#autism really is genetic

[bloodhailmp3]

parents who make tiktok accounts based around complaining abt raising their developmentally disabled child are not seeing heaven

[another-undiagnosed-autistic]

My mom read a book with an autistic character in it recently and it apparently mentioned sensory hypersensitivity in it or something because she was telling me about the book and mentioned it but a while after she finished explaining it to me she went and said she thought she had a bit of sensory hypersensitivity and also my sister (theyre both really sensitive to loud noises whereas im not but my sensitivities are in other areas) and I’m just sitting there like play it cool play it cool oh god what do i do i can’t just say i think four out of the five of us in our family are autistic but youre so close--

[sodacowboy]

hm

[cruelsister-moved]

my personal opinion is tht autistic ppl are not significantly more likely than the general population to be either ID or especially intelligent, its just that ID people are more likely to be diagnosed and savants are much more culturally visible so the result is the somewhat paradoxical association of autism with both abnormally high & low IQ, which itself then leads to pathologising attempts to justify this somehow where if an autistic person is intellectually disabled it's a result of their autism but also if they're very high IQ that's a result of their autism too, rather than recognising that like there's a natural variance in IQ among the entire population so the same naturally goes 4 autistic ppl

[gmos]

you ever unlock memories that suddenly explain a behavior that you never really figured out the cause of?

[thequeen-ofnewyork]

i think i might be autistic..

[ourbastardofsorrows]

idk i just think maybe we could hold off on studying the etiology of various non-diseases until after people stop actively pushing to find a “cure” for them

[alanshee-keeper-of-realms]

When you have to face it your medicine collection continues to grow it sucks pretty badly.

I have several medications due to either mental or physical reasons trauma in my past has lead to disorders like Dissociative and PTSD then I have a bum knee that likes to give me trouble along with what the lactaid is for lactose intolerancy (Yay allergies ugh)and today I added an inhaler to my list as my asthma I had as a baby has relapsed

Really glad though cartoons and media in general are trying to represent the physical side it's still very uncommon they come out and say a character has a mental disorder

Zane and Cyrus Borg are two I really connect with I have a physical knee issue that causes me to have some issues with mobility and with Zane and his not so known about PTSD due to my own childhood trauma I know how it feels to deal with such a thing

I know there are many more examples of characters in media that I am missing out on that are excellent examples showing either physical or mental illness/Chronic illness in a correct light. Feel free to reblog this with those characters if you feel like it!

[sunnygang]

i was gonna make a post “anti vaxxers die challenge” but they killing them and their children anyways

[aikainkauna]

Fatigued? In pain all the time? The little-known illness that is far more common than we’ve previously thought, especially among geeks.

This is going to be a bit long, but it's so incredibly important, and so very much not just a personal issue that I hope you will read it (and hopefully, also share it). I'm choosing to speak about this now because this is an insanely unknown, disabling and yet seemingly a fairly common illness, and I want more people to know about it, especially as it affects geeks--geeky women in particular. I’ll talk about my own variant briefly at the beginning, but don’t stop reading there, thinking this is just a personal post--there are lists of symptoms and resources at the end that I urge you all to look at, because they are *frighteningly* common.

I and the doctors have finally found out I've got Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

Which means there is one, or there are several, genetic mutations in my body messing up the build of my collagen, collagen being the glue that holds your body together and which is found practically in all your tissues. So, technically, anything that can go wrong with your body might do *exactly* that, because that b0rked collagen is everywhere. This is why I've always been not only hypermobile (being good at yoga and able to bite my toenails and tie myself into knots while sitting down), but easily fatigued and have had trouble simply sitting, let alone standing or walking, because my muscles have to strain like crazy all the time to compensate for my connective tissues being too wobbly. (Every time I've participated in guided meditation, the exhortation to "sit up with your back straight, your body as relaxed as possible" has always been absurd to me, because I can't hold myself upright if I don't tense my muscles. Try it: lightly tense all the muscles in your body for a bit, and see how long you can hold that, and you will know what staying upright is like for someone with EDS). It's been said that having it is like the body having to do strength training with weights all the time, except, unlike on a normal person, the muscles never get to rest and recuperate fully (except during sleep, and even then perhaps not completely; to make it even more fun, sleep disorders are a common manifestation in EDS). I sprain things all the time--I do my back in even in my sleep, and get trapped nerves/sciatica just from walking; winter clothes, let alone bags, are exhausting for me to carry even for short distances. For me, lifting a coffee cup, due to the laxity of my connective tissues, requires the same amount of muscular exertion as it requires for a healthy person to lift a full pint. Et cetera. Plus all the other weird ailments, which I'll get to in a bit.

But the main reason I'm telling you all this is that you really, really, *really* ought to read up on EDS. The whole world does. But especially if you, or someone you know, suffer(s) from chronic fatigue and muscular pain and are bendy--*because it looks like this is actually the illness behind many (not all, but many) fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome cases.* I repeat, *this is now assumed to be the most common cause of fibromyalgia and CFS.*

And then there's all the other EDS-induced stuff, all freakishly common among geeks. Here’s a list of some of the most typical symptoms:

-Bendy? "Double-jointed?" Good at yoga (even without practice)?

-Gut problems/IBS? Leaky gut?

-Serious fatigue, unrefreshing sleep, body feels like it's made of lead? And is it unexplained by other conditions (such as a dicky thyroid or anemia)?

-Sleep problems, anxiety/panic attacks/PTSD, autism spectrum, AD(H)D?

-Bad PMS and awful reactions to the Pill and other progesterone preparations, health crashes after pregnancies, dysmenorrhea with godawful cramps (like you're giving birth to a demon baby every month), endometriosis, fibroids, pelvic pain and other gynaecological issues?

-Allergies by the bucketful? Multiple chemical insensitivities?

-Weird heart thumpages, blood pressure issues, fainting when standing up?

-Early-onset problems with eyesight?

-Can't go numb from anaesthetic, and/or are hard to put under for surgery (this is great fun)?

-Feel pain more intensely than other people (developing needle-phobia from horrid experiences when having blood drawn or being put on an IV drip)? Are all dentist trips and having gynaecological exams (even sex and wanking at times!) a nightmare?

