#and it was really insightful

[amysubmits]

This is such a great comic expressing how it can be for some with ADHD. I hope I don’t detract from it too much by adding my experience.

I was also a quiet little girl so I was labeled as irresponsible, careless, not living up to potential, spacey, etc. Nobody ever suggested I may have ADHD when I was little. When I was just shy of 14, I saw a psychiatrist for mental health issues and was diagnosed as ADHD inattentive type. Totally unexpected. They never really said anything to me about that diagnosis, but I was given adderall. Nobody ever explained to me or my parents why I was diagnosed, and what ADHD looked like for me. We always wondered if the diagnosis was even correct because I wasn’t hyper, loud, disruptive. My mom often pointed out that I could sit through family dinners just fine, and when I was younger I’d spend long periods of time playing with the same toys. I didn’t seem to have a lack of focus in that sense.  

In our senior year of high school, one of my close friends got an ADHD diagnosis and started meds - and she had an experience just like this comic. She really grieved for her younger self. She wondered how different her life could have been if she had the help of medication before. She talked to me about how she had no idea she had been living life on hard mode until she had the meds. She said she felt ‘more like herself’ than she ever had. At the time, I thought this meant I likely had been misdiagnosed, because that wasn’t my experience with ADHD meds. 

I had heart palpitations and felt anxious while on the meds. Some of my other diagnosis’ included anxiety and PTSD as it was, but the adderal seemed to exacerbate my anxiety and I didn’t really get why they thought I should be on ADHD meds anyway. I wasn’t disruptive, and my grades were okay. I didn’t see how adderal was helping me, but I did see how it was harming me. So, I quit taking it. 

About a year ago I was struggling to get work done. I knew it was likely me being in a fog of grief (my dad died), but I was worried about my performance at work. I’m not usually one to struggle with being productive at work. So I went to my doctor to see about ADHD meds for the first time in about 15 years. She gave me adderal but said it may work better for me now as brain chemistry changes a lot between being a teen an adult. I tried it, and it hasn’t caused me anxiety, but after a few months I wasn’t all-consumed by grief anymore so my regular focus returned and I didn’t feel like I needed it to help me with work. So I didn’t see any point in continuing it, and had mostly stopped using it for the last several months. 

This summer I started therapy. I didn’t really expect ADHD to be a big topic of discussion, but the last couple of months it’s been a big focus for me because I’m just now - some 15+ years after my original diagnosis, finally gaining an understanding of what ADHD actually looks like for me. 

I’ve talked to my therapist about how I’m self employed, set my own deadlines, and keep myself accountable without trouble. I see lots of content on tiktok and other places that discuss ADHD where they talk about how difficult (nearly impossible) it is for people with ADHD to start a new project, or begin a household chore. Things like “I know I need to do laundry today, and I’ve been thinking about it and feeling guilty about it all day, but I cannot make myself get up and start the load.” Online this is usually what I hear people refer to when they say “executive dysfunction” so I thought I didn’t have executive dysfunction. 

So again - I thought maybe I was just misdiagnosed? But my therapist has explained to me that ADHD is really a spectrum. It’s not a spectrum with just a few types, either - it’s not hyperactive adhd, inattentive adhd, and mixed type. It’s a much more complex spectrum. 

She’s talked to me about how diagnostic criteria for ADHD was largely based on boys and how ADHD often looks different in girls, women or AFAB people. I had come across some of that info online, so that wasn’t news to me. But it was news to me that the “I desperately want to do X, but my brain won’t let me” is more commonly seen in boys/men/AMAB people. So me not having that despite having an ADHD diagnosis isn’t weird. 

She said the diagnosis is also largely based on people observing others with ADHD. So while it’s called attention defecit hyperactivity disorder, it’s common (or at least not uncommon) for people with ADHD to not feel like they lack focus. She said it’s now being understood that it’s more about being able to regulate your attention. She said she feels a better name would be attention regulating disorder! She said some with ADHD frequently experience hyperfocus, and this can make it hard for them to switch from focusing on one thing, to focusing on something new. To those observing us, this can look like we’re “spacing out” but in reality we’re hyperfocused on something, so we struggle to switch our focus to something new. 

My main point is, I’ve realized in the last couple of months that I 100%, without a doubt have ADHD. I just experience it differently than some others, but that’s normal because ADHD is a spectrum. I’ve also learned that ‘executive dysfunction’ is a ton of things, it’s not just being unable to make yourself do the laundry or something like that. 

