#because some of the characters in question are not like. canonically diagnosed. some are but some aren't.

[light-wrath-paradise]

Extremely funny to me how people keep getting their "baby's first character with cluster B personality disorder" experience and always get extremely depressed that they don't get an ok ending. Meanwhile I'm here like:

[cripplecharacters]

Hi! So I’m writing a non-verbal autistic toddler. I wanted to ask about large stereotypes I should avoid? Part of my writing him is making him have some of my experiences (such as the “gifted kid”) but also some of the experiences of other autistic individuals such as being put into therapy as children and being raised by parents who were given terrible coping skills or just adults with terrible coping mechanisms for the child )such as restraining them when they have a meltdown). I’m not sure if there’s anything I should be avoiding but I don’t want to make a mistake and end up never writing an autistic or disabled child in general

Hi asker,

I want to start off with a note about stereotypes about autism, specifically. Some people will tell you to avoid 'stereotypical' portrayals of autism, like intellectually disabled autistic people, or ones who can't have jobs, or ones who stand 'weird,' or ones who are very obviously visibly disabled, or ones who need caregivers, or ones with no empathy. What I want to say about this is that there are autistic people who are these things, maybe all of them even. And that's fine. It's one thing to say "don't write every autistic character this way, which is true – the experiences of people with autism are very, very varied, and not a monolith. But it is another to say "Never write an autistic character who [insert common characteristic of autism here]," because that's harmful and disingenuous, and often just done as a way to distance oneself from those more affected by their disability.

Now that I'm off my soapbox, onto your actual question.

One stereotype I would urge you to avoid is "Everyone around them sees their autism as negative and no one supports this kid how they are." Does this happen in real life? Unfortunately, yes. Do we already have enough of this in stories? Also yes. The kid's parents can have bad coping skills. They can put them into various therapies to try and help or maybe even to try and make them more typical, not just to help them gain skills and get support, because that happens. But I would urge you to include at least one or two aspects of their autism that their parents appreciate and support. Maybe they stim with the kid, or maybe they really truly find it endearing how much their kid likes lining things up, or maybe they're really determined to get their kid an AAC device because they're okay with their kid being nonverbal and just want them to be able to communicate in the best way possible.

Another thing I would ask you to consider is: when it comes to referencing terrible coping mechanisms that are actually harmful, like dangerous modes of restraints, it's important that if you are going to be depicting them in the first place, you make sure it's not posed as a good idea – this is the kind of thing that can kill people. When Sia's Music came out, the character gets put in a dangerous restraint and within the movie it's posed as the right thing to do when it is actually potentially deadly. No one in the making of the movie condemned it outside of the movie's canon, either. That's dangerous.

Also, how old is your toddler character? Were they diagnosed recently, or is it more like the character is almost 5 and they were diagnosed at 18 months? Parents will deal with a diagnosis a little differently when they just get it as opposed to when they have had a little more experience with it, and have gotten to know more about why their kid does what they do.

Lastly, something I'd ask you to avoid as well is for the autistic character to be nothing more than a plot device to make others look good (or bad). Now of course I don't know your story, but even if the toddler character is a minor character, they should have a little to do in the story that isn't just be there for others to look like better or worse people. They can have scenes with other characters that help progress the story forward, even if it's just a scene or two. This really depends on your story and plot, though, so you have a lot of leeway.

Hope this helps!

– mod sparrow

[deerdoeb]

Guys random question, but what do yall think of the Penny/Ezra diagnosis in Legoland?

Because in Legoland, Penny is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and depression, and Ezra is diagnosed with ADHD. But I see many RTC/LEGOLAND fans not believing in these diagnoses, because the doctor who diagnosed them doesn't seem to care much about his patients + just push pills on them.

But I've also seen people saying how bad it is to mischaracterize them and ignore their disorders.