-Or, as a bonus, has the weird pain response made you kinky or just crazily responsive to acupressure/acupuncture? Or just caresses?

-Have you got weird and/or excessive scar tissue formation? Keloids from piercings? Have your wounds healed badly; after surgeries, have your stitches torn spontaneously?

-Got hernias, squashed-up internal organs, including a heavy/tilted uterus, breathing problems like your lungs are squashed (but asthma inhalers don't seem to help much)?

-Weird bruises, and you have no idea where they came from? Excessive bleeding (including bleeding buckets during periods)? Varicose veins at a young age?

-Flat feet? Funny little round, soft bumps (piezogenic papules) on your ankles? Need sturdy shoes with high tops and arch support? Find it difficult or impossible to walk in high heels, due to wobbly ankles and/or the muscular strain it puts on the whole body?

-Constant sprains, muscle pulls/tears, dislocations, subluxations (=partial dislocations; just something going 'crunch', like when the bones of your hand or your vertebrae seem all scrunched up together and you need to pull them open), trapped nerves, monster headaches? Growing pains? Pressure in the skull?

-Just. Hurt. Everywhere?

-Weird adverse reactions to medications that are way worse than ordinary side effects, completely intolerable and/or causing permanent damage, even life-threatening situations?

-Even queerness/gender-atypicality (I am not joking; it goes with the neuropsychiatric profile)?

Guess what, they're all related to this exact damn thing! And just how common are they in fandom, among geeks?! Right? Weirded out yet? And this is *far* from being an exhaustive list, because again, this is a multisystem disease which can technically affect pretty much all your body parts and their functions. But if you said "yes" to several, take a deep breath and keep reading. Or if not, hell, keep on reading anyway, because it's likely you know someone with this thing--it could be as common as 5%-10% of the whole human population.

Even if you are born with this rubbish, people go undiagnosed for decades (I only got diagnosed at 38, and I’ve been sick ever since childhood!) and since it mostly affects women (although guys *can* be affected), it's ignored and/or psychiatrisised by doctors. And since the female body is a chaotic body horror movie anyway, many have just thought it's normal to always have little sprains and crunches everywhere all the time, and that the fatigue just has a merely neurological basis. That it's just depression or a part of having been born with XX chromosomes. But it isn’t.

And another main reason that it goes undiagnosed is the persistent myth that EDS *always* has to involve extremely stretchy skin and extreme hypermobility, which is categorically *not* the case for everybody. Even the sodding Wikipedia article (misleadingly) only uses photos of *extreme* hypermobility and skin stretchiness, of the usual circus performer contortionism EDS has traditionally been associated with but which is NOT WHAT YOU NEED TO HAVE TO HAVE EDS, I repeat, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A RUBBER PERSON TO HAVE EDS; you only have to be bendy and exhausted and ill. There are some people with it who are even *stiff.*

Thousands, hundreds of thousands of people remain undiagnosed even if EDS/hypermobility-related illness seriously messes up their daily lives--it can be debilitating. So, please, do yourself and your friends a favour and spread the word, and check out these links.

When to suspect EDS (blog discussion, also linking geekiness to this thing):

http://ohtwist.com/when-else-to-suspect-ehlers-danlos-syndrome

An overview on when to suspect, by a specialist (Dr. Bravo, PDF format):

http://ohtwist.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/DrBravoWhenToSuspect.pdf

Good brochure:

https://www.chronicpainpartners.com/brochure/

Another overview from the same site:

https://www.chronicpainpartners.com/what-is-eds/

Hypermobile EDS diagnostic criteria, with pictures showing how the bendiness level is scored (see how many you or your friend can do):

http://edsresearch.weebly.com/the-brighton-score-and-the-beighton-score.html

Good infosite:

https://www.edhs.info/understanding-eds-h

Pictures of a woman with typical hypermobile EDS, which is far more common than the actual contortionist stuff, and thus goes unnoticed:

https://mastcellblog.wordpress.com/journey/edsphotos/

A good overview of the problems hypermobility can cause by a specialist doctor who knows what up. This made me pretty much scream at the screen because I have one of those exact types of insanely painful mini-hernias that some doctors don't believe are there because they are almost impossible to see with normal imaging, but which my gyn saw during laparoscopy (PDF format):

https://www.dynainc.org/docs/hypermobility.pdf

Why hormones, progesterone in general (contraceptives, pregnancy, PMS) screw up the hypermobile body and may cause serious damage:

http://hypermobility.org/help-advice/hormones-hypermobility/

The official site of the biggest, worldwide EDS/hypermobility organisation:

https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/

UK support, including a toolkit for GPs on how to handle EDS:

https://www.ehlers-danlos.org/

Finnish EDS association:

https://www.ehlers-danlos.fi/

More info in Finnish, but this also has an embedded video clip (old but neat and short) from US telly (in English) to illustrate a family living with the disease:

https://eds-group.vuodatus.net/lue/2018/01/mista-voin-loytaa-tietoa-ehlers-danlosin-syndroomasta

(Hey, where have I seen eerie, elongated moves by a tall, bony guy before?! Yes, there are variants, like with the related illness, Marfan Syndrome, where people basically Look Like Cesare.)

And last but not least, the brilliant Dr. Sharon Meglathery's RCCX theory, which ties up all those illnesses I and others have noticed clustering around sensitive/artistic/neuroatypical/queer/geeky/triggered by everything folks, such as hypermobile EDS, fibromyalgia, endometriosis, allergies, IBS, sleep issues, stress hormone (adrenaline, cortisol) issues, CFS/ME, oh, you *know* the type when you read it. It's like a list of the usual Tumblr issues, for crying out loud--she might as well have called the PTSD-prone psychiatric profile that underlines these specific gene weirdnesses as "Triggered By Everything." Only it explains the links to the severe physical illnesses as well, and how and why they relate to stress hormone overload and why, thanks to problems with progesterone and cortisol metabolism, the physical illness stuff screws geeky women over more often than it does geeky men. And you owe it to yourself to read it.

https://www.rccxandillness.com/

I don't often say this, but reblog to save a life. These are geek illnesses, *our* illnesses. There are forms of this stuff that are lethal (causing stroke and heart attacks and organs going boom out of the blue at a young age), and the amount of suffering it can cause is ridiculous--I would have lived my life in a drastically different way, and would have never got so ill from the wrong medications and life choices, had I known I had EDS. (Just don't call me a "spoonie;" I'm not a fan of that thing--I'll explain later. Call yourself whatever you like; however, I'm still a ridiculous arctic chicken just as I've always been.) But there are still thousands of people out there who have all these symptoms and yet have never heard of this stuff, and for whom this knowledge can be life-changing, so *please,* spread the word.