My ADHD symptoms look like this:

I struggle to regulate my focus, because I hyperfocus on things that are “weird” to hyperfocus on. It’s common to hyperfocus on things like an exciting scene in a movie, or a video game. We’ve all experienced saying “hey” or “dinners ready” to a kid playing a video game and had them reply “huh?” even though you spoke clearly and at a reasonable volume. They just didn’t comprehend what you said because they were hyperfocused on their game. I do that if I’m just...doing the dishes and thinking about work. I’ll be so deeply invested in my thoughts that I can’t hear you unless you give me a minute to shift my focus. This also overlaps with audio processing trouble, and sensory processing is part of ADHD, too. 

Another way that I struggle to regulate my focus is bouncing between tasks. People without ADHD can cook something that needs stirred every 2-3 minutes, and text their friend between stirring and will effectively regulate their focus between those two tasks to keep stirring at 2-3 minute intervals. I can’t just jump back and forth between focusing on one or the other with ease, so i’m likely to either get too focused on cooking, or too focused on texting, and I’ll end up not stirring frequently enough, or I’ll be too focused on cooking and stir too often. This also can overlap with “time blindness”. You might think you’re stirring the pot every 2-3 minutes, but maybe it’s been 5+ minutes because you got too focused on your text message so 5 minutes felt like 2 minutes. So you may think you did a decent job of stirring at the right intervals, but you’re confused why it’s now sticking and burning, you don’t even realize you lose track of time, necessarily. It’s a type of executive dysfunction. 

I’m not a linear thinker, and I can’t edit my thoughts very well while speaking. Maybe I’ll be trying to explain to someone how I’ve been struggling with migraines, and I’ll go to tell them about one particular migraine I had, and then my brain remembers something else that happened on the day that I had the migraine, and now I catch myself telling this person about what else happened on the day that I had a migraine, even though it’s totally irrelevant to my point. I didn’t really even want to share this excess detail with them...it’s just that it popped into my head, and took over my focus, so I had to follow it along, and now I have to say “Oh, sorry, anyway - “ and then jump back to what I actually wanted to talk about. My therapist has used the analogy that neurotypical people, when talking, are sort of driving a car. They can control the speed, and control where to turn. They can consciously decide what details to share and what not to share. Where for many with ADHD, they’re more like a train on a track. If their brains focus shifts to something, they can’t really choose to just change topics. This is why I get “side tracked” and add irrelevant information when talking. And writing, to some extent - though I do try to “trim the fat” some when writing. This is a form of executive dysfunction. 

Rejection sensitive dysphoria. I had heard about this on TikTok and elsewhere too, but thought it was basically when someone immediately jumps to feeling rejected anytime someone disagrees with them, or similar. It can be that, but it can be a lot more subtle. It can basically look like social anxiety, and worrying that people will judge you - not necessarily that you think they’ll hate you or shun you. My therapist explained that how I sometimes have really strong reactions to worrying about being judged is also related to emotional regulation trouble. I knew emotional regulation difficulties were a symptom of ADHD, but I thought that meant people who get frustrated or angry easily and can’t calm themselves down. Yet again, it CAN be that, but it also can be having “big feelings” other than anger that aren’t proportionate to the situation. So if I screw up something I was cooking and sort of momentarily fall apart because I’m so upset about it? That’s an emotion regulation issue, and this is part of executive dysfunction, too.  

Hyperactivity. I thought this was the hyper kid who can’t sit still in school, church, or even at dinner. It can be...but my therapist said boys are more likely to have hyperactivity that disrupts others. AFAB people tend to have “internal” hyperactivity. They twist their hair, change positions in their seat, fidget with their jewelry, chew their nails, bite the insides of their cheeks, etc. That’s me! 

So, now I’m re-trying ADHD meds although I don’t feel that I really struggle with a lack of focus overall...I think I’m more prone to hyper-focus, but they can help with executive dysfunction, too - and many of these things I experience are forms of executive dysfunction. I never paid attention in the past to whether I was better able to switch between tasks or ‘cut the fat’ when talking, when medicated. I thought they were just supposed to give me more focus, so that’s all I was checking for when trying to figure out if they were working. 

I figure out I had ADHD last year, but I didn’t seek an official diagnosis and medication until this year. I’m 30 years old, my school days are long behind me. I slipped through the cracks because I have predominately inattentive type and I was a quiet little girl. Having ADHD does not mean you have to be hyperactive and loud, it means you have a processing problem in your brain that doesn’t allow you to regulate your focus or emotions. 