So, ummm, mainly personal opinion/hc's now, do NOT take my opinions as a fact

I like to believe that Penny's and Ezra's diagnoses are correct (Especially because they show some symptoms during the play) but they were poorly done, like, Penny is bipolar, Ezra has ADHD, but the doctor didn't even try to check at all, he just listened a little about the two and came to his own conclusions. (This is kinda based off on my own experiences with a doctor, but that doesn't matter, just wanted to say that this is something that happens a lot to a lot of people)

So why would it be wrong to assume the diagnosis is wrong/Just ignore it? DISABILITY ERASURE, This is the main argument, since some fans believe that ignoring Penny's bipolar disorder/Ezra's adhd is disability erasure. I'm not gonna talk a lot about this since I don't have a opinion on this. But it kinda falls under the disability erasure criteria, considering you're ignoring the characters canon disabilities.(Bipolar/adhd are disabilities)

BUT, theres also the fact that the diagnosis is very vague, and there are some signs that may be wrong. So idk guys, have your own opinions.

Ty for reading, ily :3

[bitethedevil]

What annoys you about fandom culture

Oh that’s a spicy question.

Had you asked me a couple of years ago, my answer would be very different from today. I was a proud member of the SuperWhoLock fandom on here as a kid (I still shudder to think about it), and that was usually what I first thought of when the word “fandom” was uttered.

I think I’ve had a pretty negative view on it for a very long time. Mostly I saw fandom culture as cringe. I later got diagnosed with autism and found out that many of the things I found awful and cringe about fandoms, was me internalizing the insecurity I had about my own hyperfixations and I was projecting that onto other people who were obsessed or passionate about certain subjects.

Now “cringe” is a term I’ve tried to kill in my own life. It has been difficult for me to be really unashamedly into something, but you’re on this blog, so you know I’ve certainly gotten somewhere with it lol. I also first and foremost would never put someone else down about their interests, no matter how borderline obsessive they might seem and how they express that obsession. Because if it happened to myself, I know how things like that would crush my enjoyment when I was younger. It’s a very “let people enjoy what they enjoy”-sort of mind set I’ve tried to develop.

Now, if there is something that annoys me, a part of it is related to the statement above: don’t yuck other people’s yum. It’s not too bad on tumblr (in my limited experience). A few negative posts might make it into the tags every now and again, but I don’t mind that too much. You’re allowed to hate the characters I love.

Any kind of media should be open for whatever interpretation the viewer/reader gets out of it. I even like reading Raphael-hate sometimes if the person has some arguments that I haven’t heard before. As you might have noticed from my humongous list of analyses posts, I like picking things apart, and I like seeing other people doing the same, even if it might be in a negative light.

What I don’t like is when it’s: “fuck this character! how can anyone like this character”. Like sure, fair, but don’t tag that specific character (I know that my examples have been pointed towards Raphael, but I know that some Raphael fans have done the same the other way around). I don’t particularly like the Emper*r, but I’ve tried my best to make sure those posts don’t end up in their tags.

These are things across characters though, but it happens within a specific fandom too. I’m not a huge fan of the posts that are like “this character would never (insert statement)”. I don’t like when a version or an opinion of a character becomes canonized through the fandom and presented as fact. This ties back to the thing about me liking to hear about multiple interpretations and that I think all of people’s personal interpretations are valid. It makes it so that media becomes set in stone and then you are unable to gain anymore from it. It ruins it. You don’t agree with a specific version of a character? Then don’t read it. Or do, and maybe gain a new perspective.

My other points would be those that are obvious: don't harass voice actors or any other real life people because you like a specific media or character. Don't be silly.

I also want to be fair and say that this is the first fandom that I have been super active in in years, and I've said again and again that I love this fanbase for how open and kind it is. I think it's the perfect fit for me tbh. I have dipped my toe in other, more popular fandoms but I have quickly found them too overwhelming, because you have to cater to very specific interests in order to even be heard if you are making content, which quickly creates a very limited eco-system and thus some of the problems above might emerge. Here there is a little bit of everything and when you type in the "raphael bg3"-tag, it isn't loaded with thousands of pages of content anymore. That makes me more curious about things I wouldn't normally be into and that broadens my horizon a bit. I like that.