Thank you.

[afeelgoodblog]

The Best News of Last Week - June 20, 2022

🏳️‍🌈 — Happy Pride Month! Let’s start this week with some great news coming from Tokyo.

1. Tokyo Passes Law to Recognize Same-Sex Partnerships

The Tokyo metropolitan government on Wednesday adopted legislation recognizing same-sex partnerships, which will extend some rights that apply to married heterosexual couples.

It also reflects changing attitudes toward the LGBT community. A poll by the Asahi newspaper last year found that 65 percent of voters nationwide supported same-sex marriage, up from 41 percent in 2015.

Japan is the only country in the G7 largest economies not to recognize same-sex marriages.

2. Extinct ‘fantastic giant tortoise’ found alive on the Galápagos Islands

Believed to be extinct for more than a century, a rare species of giant tortoise is in fact still alive.

Scientists assumed that the chelonoidis phantasticus had died out more than a century ago. The only known specimen was discovered in 1906. But in 2019, Princeton researchers discovered a lone female tortoise on the island that hinted that the species might live on. Last week, they finally proved that the two specimens are related.

3. Groundbreaking treatment for HIV/AIDS developed by research team ‘with just a single vaccine dose’

People with AIDS might soon have the option to be treated with just a single vaccine dose, according to a new study from Tel Aviv University that shows the potential impact of a new and unique AIDS/HIV treatment. The peer-reviewed study was led by Dr. Adi Barzel and PhD student Alessio Nehmad.

The goal of the research team was to genetically engineer type B white blood cells inside the body of a person with AIDS. Once modified, the blood cells would be able to secrete neutralizing antibodies against the HIV virus responsible for AIDS, eradicating it from the patient’s body.

4. Rare sun bears rescued from animal traffickers get health checkup

Heartwarming footage shows how two rare bears that were poached as cubs by animal traffickers were given a thorough health checkup.

“Sun Bears Bopha and Jamran are former victims of the illegal wildlife trade, but found their forever homes at Perth Zoo after being rescued by Free the Bears.”

5. The New York Public Library is giving away 500,000 books for free for keeps

The library is giving away 500,000 books for free to kids, teens and families at all of its branch locations in an effort to help folks build their at-home libraries “and strength the city’s ecosystem of learning,”

All you really have to do to get your hands on some copies is to show up at your neighborhood library and use your card — or sign up for one.

6. Alaska Airlines flight attendant proposes to pilot girlfriend on Pride-themed plane

Veronica Rojas, a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines, surprised her girlfriend with an unforgettable wedding proposal on a flight to Los Angeles. During the flight, Rojas got down on one knee and in true flight attendant-fashion, used the PA system to propose to Moncayo.

7. Disabled teen completes 84-mile trek of Hadrian’s Wall in wheelchair

Plucky youngster Brynn Hauxwell, 17, who has autism, ADHD, severe asthma, and fixed ankle contractures, took on the historic trail on the border between England and Scotland as part of a charity challenge.

The arduous journey saw Brynn and his team traveling around eight to nine miles a day and at times going as slow as one mile an hour. The resilient teen has raised over $13,000 for Ability Shetland, a charity that supports disabled people to unlock their full potential in all areas of life, and which also provided the mountain trike for the expedition.

. . .

That's it for this week. Until next week, You can follow me on twitter. Also, I have a newsletter :)

Subscribe here to receive a collection of wholesome news every week in your inbox :D

[fdelopera]

An Autistic Perspective on Moon Knight (or, Why Steven Grant is not the only autistic alter)

Sooo Moon Knight really hit me hard. Especially as an autistic person. It hit me so hard, in fact, that it’s brought me back from my Tumblr hiatus. (I haven’t posted since 2018? what???) It was euphoric for me to see an autistic character operate as a superhero within the MCU. Especially Steven. Though Marc and Jake are also autistic — we’ll get to that.

Steven Grant as the audience surrogate wasn’t written as autistic in Jeremy Slater’s original script for the series, but Oscar Isaac took one look at him and basically said, “I’ll relate to this guy more if he’s on the spectrum.” As an autistic person, I actually love that. This choice doesn’t feel exploitative to me, like Rain Man does, for instance; instead, it feels like I’m being seen. I found it meaningful hearing Oscar Isaac say that part of his way into figuring out this role was through delving into a character who happens to be on the spectrum.

I will say that at least to my eye, Oscar Isaac has created a reasonably authentic on-screen portrayal of an autistic character, at least compared to the typical overblown Sheldon Cooper-style of characterization. It is also amazing to see an autistic superhero who is capable, courageous, and strong, even in their most vulnerable moments. Too often, we are portrayed in media as being incapable of having agency within our own lives.

So, in the future, I want to rewatch Moon Knight and analyze the scenes that were particularly impactful for me from the perspective of autistic experience.

But for this post, I want to talk about autism within the context of trauma and mental health. There is an important distinction to be made between Autism Spectrum Disorder and DID in relation to this show, and I haven’t seen a lot of people discussing it in depth.

I am writing this analysis because I believe that an autistic perspective can add some context to certain crucial aspects of this show.

I also want to acknowledge that there is a high degree of co-occurrence between autism and dissociative conditions, including DID. The extreme and constant overwhelm caused by our autistic neurology can lead to dissociative coping mechanisms.

For example, in addition to being autistic, I also depersonalize and derealize, which stems from my sensory processing and social processing issues. Ever since childhood, I dissociate when my nervous system gets too jangled and I’m unable to process the chaos of the world around me.

If Steven Is Autistic, So Are Marc and Jake (and here's why):

I've been seeing a lot of people online celebrating Steven as an autistic character, as in, “Steven Grant is the MCU’s first canonically autistic superhero!” Now, don’t get me wrong, Steven totally is a well-portrayed autistic character; however, I haven’t seen very many people involving Marc and Jake within that discussion of on-screen portrayals of autism.

