family, I created a new campaign link. Please publish and document my campaign. I will be very grateful.

⭐️I was verified by :

(@ibtisams list 11 ) here

(@gaza-evacuation-funds No347)

(Butterfly Effect Project Line No 407 )

Donate and share! Save money, and give your family and friends the money they need! There are people who have to go into debt to help us Palestinians get to safety. If they can do it, so can you. If we work together and work hard, we can make a real difference.

Setp up !!

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[re-strictedaccess]

Access Denied

January 29, 2023

By: Dawn_of_the_silver_age

Have you ever wondered why some things are digitized while others are not?

Not me, until I was annoyed when I wanted to access a resource only to find out that it was only available in a museum or a library far, far away.

Recently, I read an article that made me think about who does and does not have access to resources. Kamposiori, Warwick and Mohanty explained the stages of the research process, the difficulties that researchers encounter when digitizing resources like art and texts, what can be done to solve them. The author's style was very scientific and thorough and identified the following issues:

Lack of access to materials in private or smaller public collections as many remain undigitized

Access to locations (cost, language, accessibility, reliability of information, and availability to the public)

I have thought quite a bit about access as I am a Disabled student. I have found it a challenge to access textbooks and other resources, forcing me to adapt my learning and research processes.

Digitization on its own does not give full access to Disabled people. For digitization to be accessible, we must think beyond what is needed for neurotypical people and centre Disabled folk. Often what is stylistically pleasing to the eye makes it less accessible to Disabled folk.

Changing fonts are a straightforward way to give meaningful access. When creating texts, we need to think about improving access.

It’s much easier to read San-Serif fonts like Arial and Calibri.

Instead of fancy fonts.

When sharing images, we need to provide image descriptions and Alt Text. Digital resources must be available with OCR, font size options, colour overlays, audio recordings or text-to-speech. OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition, allowing screen readers to read the text. In Online Disabled community forums, you can easily see that the lack of OCR is a significant issue because of the volume of discussion. I rely on OCR to use my text-to-speech software, and blind students need OCR to access texts using text-to-speech or use a braille interface. Rarely are the needs of Disabled people even considered when we create digital sources. Texts must be digitized using formats that Disabled folk can access.

Digitizing text and artifacts gives everyone with internet — access. Imagine a world where everyone with the internet could access all texts and artifacts, even rare ones! When you think about it, access to sources democratizes learning. Access to the internet is another issue!

The cost and physical accessibility of visiting collections mean that some folk will never have access. Rarely do non-disabled people consider wheelchair accessibility, that stairs prevent access to artifacts and texts, signs without braille and large print and a lack of audio guides deny people entry. This needs to change.

There has been a lot of talk about intersectionalities lately. Let’s be clear, accessibility is not only about Disabled folk. It's also about race. Watching the documentary, The Recorder: Marion Stokes, I found myself as a white settler questioning who is left out of data-finding stories and that the process of searching, collecting, writing, collaborating and researching in the digital sphere (chaining, browsing, verifying) means that marginalized people, their way of knowing and how they experience the world are excluded. There is a whole database of Black women in physics and astronomy whose research and methods are rarely taught. We need to digitize and welcome everyone by providing access for everyone so we can all develop, analyse, reflect, evaluate, learn and communicate with one another.

It’s 2023, and it’s time to consider real inclusion. It’s time to showcase those who have been excluded. We need to see the brilliance of Black women in the arts, and Disabled people in the sciences. We need to digitize databases, artifacts and texts so that everyone can access them, learn and analyze them, be part of the dialogue and contribute to research.

[david-watts]

pls do us a favour and drop the evidence of how brian was autistic

strap yourselves in folks because the original report I had for this is several hundred words long. also none of this is from a psychological perspective and I’m in no position to give an official diagnosis HOWEVER I am an autistic person myself and you do tend to notice these things if you look closely 

ok firstly I believe that brian’s interest in transport was his first special interest. firstly I’m gonna quote my m*m on the matter ‘nobody [neurotypical] is interested in transport!’ which is in reference to me excitedly telling her about my idea for the article (it was for school and I did indeed submit this for a mark. the teacher found it very interesting though). then again she’s not a reliable source and that quote was probably in comparison to my dad and I both being fascinated by railways (thanks dad). ok so back to the fact brian was so fascinated, in laura jackson’s biography on him it discusses how he would love going to see steam locomotives as a young child, which true, lots of young children are fascinated with them, however he kept that fascination into adulthood because wasn’t there that snippet that he collected things to do with transport? also he used to construct mock crashes using real fire idk if that’s anything to do with it though 