(Thank you for the ask <3)

[live-laugh-legolas]

I was reading this post by @just-a-little-cellist and I was inspired to do something similar but with the fellowship

I’ve done a few more specific mental health hc’s but this is just their general relationship with mental health as opposed to how they handle others with something specific if that makes sense

Also I’m not trying to diagnose any characters; you shouldn’t make assumptions about others, these are just my hcs for some version of the characters, whether canon or not, we will never know

The Fellowship and mental health

Aragorn:

-He is very knowledgeable about different mental health disorders

-Very quick to pick up on it

-I don’t imagine him having any personal experience with any of it though

-I could imagine him having ADHD as a kid and although it doesn’t just go away he has learned to mask it incredibly well

-He has mixed thoughts on medication; he’s not against it but he personally won’t take anything

Legolas:

-I think elves are a split bunch

-Their knowledge of mental health is scattered

-Elves are not shy with feelings but I don’t imagine them having many problems when not in a time of grief

-And I think Legolas was especially sheltered from any mental health discussions

-Maybe the woodland elves are less open to the idea since I think Elrond knows everything about mental disorders

-A cultural difference I suppose

-He loves learning though so he will ask lots of questions

Gimli:

-Dwarves are not strangers to troubled mental health

-They are openly emotional and expressive

-But they don’t put names to it; the idea of disorders is not in their nature

-Like they will openly discuss having trouble but don’t tell them they have depression or something

Boromir:

-I could totally see him having anxiety that he’s learned to suppress because his father is a dickhead

-He knows about the more common disorders and is very supportive

-He doesn’t always understand and sometimes he accidentally comes across as dismissive

-I’ve mentioned before that I kinda picture him to be similar to Arthur from BBC’s Merlin (but when he learns to be a bit nicer lol)

-He’s trying his best; he needs a little patience to learn is all

Frodo:

-He reads a lot so I don’t think he’s any stranger

-I think PTSD from the events in LOTR is the first time personally experiencing neurodivergence though

-Bilbo’s definitely got a pinch of something but I couldn’t tell you what

-So he doesn’t really question anyone; he’s kinda like “well, if I meet someone quirkier than my uncle it will be a wondrous day”

Sam:

-I think he’s pretty naive to mental disorders

-Not because he doesn’t want to learn; but he just doesn’t know better

-He may be a bit judgmental at first

-Like I could imagine him making a comment like “what’s up with them?” kind of thing

-But he truly doesn’t mean to be offensive

-He doesn’t branch out much from the people and things he knows so anything new is strange

-But he will be so supportive and will never live down his own regret for saying something even slightly offensive

Merry:

-He knows every disorder, every sign and symptom, and everything to actually have the disorder

-Like this guy has read every version of the DSM

-He finds it fascinating how people’s brains work so differently

-He totally thinks he can diagnose people though; which isn’t great Merry

Pippin:

-Literally doesn’t care

-And I mean he doesn’t judge and it doesn’t change how he thinks of someone

-It’s just kinda like “yeah they do that sometimes; it’s part of their charm”

-Will stim with someone absentmindedly; he is just inherently a copy cat

Gandalf:

-Obviously he knows all the shit and doesn’t discriminate against anyone

-Violently protective if someone makes an inconsiderate, presumptuous, or offensive comment

-Gives kind advice if someone is struggling; but he won’t be overbearing or draw a lot of attention to it

-Ik for some people it is part of their identity and he respects that, but he isn’t going to make jokes or anything (like example: a majority of my friends, which isn’t a lot tbh, are autistic and I joke with them that clearly I have ✨a type✨)

———————————————————————

I personally have my own struggles and experience with my own mental health but I am not the most educated despite this. I know my own diagnoses pretty well but it’s only a small amount compared to the vast number of different disorders.

If anything in here is written in a way that is offensive please let me know; I try my best but it’s entirely possible I am blinded to certain things

Anyway love everyone and I hope you all are doing well :)

[annetdragony]

Headcanon as a Mirror of the Soul: Why There Is No “Single Truth” in the Story of Astarion and Tav

There is no universal truth in the world of Baldur’s Gate 3 — there are millions of worlds born in the imagination of players. Each headcanon is not just a choice of a plot line. It is a deeply personal dialogue with oneself, where through the story of Astarion and Tav, a person explores their fears, dreams, and the unobvious sides of their psyche.