But if Steven is meant to be on the spectrum, Marc and Jake should be recognized as being on the spectrum as well.

To treat Steven as the only alter who is autistic can inadvertently raise the specter (pun intended) of a harmful and outdated theory on the cause of autism.

So, I want to address two questions: What does (and doesn’t) cause autism? And why are Marc and Jake also on the spectrum if Steven is?

1. Autism Is Epigenetic:

Autism is a genetically inherited neurological variation. It is epigenetic, meaning that there are both genetic and environmental factors that affect each individual’s experience of autism, but you can’t “become” autistic without the genetic factors being present. And if you do have the epigenetic makeup for autism, it is likely that you will have some degree of autistic experience. We still don’t know exactly what this epigenetic makeup is, and I for one hope that we never find out, because Autism $peaks is ready with pitchforks and a eugenics campaign to remove us from humanity as soon as this discovery is made.

Autism’s etiology is not trauma-based. In other words, traumatic experiences can’t “make” someone autistic. However, back in the 1940s, Freudian psychiatrists Bruno Bettelheim and Leo Kanner came up with the “refrigerator mother” theory of autism (they applied it to schizophrenia, as well). They believed that if a mother was neglectful or abusive towards a young child and withheld her love during a critical developmental period, she could cause her child to become autistic. They believed that autistic people could be “cured” of their autism with the right amount of psychoanalysis. These psychiatrists and their disciples subjected countless autistic people to this “treatment” (i.e., torture) for decades.

The "refrigerator mother" theory of autism (and schizophrenia) has since been disproven. The theory was finally rejected in the 1990s when studies of identical twins showed that autism has a high degree of heritability (current research shows that autism’s heritability may be as high as 90%). If you are autistic, the environment (i.e., the people, places, and things around you) will shape your experience of autism, but your environment alone can't “make” you autistic if you don’t have the genetic predisposition for it.

2. If a System Is Autistic, Each Alter Can Have a Unique Experience of Autism:

To frame all of this within the context of Moon Knight, Wendy Spector’s abuse couldn’t “cause” autism within Marc’s system. To put it more bluntly, trauma couldn’t “make” one alter autistic (i.e., Steven), while the rest of the system remained completely allistic.

I know that a lot of you know this; I’ve just seen some troubling posts about this online from people who are neither a system nor autistic, and I needed to say something. Steven isn’t “the MCU’s first canonically autistic superhero” — the system is.

If we describe Steven as autistic, it’s important to acknowledge Marc, Jake, and the other alters within the system as autistic, as well. They would each have their own unique experiences of autism.

Now, there is a whole other discussion to be had about whether the writers and directors of Moon Knight knew this (that’s a big topic for another time). However, my understanding from listening to Oscar Isaac’s interviews and watching his performance is that his intent was to portray the system as neurodivergent, and not just Steven.

As portrayed in the show, Steven seems to do the least amount of masking (i.e., learned behaviors that hide autistic traits in order to protect the individual from harm), which makes him “appear” more autistic to an outside observer.

Within Marc’s portrayal, he seems to have learned to mask more consistently (which would make sense, since he protects Steven physically), and so he behaves in a way that could be interpreted as more allistic. 

EDIT: On further re-watches of Moon Knight, while Marc often protects Steven physically, Steven is more of Marc’s emotional and spiritual protector, as I write about in this post. Marc is more of a trauma holder, and he may mask to keep people at bay to avoid further trauma.

As for Jake, it’s hard to tell his degree of masking, since we see him for only a few brief scenes. But extrapolating from his role as an physical and emotional protector in the system, it’s possible that he has learned to mask quite effectively, as well.

As we grow older, many of us autistics learn to mask quite convincingly, myself included. Masking is exhausting, and I hate it, but for me it is what is necessary to have a job. A few people that I work with know that I’m autistic, but most don’t, and I’m careful about who I tell. It also helps that I run my own business, and so I have some say in the clients that I choose to work with.

In the future, I want to talk about scenes from the series that spoke to me as an autistc person, and I'll include Steven, Marc, and Jake in that analysis. There are so many moments where Oscar Isaac makes character choices that resonate with me from an autistic perspective. But that’s for another time. Anyway, thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. :P

[asexualenjolras]

I want to talk about one of my favourite headcanons and I don't have anywhere else to do it, so you can have my ramblings. We all know that Newt Scamander is autistic, but has anyone considered that Theseus might be too? I have.

So, let's talk about autistic Theseus Scamander:

Autism is genetic so it isn't a stretch of the imagination to think that Theseus might also be on the spectrum.

The beautiful thing about the Scamander brothers is that they are both so similar but so different at the same time.

So, his traits:

- Theseus is very, very rigid when it comes to rule-following:

We see this multiple times in the movie franchise. While Newt has a very strong sense of what is right and what is wrong and isn't afraid to go against the 'norm' to do the right thing, Theseus is the complete opposite. He, too, has a strong sense of right and wrong but he finds it very difficult to go against the rules and laws of the Wizarding World.

This was observed in SOD, where he makes a comment about being the 'Head Auror of the Ministry of Magic' when Newt asks him to do something to help the cause (without spoilers).

Theseus knows that what he must do is right and for the good of the Wizarding World but he doesn't overly agree with the way that Newt and Dumbledore go about things (and I bet he's envious of Newt's ability to break the rules so easily).

- Theseus has particular routines and dislikes change:

Another massive trait of autism (for some people) is that they don't like change. Theseus really struggles to adjust to the fact that Leta has gone in SOD, and he really struggles to accept that the Wizarding World is changing. He has a strict routine of going to work as an Auror and then coming home. He clearly struggles with the changes made in SOD where he's got to do other things.

- Theseus doesn't understand social situations and finds it difficult to read emotions and feelings:

We see this in COG when he hugs Newt. Newt is very clearly uncomfortable with the hug and interaction but Theseus doesn't recognise or pick up on this. People have put this down to Theseus being ignorant of Newt's autism, but I feel it's because he struggles to pick up on social cues too.

We also see this in SOD, where he struggles to read what Albus is wanting him to do.