brian would also listen to blues records over and over again to figure out how to play them which is very dedicated of him, but also he named two of his kids after julian adderly. that’s dedication. he went as far to get metal piping from a scrapyard in order to play slide guitar, and when the stones were supporting bo diddley brian dropped all of bo’s material from the stones’ set out of sheer respect. admittedly I haven’t got as much info on his interest in the blues because I focused too much on his interest in transport because overlapping interests will drag you places, but I can see his interest in it??? someone else with more knowledge might be able to piece it together better than I can 

also on the music thing and teaching himself slide guitar, something that I did learn from another autistic person (it was someone on youtube I think it was aaron ansuini?) and the topic of autistic people finding it easy to figure out how things work came up and the example he used was instruments. now according to laura jackson’s biography (yes I reference this a lot it’s the only solely-brian-focused stones bio I have) brian learnt piano very well, and taught himself saxophone after learning clarinet alongside mastering all reed instruments by EAR, but also taught himself slide from records, and we all know how many damn instruments brian played 

this is a weird one and I did learn this from when I was getting my orthotics fitted at the end of last year so it’s not in the original document thankfully BUT. autistic people tend to walk on their toes, which leaves differences in our feet because it’s simply a different gait, your feet will wear differently. one of the things brought up in that appointment was the fact that the toes will curl for grip and the like. front of the foot will flatten - if you make a fist and look at your knuckles it will make a curve, now imagine if that was flattened and apply it to your feet. now of course naturally I remembered seeing a picture of brian without shoes a few days earlier and I can’t believe I’m saying this but I willingly stared at his feet to try and figure out if he also happened to have those... trademarks. I couldn’t really make out much but using that Iconic™ photo of him shoving his feet into the camera, I did notice his toes do curl, especially the two outermost toes. I can’t quite make out whether the front of his feet were flattened or not but it does seem like they might’ve been from the other picture I stared at for way too long, but looking at the more iconic photo I can’t tell either way due to there appearing to be a curve however there should be more shadows if that were the case. ok weird bit over I hate that I stared at his feet for so long 

because I talked about feet here’s a section on animals. there’s the story I think you told me about the time brian tried stealing kittens when he thought they were being mistreated, the time brian befriended a goat when another member of the stones (unknown which one it was but anyone else picturing keef?) decided to lift its back legs up and pretend it was a lawnmower due to the fact that someone said that a goat would keep the lawn down and I think brian took that literally (we’ll come back to that). and how could we forget the time the white goat was led out and brian literally said ‘me’ (harry told me that one and I have NO way of verifying it but holy shit). now this is something I have noticed and that’s autistic people do tend to get along better with animals. this is either hyperempathy, or lack of empathy because I’m on the ‘I have zero empathy’ end of the scales and I had more animal friends as a kid than human ones. I’m not an expert but at least in my case it was not needing social skills in order to communicate? 

so we all know brian was like. a square peg in a round hole right. the fact that he used to be a golden child who’d help serve out the morning tea buns (probably just so he could get the leftover crumbs at the bottom of the tray but we’ve all been there) to like. one of the most rebellious figures in swinging london. that entire narrative is something very neurodivergent, especially with autistic people who tend to get frustrated with the world because they’re very obviously different (pat andrews did say that when she met him in 1960 he was considered a loner). a lot of other ‘square pegs in round holes’ such as nikola tesla, einstein and so on have been thought to be on the spectrum. brian also used to refuse to put on his uniform and as I’m typing this I’m literally wondering if that’s a sensory thing because school uniforms are uncomfortable to the ordinary person, they can be utter hell if you’ve got sensory issues. speaking of brian’s school career he also didn’t see the point in certain things such as ‘games’ as he said in an interview, and that’s something a few autistic people do find, that they can’t find the point in certain activities they don’t find interesting or enjoyable. 

also have I mentioned that I think brian might’ve stimmed by putting his fingers in his mouth? there’s several pictures of him, and I mean several, where he’s got his fingers or his thumb in his mouth or near his mouth in a situation where stimming would happen, aka basically anywhere because stimming is just something we do, y’know??? 

ok so I hope this was interesting??? I have been sitting on this information for over a year. hopefully my teacher doesn’t find this but if she does, hi. ignore my blog please. 

anyway I’ve compiled this from laura jackson’s biography, several personal anecdotes, information i have seen on various sites both about brian and on autism, various autistic youtubers, and other documentaries and thingies about autism because I have watched a few out of curiosity! hope this was interesting 

[autismus-obscurus]

Avoiding manipulation from salespeople

This post is lengthy, here’s the short version: My mom managed to get scammed into buying overpriced cosmetics by a very aggressive and well-trained saleswoman. I’ll break down how that happened so you won’t fall for it. Tl;dr: These people are trained professionals, being rude (i.e. not showing interest, breaking off the conversation) is okay. Physically walk away if you don’t want to buy something.