Mental health even now is still taboo to talk about. People are more open now than ever about it however and that gives me hope. 

This is a profoundly personal comic and it only reflects my own experience with ADHD. It is on a spectrum with a wide range of personalities. But if my story connects with someone else and helps them, that would mean the world to me.

[sameboot]

Simon petrikov coping FAIL compilation

[shaykai]

Still thinking about Gortash’s coronation and how smoothly he cuts a Durge off from their companions (and wishing we had a follow up with that)

The first words out of his mouth are that he cares about them- anybody else who remembers Durge has only distain for them, but not him- he’s happy to see them, he missed them, they’re his favorite assassin and he’s only glad to see them alive

And then he takes it a step further by providing insight into their past, something Ketheric refused to do for them- and Gortash isn’t dumb. He knows exactly how Durge’s companions will react, knows that he’s effectively outing Durge when he so easily could have pulled them to the side instead

And when their companions snap at them and refuse to look at them, Gortash is still smiling. Suddenly, he’s the nicest person in the room. Suddenly, everything is unstable and dangerous- but he likes you. He’s sitting there with open arms while the companions are rightfully so mad with Durge, but Gortash is more than happy to resume their alliance

He’s more than happy to be their sole source of comfort again, and isn’t he just so sweet for that?

[nothorses]

after having an entire hour long conversation with my coworkers about what "degendering" is, and the importance of using trans people's pronouns when you know them- rather than always defaulting to "they/them" no matter what- and still getting "they/them"ed by people I trusted not to fucking do that to me, I have decided that the name and pronouns circle of introductions for new additions to the group will now include the very clearly stated boundary that they do not use "they/them" pronouns for me.

your move, cowards!

[leafyeyes417]

Danny sat on a rooftop feeling confused. It was currently 3 days later than he last remembered. That was 3 DAYS with no memory of anything. He didn’t even know what city he was in. The only thing he is sure of is that it wasn’t mind control. His experience with Freakshow let him know that.

Along with this feeling more similar to the time his mom shoved high proof cleaning alcohol that was ectofied in his face during an excited rant. The fumes alone had him missing a few hours. Luckily Jazz was there and kept his blackout drunk self entertained.

So the question was, where the hell was he and what did he do?! Also, what caused him to blackout? Last he remembered he was in Metropolis and he got nearly hit in the head with a green glowing stone that he only vaguely could tell was somehow not ectoradium. After that? Nothing.

Aka: Kryptonite is highly compressed ectoplasm and causes Danny to get black out drunk just by being in its vicinity.

P.S. I also would love to see what chaos you think Danny would get up to lol

[diornies]

You ain’t gotta pray for me, me and my wild boy and all of this wild joy

a late post for day 9: “you’re married?” also kinda a follow-up to the bdilh comic

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Making and Remaking Memories

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[criticalbeauregard]

agatha definitely didn’t need to kiss rio to use her powers on her or take billy’s place. she chose for it to be the last thing she ever did. she wanted to let rio back in so bad but she is so stubborn that the only way she could actually do it was with the promise of death swiftly after.

[spacephrasing]

my older sisters are twins, and they’re not identical + they’re only a year older than me so I think they’d have a harder time pulling this off, but I keep wondering how weird it is to be in shermie’s position?? like you have two brothers, one estranged who don’t remember meeting at all, the other one immediately goes off to college then fucks off to oregon and barely ever visits, and then you find out one of them bites it, ONLY to fucking find out he faked his own death and took over the other’s identity????? THEN find out your own grandkids like them BETTER than you???????

[the-magpie-collective]

Wyll seems to be the only companion who intentionally and repeatedly uses the mindflayer tadpole to communicate. I did a quick search through the dialogue files and the only other instance I found was at the beginning of Act I, when Lae'zel is captured by the tieflings, she'll use the tadpole to demand you free her.

And yet, Wyll is one of the companions most against using the tadpole's powers. Arguably, I'd say he's more against it than anyone save for Lae'zel. Which is why I find it so interesting that out of all of companions, Wyll is the one to latch onto and make use of this facet of the tadpole's powers.

The first time Wyll can use the tadpole is when Mizora bids him to rescue Zariel's asset. If the Player succeeds on their perception check, they can bargain with Mizora to free Wyll from his pact. Wyll link his mind with the Player's Character in panic, demanding to know "What are you doing?"