“My Astarion, My Rules”: Headcanon as a Way to Understand Yourself

Headcanon is not a set of lines from the game. It is:

- Projection of internal conflicts. For example, a player who has experienced betrayal can “force” Astarion to give up revenge and ascension in order to symbolically heal his own pain.

- Experiment with power and vulnerability. The cruel Tav, dominating the Ascended Astarion, can reflect the player’s desire to control what seems chaotic in reality.

- Exploring kinks and taboos. BDSM dynamics, roleplaying, or platonic bonding are all safe ways to live out what scares or attracts in reality.

Example: A player who is afraid to trust can create a canon where Tav and Astarion learn to trust through a series of betrayals and apologies. This is not just fan fiction - it's therapy.

"You have your pain, I have mine": why all headcanons are valid.

For one, Astarion is a victim deserving of protection. For another, he is a predator that needs to be tamed. And that's okay.

Working with trauma requires different strategies. Some heal by seeing Astarion kill Cazador and remain a spawn, accepting his "role." Some - by watching him tear him apart in the Ascension ritual, gaining strength.

Kinks are the language of the unconscious. The desire to see Astarion as submissive or dominant may be the brain's attempt to "rewrite" a traumatic experience through metaphor.

Important: Even if someone's canon seems toxic to you, it may be the author's only way to cope with reality. As Jung wrote: "The shadow becomes smaller when it is illuminated.”

D&D: A Field for Safe Madness.

Role-playing games are a space without consequences, where you can:

- Try on the role of an abuser or a savior to understand where the roots of these patterns grow.

- See how your decisions affect others (even pixelated characters).

- Learn to say “stop” — because in a game, unlike in life, there is always a save button.

Example: A player who is afraid of conflicts in real life can create a headcanon where Tav harshly confronts Astarion — and thus trains the skill of defending boundaries.

Important: this applies to solo role-playing games. In live-action role-playing games with other players, it is recommended to discuss boundaries with other players so that there are no scandals and grievances later.

“Don’t judge my headcanon — and I won’t judge yours”: How accepting others helps you accept yourself.

Fan wars around Astarion often arise from the fear: "If their truth is true, then mine is a lie." But headcanon is not a competition. It is:

- A reminder that people are complicated. Some see Astarion as a justification for their revenge, others - a hope for redemption.

- A chance to learn empathy. Even if someone's canon causes rejection, there may be pain behind it that you do not see.

How it works in reality: By accepting that another Tav loves differently and chooses a different path, we learn to accept that our neighbor, colleague or relative lives by rules that we do not understand.

Conclusion: Headcanon as a bridge to yourself and others.

The story of Astarion and Tav is an endless kaleidoscope, where every turn reveals a new facet. There are no “bad” or “good” headcanons — there are people who use them to search for answers to questions they can’t even always formulate.

“Tell me what your Astarion is like — and I’ll tell you what you’re keeping silent about,” a psychologist might say. But we don’t need diagnoses. We need curiosity. Curiosity about other people’s stories, about our own motives, about how one vampire from the game can become the key to dozens of real souls.

D&D teaches: fantasy is not an escape from reality. It’s a way to understand it more deeply.

And your headcanon is you. And it’s beautiful. Even if it doesn’t have a happy ending.

P.S. You still have the right to avoid those headcanons that hurt you. But trying to understand why exactly it hurts you won’t hurt either. That way, you’ll learn more about yourself.

[jheselbraum]

Do you think the GF fandom tends to wobbify Stan a lot more than Ford?

Oh absolutely. And part of it is standard fandom projection, you know? Which is fine, it's whatever. People do it to Ford a lot, too. No biggie. People do it because they see themselves in Stan and that's fine, it just gets in the way of more serious thematic discussion, though back in the day it was a Lot worse people were a lot less chill about the whole thing to the point where if you so much as dared to point out that Stan is a criminal without the qualifiers that he's a criminal because he had no familial support as he was maturing into an adult and was homeless so he kind of had to in order to get by, you'd get fucking demolished.