Below is a description of what happened. At the end I’ll draw a conclusion and also break down how sales people usually work, so you have an easy overview.

This is written from an autistic PoV with autistics in mind, but I appreciate all reblogs so people can get informed.

Autistic people are frequently bullied into compliance. Being rude is physically painful. That makes us susceptible for manipulation. Even worse: Sales people are trained for hours on end to make sales to neurotypicals, and often succeed, so we’re especially at risk. Their most effective weapon is the duty to be polite: Most people won’t walk away from a conversation because it’s rude. They exploit that. Your most effective counter-weapon is the knowledge that the worst that can happen is a few awkward seconds. You are the customer, you are in control. They try to bully you into doing what they want by enforcing social norms and try to win you over. It feels like shit at the moment, but you can walk away. Nobody will physically try to hold you back, and if they do, you’re legally allowed to hit them (okay, I’m not sure about the last part, but they won’t, I promise.)

Here’s what happened:

My mom and I were in a fashion outlet in the Netherlands. The centre is built like a tiny pedestrian zone with normal-looking houses that are stores and restaurants. We’re just walking along when a woman comes up to us from a store. The store was mostly empty, but in a designer-way, not a clothes store. She gave my mom a free sample of something, but the second my mom hesitated she asked us in. (Up to this moment I didn’t see everything I was planning to just go on.)

Pro tip 1: If you don’t want to buy anything, walk away. DO NOT enter. Just say, “sorry I’m in a hurry” and BAIL.

My mom was in before I could say anything. The lady was selling products from a cosmetics brand... let’s think of a nice name... “D§C - Deep Sea Cosmetics”. Sounds like a nice, made-up name, right? Maybe go google it to make sure I didn’t accidentally name a real brand, right? Anyway, the lady wanted to sell us some scrub thing that makes your fingernails shiny, but primarily a box with all this nail stuff for like 80€. But because it was the “outlet price” she only wanted 50€ for it. My mom said 50€ is too much and asked if she could think about it and come back later.

Pro tip 2: Don’t “ask” them to think about it. That leaves them in control. Use imperative sentences “I’ll think about it” - then leave, don’t stand around looking unsure.

Overall, the lady was very friendly, she asked us if we were German, said some stuff about herself (she was French, has a German husband and speaks good German, four kids. Looked a bit young for 4 kids but what do I know.) This is a common tactic to make the salesperson seem more likeable by sharing personal details. Another sales dude at my college coerced me into a (thankfully free) short time subscription to a newspaper by playing the pity card (“I only get paid for the sales I make”.) She asked my mom if she smoked (yes) and then promoted this gel that prevents the fingernails from going yellow. Salespeople will latch onto any information you give. They talk very fast and don’t allow breaks so you can think critically. By that point she’d whipped out her samples and was polishing my mom’s nails. She also did mine, despite me being visibly uncomfortable (that’s their job - they make people uncomfortable so they can sell stuff.) If you don’t want to be touched, say so. Or just physically back away a bit. Again, they’re relying on you being too uncomfortable to break social norms. You do not owe them anything. 

Pro tip 3: If you’re very insecure, try not to get dragged into promotions. Best is not to enter the store at all. Again, “that’s cool brah” (or the more polite form of it) and leaving will do.

My mom showed herself impressed by how shiny her nails were. (My mom, while usually being deft at life-stuff is the most gullible fucking person when it comes to shopping. Please learn from that.)

Pro tip 4: If you show interest, they know they got you. Interest is everything from stopping, to coming in or seeming unsure what to say (even if you KNOW you don’t want to buy). Again, walking away is your best bet.