- Impulsivity:

As noted above, Theseus struggles with his emotions. When he is upset, he acts impulsively and doesn't really think about the implications of his actions. A perfect example of this is when Leta is killed. He goes into a whirlwind of anger and upset and lashes out in his own way.

- Theseus struggles with eye contact:

Again, Theseus doesn't struggle in the same way that Newt does - who avoids it as much as he can - but rather the opposite. Theseus uses a little too much at times. We observe this when he is speaking to Newt and Leta. He stares intently at them, which some autistic people do.

It's usually one or the other with people on the Spectrum; too much eye contact or too little. Theseus falls into the former.

- Theseus has a really strong bond with Newt:

Despite their differences, Theseus loves Newt and does everything he can to protect him. He and Newt get on well and communicate with one another in a very unique way. I think this is because they're both on the spectrum. They're siblings, sure, so they're going to argue but the main cause of their disagreements is a lack of understanding about the other's perceptions and opinions.

- *SPOILER FOR SOD* Theseus struggles with his motor skills and co-ordination:

When Newt and Theseus are imitating the movements of the creatures in the German magic prison, Newt comments that Theseus is not doing the correct movements. To which, Theseus states that he is. He doesn't recognise that his movements are wrong because he's focusing solely on the co-ordination.

Autistic people often have issues with their motor abilities, and Dyspraxia is a co-mordible disorder alongside ASD.

I love Theseus Scamander and I love all of his autistic traits. And, as an autistic person that is so, so similar to Newt, it's so nice to have another character to relate to in other ways because I see myself in both of their characteristics.

[caffiend-queen]

The Auction

A dystopian tale of the “New Americas,” where the divide between the wealthy and… everyone else is too great to cross. But with all the other viruses comes one that lies dormant in the genes, activating at birth and it is inevitably fatal. So now, perfect genetics are the most desired thing in a mate. Even if you have to buy one.

Important note: there are discussions of disabilities in this chapter viewed by the assholes in this dystopian tales as ‘adverse elements.’ Since my twin boys have autism, I know this is bullshit. Please keep in mind that any discussion of the differently-abled is only for the purpose of the story and their negative responses are pathetic and uneducated.

You’ll be seeing Rich Asshole Ransom Drysdale at the auction tonight, along with James Buchanan Barnes and Terrifying But So Good in a Suit Loki. All obscenely rich bastards. All looking for a wife.

Chapter One - This Can’t Be Happening

“This can’t be happening.”

The woman weeping softly to the right of Rowan might be a little older than she was, but it’s clear she had no frame of reference for what was about to happen to her.

“Stop, don’t mess up your makeup,” Rowan whispered, trying to wipe away the mascara streaming down the woman’s wet cheeks. “Look, it’ll be…”

It’ll be okay?

Was she really about to say something as stupid as that? The group of overly made-up captives - including Rowan, the crying woman clutching her hand, and the twelve other young women shivering in sheer dresses - were most definitely not going to be okay.

“Listen, you’re here now,” she squeezed the crying woman’s hand, trying to get her to look at her. “This is going to happen, so you have to take control of it, okay? You-”

“What is the problem here?”

The voice was sharp, no-nonsense, and sounded much like the priest at the shelter Rowan had left the instant she turned eighteen. But this man definitely took no vow of poverty. His suit was bespoke and perfectly tailored to hide the beginning of a paunch, silver hair expensively styled. “Number Eleven, you’re foolish enough to dismantle the stylist’s work for a tantrum? Who do you think wants to bid on a crying mess? Who would think you were worth millions of credits?” His sharp brown eyes went to Rowan. “And why are you encouraging this, Number Fourteen?”

“I’m not, Mr. Toussaint, I was just-” she tried to smile, to disarm the angry… What did they call him, she thought. Not a pimp, uh, a procurer?

He waved her off impatiently. “I don’t care. Amber!” he shouted over his shoulder, “Come touch up Number Eleven.” The man stepped back and looked over the group. “Listen to me carefully. I have done everything I can to improve your chances of a good match: your wardrobe, your manners, the expensive stylists... Your future is now your responsibility. You can receive a highly lucrative five-year contract with a wealthy partner who will spoil you. Or you can show yourself as weak, poor quality material, and then,” he paused ominously, “I cannot predict your future. The House of Toussaint is known as the finest auction house in the New Americas. I will not allow you to cheapen that reputation. Do you hear me?”

There was a chorus of mumbles and “yessirs,” but he wasn’t happy.

“Do you HEAR ME?”

“Yes, Sir!” Rowan said loudly, clearly, and while the others hurried to add to her answer, Toussaint stared at her, eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

“There’s a reason you are the last item up for auction tonight,” he said, “I intend to showcase your superb genetics. But that can change if you attempt to speak out again or involve yourself with the other girls.”

She gritted her teeth hard enough to crack a molar before taking a deep breath and offering her sweetest smile. “Absolutely, Sir. I understand completely.” She could picture Ben’s sweet smile as vividly as if he was standing in front of her. She could be sweet, too. She could be very, very sweet.

“Keep up that smile,” her pimp, procurer, whatever he wanted to be called, was standing behind her, looking at their reflection in the mirror. “The live feed to the reception room begins in ten minutes.”

The live feed. She shuddered. Her only moment of gratitude was that the humiliation of flouncing down the catwalk in that dress would be witnessed only by the men and women bidding for her and the others. At any other time, she would have liked this dress; not too much cleavage, with slim straps spread wide on her shoulders to show off her collarbones and neck, but dipping scandalously low in the back. It was beaded, silver, and a green so dark it almost looked black under the lights, with a long slit showing part of her right thigh. And so heavy. What did they make these beads out of, Rowan wondered, lead?

The stylist had pinned her hair up loosely, at some point, the auctioneer would tell her to take her hair out of its chignon and sweep it out to show off the length. Long hair, real long hair, not extensions, was rare, apparently.

As if any of that mattered.

Well, maybe it did. These women - and a couple of men she’d heard - who would be bid on like cattle tonight were all extremely attractive. Rowan sneered, carefully turning away so no one would catch her expression. Good genes weren’t enough for these rich bastards. Their bought and paid-for’s had to have good looks, too.

“Number One, you’re up!”