And like, it's because a lot of people relate to having shitty parents and being told by teachers that they're not smart enough and being homeless or at least really fucking poor. Like, it's just kind of something that happens with fandom, you know? And it's fine, mostly, fandom is a sandbox and a lot of these people are projecting so they can work through real world shit that's happening in their lives (you guys have no idea how many unposted "Ford has some kind of mystery chronic illness that's just absolutely wreaking havoc on his daily life" fics I wrote after I got diagnosed). And it's not like there's zero justification for it, Stan's a very sympathetic character in the show canonically, despite his status as a wanted criminal (presumably internationally), and a bit of a softie at times.

The problem is when the fanon woobification is used in place of actual textual evidence when people try to have serious discussions about the canon material and not your fanfic where Stan is just. Just real sad about his brother, why won't he thank him? He's sad!

This chart from @itsabouttimex2 explains the cycle very succinctly.

Like, I'd argue that Stan isn't even the most woobified character in Gravity Falls by volume (that honor goes to Fiddleford to be honest) but he's the character whose woobification is the most visible and has the most capacity to grind any serious discussion about anything even slightly negative that happened to Stan or, god forbid, was caused by Stan to a halt. Again, this problem has gotten better over the years, despite the fandom's recent "relapse" for lack of a better term, but (and I say this knowing exactly who I was in 2017) sometimes in order to talk about something you like in a fan context, you have to take a step back and remind yourself of who these characters actually are and what the text of a work is actually trying to say. Like, "death of the author" as a way to interpret a work is incredibly popular in fandom at large, not just in Gravity Falls, and it has its merits, but I feel like it's gone from "the meaning of the text is not derived from the author's intention, but the reader's interpretation" to "the meaning of the text is not derived from the text, but the reader"

"Sometimes the curtains are just blue" has already been used to justify completely abandoning the idea of critically analyzing a work (to the point where many reading this will see the word "critical" and assume that I'm talking about literally criticizing something and not analyzing a work to determine its meaning, its purpose, and effectiveness at conveying those two things) and some people will take that a step further and go "Sometimes the curtains are red, because red is better than blue. Sometimes morally."

I didn't expect to go off to yes or no question like that, it just kind of happened. I don't know, I prefer discussions about this show where I don't have to step over a dozen people who think I'm talking about the version of Stanley Pines that lives in their head and always Responds Correctly to whatever personal issue they might have.

[cringelordofchaos]

Disability + Queer headcanons for some South Park characters i like

(warning: u might not agree w everything i have to say !!! :shocked emoji:)

(also sorry if im inconsistent w some characters pronouns ill probably refer to a character with their canon pronouns in the show and then when i remember trans hcs of said characterr suddenly ill refer to the w different pronouns)

Craig Tucker

- gay (no fucking shit sherlock)

- level 1 autistic, low empathy, difficulties communicating and understanding emotions, yada yada u get the gist

- some form of anxiety? idk probs not to a disordered amount but its there.

Kenny McCormick

- Chronic pain (everywhere)

- Epilepsy

- dude LITERALLY got a seizure from simply playing a video game (in thepokemon episode) this dudes physical health is so bad prolly cuz his constant deaths still leave an impact on him even after he gets revived?