Eventually, when it was clear that we weren’t buying the package like this, she whipped out the figures. 1) This stuff isn’t available in Europe, it’s from the US (correct). 2) People buy this for 120$ a box (couldn’t verify - the box isn’t available on the web shop) 3) The polish stone costs 40$ alone (Lie)

She asked me if I was a student, my mom said yes. She then offered us a “student discount” - the stone for 30$ and the gel on top of it for “free”. My mom bought it.

Here’s the real facts: 1) The stone costs 12.95$ on the web shop 2) The gel costs 14.95$ on the web shop

Would it have been more expensive to buy it online? Yes (because you’d need to ship it to Germany) Did she lie to us about the student discount and the real prices? Also yes.

Pro Tip 5: Check your facts yourself. Don’t expect them to tell the truth (this goes for any kind of ad.)

Btw, the reviews on US sales are similar: Products are okay, but totally overpriced and the salespeople are extremely aggressive.

Summary: Salespeople are trained to seem likeable, but they will lie as much as is necessary to get a sale. When she couldn’t sell her stuff over the regular price, she made up a student discount to sell it at the regular price. Don’t believe a word they tell you, google it yourself. We’re trained to stay and listen because that’s what is polite. Sales people prey on that. Be brash. I know it feels shitty at the moment, and it’s hard, but they're not your friends, they’re predators. You don’t owe them anything. You know what happens if you walk away? Nothing. They can’t do shit about it. Prepare a script if you need it, stick with it.

Conclusions:

1) Your best bet is to walk away. Don’t stop, just move on. They’re trained to play on your pity, on your friendliness and self-esteem. Walk away. Script: “Sorry I’m in a hurry.” / “No thank you.” 2) Don’t get lured to a store or stand, and if you do, always remind yourself that YOU are in control. They don’t want to give you time to think because then reason sets in. You can still walk away. Avoid rhetorical questions. Script: ”Thanks but I’ll need to think about it.” Then leave. (If you stand there as if you’re undecided, they still got you.) 3) Don’t use rhetorical questions, don’t argue. They’ll try to put you into a position where you’re trying to justify why you’re not buying. Don’t fall for it. You don’t owe them shit. 4) Tbh never buy stuff after a presentation. Just don’t. You’ll have plenty of time to check whether or not the prices they named are true. And if you want to buy something, you can always come back another day and they won’t remember you. You’re just one of hundreds of customers.

How do they hook you?

1) They start a conversation, often with free samples. If you’re not interested, don’t stop, just pretend you didn’t hear or say you’re in a hurry. Don’t stop or they got you. 2) They’ll ask you inside. Again, don’t. Just say “sorry, no time”. Leave immediately, don’t wait for their answer. 3) They make conversation, trying to get on your good side. Usually they take in your appearance and guess basic stuff like likes and hobbies from it. They’ll try to show you that you have things in common - this is the basis of a connection. It’s harder to walk awayn from someone that you feel connected to, even if it’s minimal, than from a total stranger you barely looked at. 3.1) They try to confuse you. They talk extremely fast to dominate the conversation and don’t give you time to think. They’re trained to manipulate your responses. Nothing they say is natural, it’s all scripted. Remember that. 4) They show you samples (e.g. the nail thingy). They try to make you want the thing you didn’t know existed five minutes ago. Shiny doesn’t mean good. 5) They’ll present an offer. This often includes making you believe that if you buy it somwhere else it’s way more expensive or hard to get - they often cite exorbitant prices to make their own overpriced offer seem more attractive. Important: Watch out for “sympathy discounts” - they will rarely sell the product far under the regular price. If you can, get a glance at their monitor, the system doesn’t lie, it shows the store prices.

Take-home message: Their most effective weapons are social norms. There’s a reason brash, aggressive people are usually more successful. Don’t fall for their bullshit. They’re not your friends, they just want your money. The only thing stoping you from walking away is your own head. Prepare a script before going into malls or bring an instructed and trusted friend if you’re unsure. It gets easier after a while.

[thehyperromantic]

2nd POV Blank Name OCs are NOT Reader Inserts

Stories written from an OC’s POV in second tense are not Reader-Inserts. Stories written from an OC’s POV in second tense are not Reader-Inserts. Stories written from an OC’s POV in second tense are not Reader-Inserts

IF YOU HAVE A PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION FOR YOUR CHARACTER, IT IS AN OC They are not the reader, who is me. They are not the reader, who is everyone reading the fic.

IF YOU HAVE A DETAILED PAST FOR YOUR CHARACTER, IT IS AN OC It is not the reader, who is me. They are not the reader, who is everyone reading the fic.