The girl was sweet, a classic Irish with pale skin, flaming red hair and a pretty spatter of freckles buried under a heavy layer of makeup. What was her name? Rowan tried to remember: they’d shared breakfast that morning, her oatmeal for Glenna’s fruit. Glenna! That’s right!

“Glenna, you got this!” Feeling stupid even as she did it, Rowan held up both thumbs, nodding and smiling. The redhead at least managed a watery grin and a thumbs-up before Amber hustled her out the door.

Walking back and forth, hands on her beaded hips, Rowan listened to the muffled sounds of the auctioneer, how he’d pause, waiting for laughter or some other response from the room stuffed with rich entitled assholes.

One of which is buying you and taking you home tonight, her spiteful inner voice reminded her.

“I don’t think I can do this.”

It was Mina, one of the few who had willingly signed up for the Bride Auction. Her warm brown eyes were wide, clearly trying to keep the tears from spilling. She had a wonderfully lush mouth, glowing skin the color of molten chocolate and a voluptuous figure, the kind of bombshell look that was wildly popular.

Rowan tried to smile, “I think it’s too late. Do you want the pep talk or to just cry a little?”

Mina’s full lower lip trembled. “P- p- p- pep talk.”

Oh, crap a stutter, Rowan groaned silently. It was nothing, nothing at all but with these choosy trust fund scum, the slightest sign of anything less than conventionally perfect could be dangerous. “Okay, I got you. Look. I’d tell you to picture everyone out there as naked, but I think that’s probably too gross to relax you.”

That helped, Mina giggled and hiccuped a bit.

“Who are you doing this for?” Rowan persisted.

“M- m- sister’s k- kids. She got in an accident last month, a hit and run. Just… coming home from work, carrying a bag of groceries. The car hit her hard enough that they found her soup cans a block away. They’re living with m- m- me but my roommates told me they have to leave or we all do. This is-” Mina’s hands were shaking and she clutched them into fists. “This is all I h- have,” gesturing bitterly at her face and body.

“Number Five!” Miss Lavigne said sharply, “Get in line. You’re nearly up.”

Mina turned to go and Rowan grabbed her arm. “Listen,” she said, leaning in close. “There is one unarguable truth in this entire shit show. These rich bastards, they think they have everything; the money, the power, they think they own us. But don’t you forget that there is something they don’t have: our perfect genetic profile. And they’re scared, scared enough to pay for it. They need you just as much as you need them. You strut down that catwalk like you own it. Like you own them. You make them bid so high their banker will have an aneurysm. You hear me?”

She’d been whispering to keep the malevolent Miss Lavigne from hearing her, but when Rowan let Mina go she realized there was a little circle of girls around them. “Don’t any of you forget it. They’re scared and they need you.” They scattered like they were mice when the kitchen light turned on, and Mr. Toussaint stepped in front of her, eyes narrowed with fury.

“It seems, Number Fourteen that you don’t want to see your brother ever again.”

Her hands darted behind her back so he couldn’t see them shake. “You should be thanking me.”

“What?” Now his ruddy skin flushed even darker.

“You want these girls to drain your clients out there of every last million they’re willing to spend and then several million more. Well, now they will.”

Mr. Toussaint’s sharp eyes canvassed the dressing room. The auction items were standing taller, checking their hair, or lipstick in the mirror, straightening the straps on their dress.

“Number Five! You’re on.”

Mina gave Rowan one last smile, and she nodded back.

He stared down at her for a moment longer. “Go have Amber look at your hair. It’s a mess." She was edging away when Toussaint leaned closer. “Your little speech was quite inspiring to these poor, deluded girls. But there are dozens just like you that have been sold through this house. These people fear nothing. And if they wish to carve you open and extract your DNA, no one will stop them. This auction that you so despise? It protects you. With marriage, with financial security that your new spouse cannot access. I do not expect humility from such as you, but be bright enough to pretend you do.”

Toussaint straightened his tie and left without another look at her.

Rowan was submitting to another re-pinning of her carelessly upswept chignon that took a good hour to create and practicing her smile in the mirror. Inviting, confident, a little demure, and uncertain… So many important people! She pretended to bat her eyelashes. It’s such an honor to be here!

It was fucking terrifying to be here. These were the names no one knew, the families so wealthy that they could crush notoriety. These people owned the New Americas.

Everything. Everyone.

Every law that passed, every new “Moral Mandate” was straight from their twisted brains.

“Number Fourteen! You’re on.”

And now, one of them would own her.

“Rowan Wallace is twenty-eight, stands 5”8 with black hair and pale green eyes,” the auctioneer’s voice is smooth and ingratiating and if Rowan wasn’t so busy trying to walk smoothly with a spotlight blinding her, she would have flipped him off.

“She is in superb health, with a full vaccination status, administered and verified by the Chronology Medical Group, which also performed a full genetic panel. You can see the numbers here on the monitor, and her specialized genome projection that…”

The room was dark beyond the brightly lit stage. Of course, Rowan thought, I don’t deserve to see who’s bidding on me. I’m just the shiny object.

“Her IQ has been tested, with a score of 145.”

Rowan slowed on her turn, letting the audience see the sway of her hips, a slight arch to her back as she turned her head to look over one shoulder. My IQ? When the hell did they test me for that? What else did they test me for?

“You’ll see,” the auctioneer continued, “on the 3D projection that Number Fourteen’s uterus and ovaries are in excellent health, and-”

That little revelation almost made Rowan trip on the edge of her dress, but she managed to make the stumble look like another half turn.

“Number Fourteen,” this time, the voice was Mr. Toussaint's. “Stand at the end of the catwalk, if you would.”

Yeah, so pleasant and oh, so posh when your rich assholes are in the room, she thought bitterly. Bitter, but not stupid enough to defy him, she sashayed back to the circular end, posing with her right leg turned and slightly bent at the knee, hand demurely behind her back.

“You rank at 495 out of 500 on the Genetic Reliability Outcome Consensus, Number Fourteen, quite superb.” There was actually a little round of applause at this and it took every ounce of self-control to keep from rolling her eyes.

Mr. Toussaint was looking at her, seemingly expecting some sort of response, so Rowan flashed him an insincere smile, eyes lowered. “That’s… good to hear, Sir.”