- autism !? (idk im not 100% sure just yet)

- selectively mute

- probably some form of (complex?) PTSD from the constant traumatizing deaths he endures though again like im not sure

- but yyeah ok i just remembered thispost is about disability AND queer hcs so uhm kenny. I like the genderqueer hcs but he could also just be really gnc and i love that for him too. either way likes women a lot and i cant exactly imagine him liking a dude? like idk maybe but nah i dont see it

Tweek Tweak

- im sorry but i personally dont view him as having adhd cuz his parents tell others hes hyperactive bc of it but really its because they keep drugging the fucking eight year old so idk. like idk he could possibly have it but i cant decipher cuz we dont know what tweek would be like if he wasnt drugged and a coffee addict at such a young age. and causes of symptoms matter

- but yeah he def has GAD and panic disorder bc of the drugged coffee

- oh also gay

eric cartman

- NPD (i know hes a really stereotypical and harmful portrayal of it and there should be better representation of it but theres no way he doesnt have it im sorry)

- sexuality and gender are whatever benefits him at the moment

(ok but if ur actually wondering abt my hc hes probably gay)(in extreme denial obviously though)

Butters Stotch

- has some form of disorder related to trauma and if he doesnt hell get one when he grows up because like dudes been through SOME FUCKING SHIT. (and he canonically falls asleep to and wakes up to the sounds of his own screams so like. uhm)

- seems like hes straight? like could be bi though idk. he DID have a crush on princess kenny though? take it as you will lmao

- SHIT i forgot about marjorine. yeah just like w kenny either genderqueer or gnc, love both hcs

- may i suggest aroace butters though

- or no sexuality butters (he doesnt have a sexuality :broke heart:)(dont aks me how that works it jst does)

Stan Marsh

- Major depressive disorder

- literal alcoholic at age 10 thats bound to mess him up for life one way or another

- canonically diagnosed with asperger's syndrome but it was his obvious depression being misdiagnosed

- bi but like only gay for specific chars. but yeah confused abt sexuality

- gender questioning too and its pretty canon as shown in 'the cissy'. though then again stans really empathetic so u could say stans confused feelings of gender identity were just being influenced by cartman and wendy recently telling the school theyre trans. idk WHICH way stans trans though and neither do they

- emo

kyle broflovski

- im gonna hes say asexual cuz of human kite's character chart thingy and also bc why not

- have got zero clue as to what his sexuality is like. im a style shipper (big surprise ik) so u might think i think he likes dudes but idk. ive never seen anyone hc him as aroace before but i think it could fit him. he does seem like he could just be cishet too. or maybe bi? ive also seen gay hcs of him. idk man i think multiple fit depending on how u interpret his character?

-

Tolkien Black

- his roleplay character chart thingy said ther character was gender neutral so im going w that hc

- likes girls (canon as shown in cartman finds love)

Bradly/Bradley (the one from the conversion therapy episode)

- gay (SHOCKER)(BIGASS SURPRISE)(

Timmy

- canon wheelchair user (whats the term again i forgor) and also intellectually disabled (but also there was one point where it was revealed he was actually a genius i think?? so maybe hes not intellectually disabled but rather he lacks the capacity to express or communicate his inner world? idk)

- timmy

thas all i got for now im too lazy to continue but yeah pls dont kill me for these

EDIT 11/JUNE/2024: forgot to say this but also kenny has more physical disabilities than listed and also Cartman is dyslexic in my hc

[sherlock-is-ace]

Just some thoughts about DID Holmes in Sherlock & Co.

I need to preface this by saying I don't have DID, all I know about it is from reading and hearing people who do have DID talk about their experience. I can be wrong, I don't mean any harm by it and I encourage people to correct me (just please be kind).

Ok so in the Sherlock & Co. canon, Holmes has DID, amongst a variety of other things, which is a new and interesting thing to explore with this character. I'm not sure if we'll ever see it explored in the show, or if it'll just stay a part of a long list of what makes Sherlock neurodiverse. But I've been thinking about it and I'd like to dump my thoughts here.

I think it makes absolutely perfect sense for Sherlock Holmes to have DID. Even in the ACD canon, Holmes isn't known to have had a good childhood and a good relationship with his parents. Jeremy Brett liked to think Holmes didn't see his mother until he was like eight years old. Lots of neglect, coupled with the struggles of being a "difficult child" because of his perticular cocktail of disorders (ADHD, ASD, SPD, DMDD and ODD), is just the perfect recipe for repetitive childhood trauma that could very well develop into DID. There's no question in my mind that it was a good decision (at least an interesting one) to give Sherlock DID in this adaptation. And that got me thinking about how much he probably struggled with it.