It is okay and expected for a reader insert to have traits that I do not have. I am in a wheelchair. I may walk, but realistically, I cannot run. Most readers can. I am autistic, and the reader-character may react in more neurotypical ways than I do. That’s okay. In real life I have a weird name, and people will comment on it and ask how to pronounce it. But characters in reader inserts don’t ask me to verify it. That’s okay. In the story I may live with a vague caring parent, or drive a car, or have a healthy past. That’s all okay.

A reader-insert is a written story. It cannot give me multiple options like a visual novel does. It cannot choose my appearence nor can I choose my personality or history.

But what it does give me is leverage to insert myself into the story. Typically an Au!self.

But the more details you add, the more it breaks the mold. The more I feel like “this cannot be me, in any alternate universe”.

While blank names such as (y/n) or _____ are important for reader inserts, they are not the entirety of reader inserts. A blank name is not enough for me to delve into the illusion of a reader insert story. It’s only the top of the iceberg.

But if a blank name and second tense is all you have to call the story a “reader insert”, then the illusion is broken.  It doesn’t matter whether you tell me it’s me and let me use my name. This person is not me. If Agent of Asgard had a blank-name, would that mean it’s a reader insert? No. Because it’s obviously about Loki.

Just because it’s a blank name doesn’t mean it’s about me. Just because you use “you” doesn’t mean it’s about me, or any of the other readers. If you write in detailed details about their physical appearence, their past, their personality then the illusion is broken.

There are many people named Jessica. If I were named Jessica, and I read an OC with the name Jessica, and the story is written in first or second person, does that mean this character named Jessica is me? No. They are clearly, vehemently not me. I can read about them, but they are not me, the reader.

The entire point of a reader insert is to insert the reader into the story. A good reader insert will draw the reader in and, temporarily, let them live that fantasy. It is an illusion that has a delicate balance. It balances the reader-character’s personality with the reader’s  personality. The reader-character may be short tempered, they may be sweet, they may have a bad past or a healthy past, they may live alone or with roomates or family.

But they always, always have a vagueness to them. They do not tell me how to feel unless it’s relevant to the story. And usually, the good ones show me how to feel rather than tell me how to feel.

He held your pale hand in his. Squeezed it. You felt your heart racing. What could he be thinking?

“You see, the thing is...ever since  I saw you underneath the bridge, I’ve  been enamoured with you.”

‘He...was in love with me?’ you thought. ‘I’m not sure how I feel about that.’ A part of you wanted him. But a part of you was worried. You didn’t want to ruin your friendship. You run your fingers thru your hair, and the wind stires up your long hair.

Now let’s fix it up a tad.

He held your hand in his. Squeezed it. You  felt your heart racing. What could he be thinking?

“You see, the thing is...ever since  I saw you underneath the bridge, I’ve  been enamoured with you.”

‘He...was in love with me?’ you thought. ‘I’m not sure how I feel about that.’ A part of you wanted it. But a part of you was worried. You didn’t want to ruin your friendship.  You run your fingers thru your hair, and the wind stires up your hair.

Now, more.

He holds your hand in his. Squeezes it. Your heart races. What could he be thinking?

“You see, the thing is...ever since  I saw you underneath the bridge, I’ve  been enamoured with you.”

He was in love with you?  A part of you wanted him. But would your friendship suffer? You run your fingers across your head, and the wind stirs.

This is pretty darn good. But we can still change it even more if we want to:

He holds your hand in his. Squeezes it.

“You see, the thing is...ever since  I saw you underneath the bridge, I’ve  been enamoured with you.”

He was in love with you? A part of you wants him. But what about your friendship? You run your fingers across your head, and the wind stirs.

When we give the reader room to feel, we allow the illusion to take place. Your readers get to dive into the fantasy while still letting their au!self have their own feelings, which they now get to feel.

But when you do not achieve- or rather, even try- to maintain this balance, it just becomes a regular story. All fiction books contain original characters. All official characters are OCs. The idea behind a reader-insert is to draw the reader in and see the protagonist as themselves. Which means cutting down on that characterization to allow the reader to characterize themselves.

Even published books do this. Even published works have reader inserts, but they work very differently due to publication standards.

Remember Twilight? Of course you do. Remember how Bella was criticized for having “no personality”?

Guess why she had no personality. You get one guess.