A little chuckle rippled through the bidders and she gave a sweet little shrug. Don’t think of these bastards, think of Ben. Don’t you forget why we’re all up here! Her feet were killing her, these high heels must be lined with razor wire or something because-

“However, adding in the adverse element score, you do drop fifty points, dear.” The son of a bitch bastard’s bleached white teeth glowed in the stage lighting. “Your brother was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and of course is part of the package, isn’t he?”

Of course, Rowan’s teeth gritted, another ignorant asshole considering her brother as an ‘adverse element?’ How dare he! Oh, it’s on fucker!

“Well, Mr. Toussaint, I am sure you know, as do all of these extremely well-educated and well-informed leaders in the New Americas, that autism is an indication of the evolution of the human brain. Many people on the Autism Spectrum have unique gifts and talents, along with high scores for intelligence and potential to overcome sensory challenges that might inhibit their abilities to contribute to their community.”

His stupid bleached teeth opened like he was about to interrupt. Oh, no, bitch, I am on a roll.

“My brother Ben is a gift. He is challenging and intelligent, courageous in a way that I’m not. He makes me a better person, he makes everyone around him want to be more than they are. Truthfully?” Rowan looked out into the darkened room again. “He is the best part of this package.”

There was silence for a moment, quiet enough to hear the low buzz of the 3D projector and the rattling of the bracelet on her wrist as she tried to clench her shaking hands together. She'd screwed up. She had so screwed this up.

The auctioneer gave a light chuckle, smoothly divesting Mr. Toussaint of the mic. “Lovely, and it seems passion and loyalty are other excellent traits of Number Fourteen. And now, dear, if you will remove your dress.”

Rowan’s heart stopped. What? This was NOT in their practice runs! She looked out again, licking her lips. He was kidding. This wasn’t humiliating enough? Oh, there’s no way-

“Number Fourteen? Now, if you please.”

Ben’s sweet smile. She could remember it so vividly when he handed her the lunch he’d packed for her when she’d left their apartment that morning before they took him away. When he’d told her, “This is going to be a perfect day!” When he’d smiled, and…

Standing straight, shoulders back and looking regally over the darkened crowd, Rowan raised her hands to the glittering straps holding the heavy gown up and pulled them down. The silver and green beads flashed in the light as the dress dropped to the floor.

Alerting mutuals who I think might be interested, please let me know if you’d like on or off this list. Thank you!

@nonsensicalobsessions

@albinotigerpython

@oldenoughtobeyourmama

@chezdricks

@noseyrosey1597

@before-we-get-started

@mizzzpink

@patzammit

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@that-one-gay-girl

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@devilish--doll

@team-iron-wannabe-man

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@what-is-your-plan-today

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@jevans2

@teambarnes72​

[bemamar]

I am sorry if this ignorant but in my country there’s a common belief that autistic adult people cannot develop adult brain, many times on TV they showed us these type of autistic people who their brain stop developing but after seeing so many autistic on social media I found out that I may had misinformation ever since I was a kid.. I could not found helpful articles because of the lack of awareness here so if it’s ok to ask you why do people share this kind of info and how true it is ?? Going through social media I came with the idea that there was some misunderstanding about this.

               Hey anon, glad you seem to be seeking information. That is... yeah. Definitely a no. There are of course, many other disorders that can happen  alongside autism, just as they can happen with non-autistic people, and those can be of course a challenge, but that doesn’t mean that is the reality of every autistic person, or that those people should be infantilized either. On the contrary, really.

Just to give you my personal experience, I grew up autistic and I didn’t even know it until one year ago, so that might tell you something. I’ve graduated highschool and I have a degree in Architecture and Urbanism. Nowadays I am an English teacher, and I also work with translation, design, publication and selling of books. A lot of autistic people work in very complex industries that take care of things such as infrastructure, health (like vaccines!), technological development, and so on. Others don’t. Others teach, others are amazing artists, others live an academic life, others like working with their hands. That doesn’t mean one is more developed than the other, we’re just different people with different interests, same as anyone. 

This is a very complex subject and I can give you two wonderful channels to get you started if you really want to learn more: Chloé Hayden and Paige Layle who have tons of research on those things.

From my own dedicated research, the central (summarized!!!) points I can give you are these: there are two main reasons (and a consequence), as of my understanding, for why people believe that autistics are only children, that we “disappear” when we grow up, or as you said, that we stay stuck in a childish mental age. 

The first one is that most referenced, known, and used studies for autism are still ones that were done decades ago. Back then, professionals thought only young male (white) boys could be autistic, so all of the stablished research for autism is based on how a very specific demographic could behave, or react, or present the disorder. So if we’re talking about a whole rainbow spectrum, we’ve only ever studied one shade of one color and one length of that color, and nothing else. That’s also the only image that’s ever been projected for people on media, so whenever anyone thinks autism, they think of the caricature of the young white boy who’s nerdy and quiet and lonely and prone to outbursts if upset. 

The second problem is that a LOT of the organizations who claim to study autism to help autistic people, are run by non autistics that have no interests in helping adult autistics, or listening to us, and actually just keep looking for ways to either get rid of it (which would be like trying to get rid of my bisexuality, or the color of my skin) OR they’re trying to identify all of the genetics so they can stop us from being born at all by identifying autism in the womb (eugenics).

The consequence of those things, and of the fact that many autistics have different ways of communicating (like non-verbal autistics, who would communicate via text or other means), means that the people who are actually represented when talking about autism are the non-autistic parents of autistic children. They are the ones the studies, the organizations, the aid etc are meant to help. The parents. And parents have to parent children, not adults. So any articles, any programs to help, any government aid, it’s all aimed at the parents, as though like I said, children grew out of their autism eventually (impossible), or as though, like you said, we didn’t grow up at all. There is a major focus on autism as a burden for the poor neurotypical parents who can’t understand their child, while ignoring the autistic person themselves.

Yes, there are many of us who have more special needs than others, and those should be respected, there are as I’ve said, co-conditions that can occur, there are a lot of us, as I’ve mentioned, that have difficulty speaking up or speaking verbally at all, but not being able to communicate what is on your mind in a way that is comfortable for non-autistic people doesn’t make your mind underdeveloped. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be listened to when decisions are made about your own life, it doesn’t mean you can’t accomplish whatever you want to do with accommodations, and it doesn’t mean you can’t understand the world around you or have amazing talents, or just want to sit on your couch and watch tv and have a regular job. 