Then again when Wyll is finally reunited with his father, he uses the tadpole to show his father why he pacted with Mizora. Instead of explaining in his own words, he shows him the cultists as they attempt to summon Tiamat into Baldur's Gate. He'll do the same for the Player Character if his father isn't saved, even when he is freed from his pact and could say it in his own words. If the PC refuses to let Wyll show them, he will explain it, but clearly prefers to use the tadpole.

Finally, Wyll will also use the tadpole to bid farewell if he has a falling out with the player character, telling the player "Godspeed, and may your journey be true."

For Wyll, who had spent the last seven years under a devil's thumb, this narrative choice to use the tadpoles to communicate is telling. One thing all of these scenes have in common is that they all emotionally charged moments. They are also moments in which, in my opinion, it is very important for Wyll to convey his sincerity. Wyll has spent the last seven years always dancing around the truth and now here comes along a power where not only can he tell the truth, he can show the truth as he sees it, so that there is much less risk of being misunderstood. A power like that has to be irresistible.

Just another thing I wish was explored more in depth in game.

Edit: Thank you to everyone who pointed out instances when other characters also use the tadpoles to communicate <3

Turns out Wyll/Lae'zel's writer is the only one who bothered to use proper tagging in the dialogue system ('MINDMELD' if you're curious). This is why I can never find what I'm looking for in the dialogue files smh

[yorshie]

[wyllaztopia]

does anybody know why these two are shipped? what's their dynamic like and what makes them click in a relationship?

[dykedvonte]

Curly not immediately punishing Jimmy for assaulting Anya is something I don’t think a lot of people are viewing in the complex context for Curly as the superior to both of them and closest confidante they had.

Like I am in no way saying he didn’t under react or fail Anya by not being harsh or direct with Jimmy but it really is the case that he really couldn’t. Imagine being stuck in such a confined space with very little areas to genuinely hold someone if they commit a crime. It’s not like this was an event that occurred before they departed or that they have easy communication with The Pony Express to ask for how to proceed when something like this arises. Not to mention, Jimmy’s relative power in relation to Anya as the co-pilot and second in command, he has the knowledge and access to do something to her had Curly directly punished him in this setting.

They were also Curly’s friends. It’s not just the case of him mediating something between his subordinates but people he is personally invested in don’t want to see spiral further in Anya’s case while also not wanting believe his friend go that bad in Jimmy’s actions. They were both suicidal and Curly putting Jimmy’s stability first is both out of bias but also the fact he’s aware at some level Jimmy is a danger to himself and others if not constantly placated. Combined with the fact he was in denial or just not piecing together what Anya said it’s hard to say what he buying time for and what he had treat as urgent. This isn’t even saying he doesn’t care about Anya but he’s not going jump to the worst conclusions about his friends even if part of him acknowledges the evidence saying so. It’s a complicated thing but he’s still human and needed to process it on top of trying to keep a ship that already took on a lot of water from further sinking, metaphorically.

I just personally think that while Curly failed Anya, it was a scenario where there wasn’t much he could do to the best thing by her safely and like Jimmy, we are underestimating what a good leader would do in a very fragile and tense situation like he was in. By the time he may have been ready and had a plan, things were much too late.

[thelesbianthespianposts]

bored, have some of my favorite animorphs quotes

[blossoms-phan]

ik we joke about the incessant hand on shoulder moments and I genuinely can’t pin down either of their love languages bc their love for each other manifests in like every single way possible to me but. post near death experience i feel like they’re being so fr about the not taking anything for granted and just living life which has catapulted their comfort and open affection for each other and for dan that’s constant comforting touches or just being close to phil when he thought he would lose him at one point recently. they just absolutely light up around each other and i feel like dan got his time with wad but this will be phil’s first time really being out in the world and doing something post coming-out, post covid, and the way he’s emphasizing being more comfortable and confident in his own skin now i know that man is going to be absolutely glowing on stage, in m&gs, etc and dan (to a reasonable degree lol) won’t be able to keep his eyes off him. he absolutely shines with affection and pride any time he talks about phil’s blonde hair or phil believing in himself and I just. they’re made for each other and l can repeat it until I’m blue in the face but I’m just so excited to experience this new era with you all. they’re so so special and I feel so lucky to have witnessed their growth over so many years and how openly they love each other

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Social Anxiety vs Autism

Neurodivergent Insights