That’s right! Because she was supposed to be a reader insert. But in the romance novel industry, reader inserts are really more like reader proxies. So you get undeveloped protagonists with their own name (because the publishers are NOT OKAY with blank names) who have a detailed past with no personalities so that you can put yourself into their place. Edward/Bella isn’t Edward/Bella, it’s Edward/Reader.

This setting works for some people. Some people are able to use proxies this way. Some people are just okay with reading them as underdeveloped OCs and are happy that way.

But not everyone is happy with that, which is why reader inserts developed. Reader inserts developed to give people a chance to hear characters say their names over a blank instead of over a name. Reader inserts developed so that they could be described as “you” instead of “I” or “he/she/” like most stories have in the past. Reader inserts were devoloped to counter OCs. And to support that counter, writers would lessen their descriptions of their readers feelings. An author knows how their OC feels, but an author doesn’t know how their readers feel. They’re entirely seperate individuals after all, and there are (hopefully) many of them. But then reader inserts became hype, and so youngsters in their self-insert/OC phase hopped on the blank name/second tense vote and now call these reader inserts.

If you don’t tag it correctly, then you’re misrepresenting the genre. It’s really hurting the reader insert culture by not tagging it correctly. It means I have to search and sort thru tons of fics of an entire different sub-genre just to find ones in mine. It also changes the way people who would actually like reader inserts percieve reader inserts. Can you imagine that there are people who love visual novels and hate reader inserts? Oh, they’ll date Thor in a visual novel. But in a reader insert? No way. These two are basically the same thing on different platforms: video games vs fully written word. They both contain second POV, chosen names, lots of reading, and being able to date the character you want. But for some people visual novels are lit and reader inserts are cringey. How could this be? I think it’s because people who make visual novels are more likely to take time and care in their work. Even using Ren’py takes a months of hard work to complete a demo (from what I understand). But when you’re typing on a computer, it all happens so fast. And people in highschool or below are less likely to revise their work. Ya’ll don’t give reader inserts the care they need, and it shows. Both works can be cringey. But reader inserts are judged worse because of the huge influx of kids making not only bad work, but labelling it incorrectly. It’s so easy to write what’s immediately on your mind and slap whatever tags and title you want on it.

And, I’m not saying that kids shouldn’t write. I’m 100% okay with children creating fanfics as a form of creative expression. But when children dominate a romance genre without caring about how their readers actually feel about their work, it leads to some problems. It makes the adults like the genre look bad, and it makes it hard for us to find the fanfics meant for us. It makes us feel disappointed that we can’t indulge in a genre we created.

So please. Please please please please please please please. Figure out what you want to write. Are they an OC or a reader insert? Whichever they are, and whichever tense you decide to use, give them the care they, you, and your readers deserve. And tag it correctly.

[imaginemycroftholmes]

Can I get Mycroft and Fem!BPD!Reader ? Like she's unpredictable because of her illness (because of the mood swings, if you need infos I can give you a link of a post I've made) and Mycroft falls in love with her even if she's scared she might hurt him because of her problems ? If you don't accept I understand, don't worry !

“You should just leave me. Go find someone that isn’t broken and live a happier life-a life where you don’t have to deal with all of…this.”

Mycroft gingerly picks up the pieces from ______ ’s last fit from hearing the latest car commercial from the telly and she sobs brokenly. It had gotten worse since _____ “conveniently” forgot her medication more than four times a week making these outburst more frequent and dangerous.

Mycroft isn’t dull enough not to notice the pattern.

The troubles had started once her therapist suggested joining an online program where people like her could benefit from talking with one another about their experiences. He had given _____ a long list of verified sites where she could find people trying to treat their illness but no, instead of taking solace in the list the therapist gave her _____ decided on the little blue app with a ’T’ on it.

Tumblr.

Having some of his best sources to scan the site Mycroft was horrified to find it was a cesspool of misinformation and bad advice that any weak, naïve or desperate person would take as gospel rather than doing their own research and consulting with professionals.

Had he the incentive and the power Mycroft would simply ban the site altogether but alas he did not have the authority to censor it even if it did give out spectacularly bad advice and harassment.

There were posts proclaiming that “don’t take you meds because it disguises the real you” and “neurotypicals r gross and oppressors” followed by ways to make the doctors to give you the diagnose you wanted.

It was madness and the more that _____ was on the app it continued to make her symptoms worse.

Last week she had blew up on Rosie for ‘not moving fast enough to give her room on the couch to sit and must be a fucking bitch' causing John and Sherlock to attack and Rosie to cry.