I chose to believe that Sherlock achieved final fusion years before he met John. That's what makes the most sense to me. We know he's got official diagnoses for these things, so it would make sense to me that he got professional help for his DID as well. And based on his personality, and his need to be in control and know all the information available to him, I think final fusion would be the result he would have seeked, as opposed to functional multiplicity.

Now of course one can't logic their way out of neurodiversity, and one can't just logic their way into final fusion. But what works and doesn't work has to have some connection to the way someone is, and I think Sherlock Holmes would have worked his ass out in therapy to achieve final fusion because I think it would have been a horrible time for a man like him.

I'm thinking about how he would handle the amnesia (we know his views in memory and identity), the loss of control when a different alter fronted, the confusion of "waking up" in a completely different part of town, disassociating in the middle of important (or interesting) tasks, etc. etc. I also think that perhaps, his addiction could have been a result of a persecutor alter.

As someone who struggles with communication because of his autism, I think perhaps that could also affect Holmes' communication with his alters. I genuinely don't know if that could be a thing or not, I've never met anyone who had DID and autism so I'm not sure how correct that assumption is. But if that communication was also a struggle, it would explain why functional multiplicity wouldn't work as well.

And I don't know, perhaps we'll have more glimpses into Sherlock's past in the podcast, and we'll learn more about his DID diagnosis, perhaps he hasn't achieved final fusion, perhaps he very much still struggles with switches and memory loss. We don't know, but I do hope we get to explore it more! It ads a new layer of complexity to the character that we haven't seen in other adaptations, and I really love that!

We know that Sherlock Holmes is always neurodivergent, whether that is explicitly diagnosed in canon or not. The whole point of Sherlock Holmes as a character, from ACD canon to any modern version, is that he doesn't think like everyone else. That is literally the definition of neurodiversity. To take that away from Holmes is to destroy the character. But what this adaptation did, by giving a name to each and every trait of Holmes is very interesting and I hope they can handle it well! So far I've been very pleasently surprised by the way they have handled Sherlock's autism. It is very much a part of him and it informs his actions, but it is not all that he is. And maybe it's because Joel Emery's daughter is autistic so he has more knowledge about it than the other disorders, but I still hope we get to see more of that as well, especially Sherlock's DID.

Alright that's all kdjfhg

As I said, I don't have DID so take everything I said with a grain of salt. But if anyone has thoughts they'd like to share please come talk to me! :D And if anyone has DID and wants to share their thoughts about Sherlock & Co. thought the lense of someone with the disorder please do! I'd be very happy to read about it. (Also my ask is always open if anon is more comfy)

[irlkomaedanagito]

ghdsfkjghdsf is that a common thing?

I don't really get how he'd be misdiagnosed anyway; it would need brain scans, especially since it's so rare at his age, and if anything it would have been misdiagnosed as other conditions for a while. Only going off cry-stars here- I have no expertise myself- but she's said that can happen and there was a recent case in Japan where a young guy's dementia was mistaken for depression for ages.

If we doubt Komaeda's FTD it can only be via doubting his honesty imo (but I still think he's telling the truth). I also love seeing analyses of him through the lenses of other disorders as comorbid instead of alternative diagnoses- especially autism, but I've seen interesting takes wrt OCD and BPD too- but canonically I feel like bvFTD, extreme post-traumatic stress and political radicalisation adequately explain his issues.

TO BE FAIR it probably isnt As common as i think it is, i just saw one reddit post thst explicitly claimed the FTD was a misdiagnosis and that it totally makes way more sense for komaeda to have autism and bpd, and a surprisung number of people... agreed? for some reason??

which i need to state for the record a) i am autistic myself and b) have absolutely zero problems with headcanons, even if they arent ones i ascribe to personally

what i DO have a problem with is people erasing canon neurodivergencies and/or erasing traits CENTRAL to a character in order to square-peg-round-hole the headcanon THEY have as the most correct one

"nagito has ftd and was autistic before that?" cool! neat! seeing how those two disorders being comorbid with each other could be really interesting!