We’re people of all kinds because we’re people. We have different needs, and only the people who have them can tell you about that, I could never speak for them, I can only speak of my own needs. But you can research more and learn the nuances I could never put into a singular answer. That’s the gist of it. I hope you do continue to learn! And I wish luck to autistics in your country, I’m sure there are many more of them than you imagine, and there must be communities over there too, because we exist all over the world, and we definitely don’t stop existing or become neurotypicals at 18 years old.

[mx-drumbot]

surprising no one, i’ve become obsessed with the Black Phone. so here are my headcanons about each of the babies.

Finney

aside from seeing ghosts, he hallucinates after getting out. mostly phones ringing but also the sound of a belt snapping together. sometimes he sees blood dripping from walls or broken glass on the floor

he has the same hair as his mom, his dad doesn’t know how to take care of it. that’s why his curls are so undefined.

he started playing pinball after recovering. he hasn’t quite been able to reach Vance’s high score, but he’s getting close

he loves Star Wars and somehow convinced Gwen to dress up as Luke and Leia with him. (he called that Vader was both of their father’s too)

he learned how to speak spanish from Robin’s family (and constantly watching Robin’s mouth when he talked). the first time his extended family visited for a birthday party, they all thought Finney was just a really pale latino

he and Gwen have sleepovers every thursday night where they go down the events of their week and eat copious amounts of junk food

he works on the Hubble Space Telescope as an adult.

Robin

he cries to Selena’s music, especially after he realized that he had feelings for Finney

he has ADHD and that’s why it’s so difficult for him to focus on a teacher that talks too fast

he has comorbid autism too, and his special interest is slasher movies, his favorite will always be the original silent horrors, but he’s a big fan of jump scares

the only jewelry (aside from friendship bracelets that Finney makes him) that he’ll wear are his confirmation chain and the small gold ring he got from his grandfather

he has just a fuck ton of siblings, as well as a twin sister who is exactly like him. he gets along with all of them and they all look out for each other

if he had survived, he wanted to be a stuntman or a director. no one ever explained to him that he could be both

he insults people in spanish but says it in a nice way so they think he’s saying something sweet. sometimes he does it just to make Finney laugh.

Vance

AUTISM. THIS MAN IS SO AUTISM CODED

pinball and silent movies are his special interests. he steals pinball machines that arcades throw out and has seen every charlie chaplin movie ever made

he goes out of his way to feed stray dogs, stray cats, and he always makes sure to let ducks/geese pass. he also stops his car to help turtles get across the road, but only if no one is around

his dad fucked off somewhere after the first time he got arrested, his mom does her best but she’s practically always gone at work. he doesn’t resent her but he hates his dad

if he had survived he would’ve started a shitty punk band where he made music about his trauma. he only likes loud noises when he’s the one making them

he has really bad sensory issues and wears the same clothes for days on end, if anyone brings it up, he gets a nice stim moment out of beating them up

when he was younger, his mom called him little wolf because he would bite people if he was given the opportunity. she still calls him that if he’s sick or injured while she’s around

Griffin

loud af because he was half deaf. his mom was born deaf and his father lost his hearing because of genetic condition that ended up killing him, but he’s half deaf because he was hit by a baseball when he was three

not even the cia could get this out of him, but he so badly wants to be like vance. he thinks vance is the coolest motherfucker ever

his younger brother is in one of Gwen’s classes and both of them are just absolutely terrified of her. his brother has a little crush on her though

he really wanted to ask Finney if he could check on his mom, but he could only repeat himself, it sucked

he loves comedies, anything satirical or sarcastic is his absolute favorite though. this man would eat up twitter and tiktok

if he had survived, he would’ve become a middle school history teacher, mostly because he loves teaching ancient egypt and other ancient civilizations

he loves kids, he only has a little brother but he hangs out with his brother’s friend group more than anyone his age

Paperboy

(to preface this, headcanons. thank you) it prefers it/its pronouns mostly because it really never felt quite human. not in a kinnie way, just in a neurodivergent way

its dog’s name is cain. one because he attacks other dogs, but only of the same breed and two because it thinks that naming a canine, cain is really funny.

it loves sweet things. milkshakes, candy, baked goods? all of that, those are basically its favorite food

if it had survived, it would’ve become a journalist. it really liked reading the newspaper and doing the crossword

it once slept outside for a week after an argument with its mom. cain slept next to it to keep it company.

Paperboy knows that it probably shouldn’t steal things from places like Walmart and Walgreens but at the same time, it’s never been caught.

its dad was a greaser in the 50s and it absolutely idolizes that aesthetic, like it thinks the 50s were the perfect time period

Bruce

his mom is a teacher and he takes naps in her class when he has free periods and no homework

he idolizes bruce lee and is always super happy when someone points out that they have the same name. action movies are his favorite

he has pretty good grades, but he would drop anything for a baseball game, he knows he’s good and he loves winning. he’s played on four travel teams

his family isn’t religious, so the first time he ever celebrated christmas was with his baseball team. he bought them all gifts and kept the gifts that they game him in his bedroom

if he had survived, he would’ve wanted to go pro in baseball. he might’ve been able to. his backup plan was marketing, mostly because he’d be able to talk to a lot of people

he was homecoming king at his school, partially because he’s a class favorite and partially because no one ran against him

he has a pet goldfish that is his best friend, her name is goldie but his parents just call her fish

Gwen

she learns how to better control her talents and becomes a detective. she names her detective agency after her mom

her favorite color is purple but she never wears it, she claims that the rarity of it is what makes it so special

she leaves her hair in braids for no more than six hours, she’s seen how long it takes for Finney to make his hair look decent, she has no desire for curly hair

her favorite hobby is creative writing. after Finney went missing, she stopped writing. mostly because she only wrote horror stories.

her dad tried to force her to learn to play piano, but stopped after she figured out how to do the talking piano illusion and made it call him a bastard

she tries not to be super protective, but she always asks her friends if they want her to walk with them when they go somewhere. especially if it’s a day where she’s nervous

she absolutely hates spending more than two hours alone, she always wants someone to talk to, usually that person is one of her friends or Finney