She had called the six year old horrible things that would be better addresses to a serial killer and then switched to laughter immediately after. Mycroft had be mortified both for him and _____’s behalf but since then they had both been barred from Baker Street until _______’s state was more stable.

 "______, I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you again I’m not going to leave you because of this. I swore to you when we started dating that I would stand by you-“ he starts only to have ______ interrupt him.

”YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE TO.“

Mycroft is a man with very few fears that aren’t directly related to his family but ____’s voice when she’s switches to ungodly rage is definitely high up there. He has to be quick as he faces her lest _____ attack him from behind again.

"But I want to-”

“YOU SHOULDN’T,” she screams grabbing some of the desk picture from the mantle and chucking them, “LOOK AT ME, WHAT PART OF THIS IS HEALTHY? WHY WOULD YOU WANT THIS?”

The pictures barely miss Mycroft’s legs as the glass shatters to the floor but thankfully he is quicker.

“Because I love yo-”

  "NO, DON’T SAY IT,“ ____ commands as she reaches for more items on the fireplace, ”YOU DON’T GET TO SAY THAT AFTER WHAT I’VE DONE.“

"But its true ____ I love you,” Mycroft shouts while avoiding the barrage of pilfered knickknacks only to have them stop after the words leave his lips.

_______ falls into another broken pile on the floor bawling loudly.

Mycroft steps quietly, cautiously to approach her, to comfort her only to have _____ edge away.

“No Mycroft I mean it, this is the end,” ____ chokes out between sobs, “we’re done. I can’t do this to you or your family anymore. we’re through.”

He is more than prepared to discuss why that’s false but ____ won’t let him.

_____ looks up at him with dull clouded eyes and says more firmly, “I’m serious Mycroft we are through. I’m done doing this-doing this to you. I’ll pack up my things and be gone in thirty but you have to understand that this is the only way I can be happy…”

She pauses to blow her nose on her blouse. “And I can’t be happy if I’m a danger to you so please make me happy one last time and let me go?”

It’s a promise that Mycroft wants so desperately to ignore but he can’t when ____ looks at him like that. It breaks his heart without a doubt even as he says it out loud but as it reverberates in his very soul.

“I promise.”

“And that means no spying on me either. I want you out of my life completely.”

As much as Mycroft would love to argue on how she would know he knows now is not the time nor place. “I will do as you wish.”

For the first time all day _____ smiles as she picks herself up off the floor. “Thank you Mycroft.,” she says before heading out of the room and more quietly as she leaves the room, “I love you.”

I actually have first hand experience with this disorder as my father’s eldest sister is plagued by it along with PSTD from her tour during the war. It is not an easy thing to live with as a husband, child, family or siblings of the afflicted even if you really think you “love” them. Personally I would never see a reason to stay in such a relationship as my former marine aunt was not only emotionally unstable but had the action and power to cause physical harm to those that set her off which on one unfortunate occasion was me. She is still very unpredictable in what will set her off anywhere between crying, ranting, screaming, attacking or a creepy brand of happy. She refuses to take her meds because she feels that the government is 'out to get her’ and avoids cameras, video taping, and CTV cameras like the plague. Her husband; despite his hopes that he could help her were naught as it is a loveless marriage that he clings to hoping that toady might be the day she comes 'back’ but she never does. Manic happy one second and then pissed off and deadly the next. It’s a small wonder my cousin was even conceived much less alive this long. For a while my parents thought she had schizophrenia but small miracles-its just borderline personality disorder and PTSD. Anyway I’m sorry this won’t be a happy one but given my personal experiences with the disorder there’s no way I can create a happy one.

-M

[star-bae]

Mae is Mentally Ill and (a) God is (Probably) Real

ok a thing I keep seeing on Steam discussion boards and in general is people saying Mae isn’t a) mentally ill and/or b) experiencing supernatural phenomena. so let’s fucking break it down

Mae Being Probably Borderline and Definitely Depressed

1. Mae dissociated at a young age and reacted violently leading her to be misdiagnosed with anger problems.

2. In a conversation with Bea, Bea validates her condition and suggests she see another therapist

3. Mae was so distressed at college she was unable to socialize or attend classes (HAVEN’T WE ALL THO)

4. Mae’s friends on several occasions point out that she spaced out or forgot something important or mis-remembered something.

The game repeatedly and explicitly indicates “Mae has mental health issues.” And I choose to believe that because why wouldn’t I? Why is it important that Mae be neurotypical to so many people playing? 

A more interesting question is, what does Mae’s mental illness (and Gregg’s and Bea’s dad’s) add to the story?

The in game days are short. Mae wakes up in the afternoon (probably like 3-4 since it’s late autumn). She sleeps 10 hours a night according to her mom. That shorted day, for me at least, is familiar. Waking up at 4pm because you were online until 5am, dicking around for the 3 hours people are available and being alone for the rest of it because everyone’s either busy or asleep.

Gregg, well Gregg needs a whole post. But basically Gregg’s recklessness, charm and mania paired with Mae’s repressed anger somehow works for both of them. Being able to go out and break shit and stab each other and feel good because they changed what a piece of the world looks like, that’s weird and cool and I’m happy they have each other. And none of their scenes together make sense when you try to erase their mental illness.

How does any of the gameplay, Mae’s conversations about God and school and how fucked up the world is make sense as solely an outside force?

(also absolutely respond to this post with more about how different characters’ mental illnesses are established and make this a better game) ((also also I think Mae’s borderline but like they’re all fictional characters who we are not qualified to diagnose so all interpretations are valid, I just don’t get where “Mae’s not mentally ill” ones are coming from based on, you know, the game))

Mae Has An Evil Goat Or Something In Her Brain Also And That’s Fine Too (The Supernatural Parts Are Real)

Just a disclaimer, this is wayyy more up for argument imo that Mae’s mental illness. While I’m 100% pro Supernatural Parts Are Real, they don’t carry the weight of the above in the same way.

1. Mae sees astral projection of the Howlers in her dreams before hearing they existed. I am aware of the argument “she probably heard about them at some point and forgot and now they’re just showing up in her dreams” but ask yourself. What would that add to the story. Why would that not matter. It’s more interesting to me if these musicians were connecting with something beyond themselves and died getting closer to it. And while I haven’t fully fleshed out in my own head their significance, to me its an affirmation that what Mae is feeling in her head and seeing in her dreams is really out there.

2. The conservative uncle murder cult members were able to leap over a ten foot fence and teleport into an elevator, and Mae’s friends were there to verify the second event. Even if their goaty benefactor doesn’t actually have the power or interest to make Possum Springs a mining town again, it is at least providing these men with something in exchange for their murders.

Those are the two clearest pieces of evidence to the supernatural being real and not all it Mae’s head and the collective heads of the town’s cult. But by clearest, I mean if you’re not willing to believe Mae the entire game. 

It’s really weird to me that for both her mental health and supernatural experiences, so many players are rejecting her interpretation of events and pointing to what her friends are saying or whatever. Ghosts aren’t real but also, this is a video game. Ghosts could definitely be real. Old Gods could be revealing themselves. Human sacrifices could replace the economy (this is the subtitle of the GOP healthcare bill).

As for her dreams, I’m nowhere near close to any sort of conclusion. Not God tells her that there is no one to choose her. People rushing into the tear. Is that what she’s seeing? People’s collective fears in a deteriorating world? Them floating through distorted towns. Second playthrough I thought they were the cult’s victims but idk. Who’s the guy sitting with the pipe? Waking up all the musicians summons a big ass animal god thing, did they just need to connect with Mae to achieve that?

In the mine, when Mae“spaces out,” I’m draw to the fact that she can’t understand what it’s saying. Like it was completely the interpretation of the cult, not direct orders from a goat. Whatever it wanted, whatever it’s did, whatever it’s going to do. It’s beyond Mae and that’s as comforting as an explanation as I think we’re going to get.

Also, for the “And That’s Fine Too.” Mae being mentally ill AND experiencing the supernatural isn’t a conflict. It doesn’t have to be solely one or the other, which is distinction I’ve seen people drawing. While determining what events are in her head and what aren’t is interesting, it doesn’t, I don’t know, ruin the game for me that there’s a supernatural force or not.

Please please please send me your theories and arguments and evidence and drawings of Germ thanks.

Also if someone wants to construct a History of the Possum Springs Labor Movement with me I am so so so so down.

[teaboot]

what the fuck

For years I would look at posts and questionnaires about neurodivergence that takes about being so focused on something that you forgot to eat and be like, "Couldn't be me. Being hungry is so uncomfortable! Your stomach is growling and cramping? How do you ignore that?"

Then someone informed me that neurotypical people have a whole bunch of "hungry" sensations before they get to that point.....