"nagito does NOT have ftd, the devs were wrong, they actually wrote an autistic character and didnt realize it" stop talking.

this is very like, misanthropic i guess but after SO MUCH SHIT ive seen it just speaks to an unwillingness to empathize with or relate to anyone that isnt exactly like you. and you cant just headcanon real people around you with Misdiagnosed Autistic (most.... times....) so this pops up in fiction

like. i am autistic! i also have two (2) personality disorders, and neither is bpd. this has led to a non negligible amount of autistic people completely stereotyping my other disorders as evil in order to prop themselves up ("i thought i was a narcissist/sociopath, which wouldve been awful, but really i was just autistic! phew!!" with implicit, sometimes EXPLICIT value judgements being made)

i have had a friend i had in real life, to my face, say he didn't believe i had either personality disorder and really i was secretly just autistic

...if we had been better friends, maybe he would've known me well enough to know that that's almost... comically untrue. lol

so in my opinion there do exist a certain minority of autistic people who see autism as the only neurodivergency that Matters, or at least the one that matters the most. and the only way they can feel any sympathy for anyone else is if they are also autistic

and i know this is a minority! and i just see it a lot because i am an autist in fandom and a lot of other autistic people are also in fandom! AND that this is a mindset prone to ANY minority- most people think their Problem is the Worst Problem, it just... happens. however i am just as irrational and prone to biases as anyone else and ive chosen this as my completely irrelevant hill to die on

that one reddit post made me so goddamn mad bc of All This PLUS its double insulting when someone says "i have a special interest in psychology!" as a way to say theyre extremely knowledgable, and doing genuine analysis with the lens of "i am looking at the text and trying to make an objective diagnosis" and then STILL DO THIS!!! because they have this veneer of "im just a guy asking questions" before diving right into a weirdly consspiratory subset of "everyones an idiot about mental health except for ME"

...which tbf i dont think that about myself. i am very good at writing a wide variety of mental illness due to a combination of research and life experience BUT i could really only tell you like. actual non-surface level FACTS about aspd and to a lesser extent, npd. because thats what i chose to focus on. there are far and away lots more people that know more about me about other things, and im fine wit that

i am however also aware of this extremely hyperspecific social phenominon. and thus it is my burden to bear. my mountainous molehill.

also r/danganronpa just fucking sucks like in general. every time i see a kokichi opinion there i get a little closer to pulling the trigger. i think the real moral here is reddit is garbage and should not be used for anything other than product reviews

(also fwiw i agree w ur personal take at the end, with a lil bit of ocd tendencies that like, started off manageable and nowhere near diagnostic level badness, since things he might do to manage his cycle and even the constant thinking about it are very much reminiscent of obsessions and compulsions. but ftd in of itself can cause ocd symptoms so after that it got... worse. thats my personal take on it ^^)

[ihopesocomic]

It's just a silly question about a topic I was thinking about:

As a autistic person, I sometimes put certain neurodivergent traits into my characters without realizing it.

Something I think is something "normal" and "everyone does it!" And then I find out it's not. It's funny because I have Ocs who are canonically and intentionally autistic, but in the end it seems like all of them are. It doesn't bother me much but sometimes it's a problem 😭

I don't know if both of you are neurodivergent, but if so, how do you write neurotypical characters? Like Hope herself

How do make a neurotypical character "quirky" in their own way?

I'm neurodivergent (autism, schizophrenia) and, as alarming as it is to say, I feel I can write neurotypical characters because I wasn't diagnosed with anything until I was 21 so I had to spend a good chunk of my life 'masking' and trying to fit in, so I suppose it's all come from just navigating through life with that kind of thing. Which also includes being exclusively surrounded by neurotypical individuals. The sole exception being my biological mother who was also schizophrenic and one of my foster brothers who has AuDHD but even he didn't come into my life until I was 14. My only other exposure to other neurodivergent individuals was via the internet.

So, yeah, basically: I have always been surrounded by neurotypicals and you just... pick up on things while you also try and fit in. Honestly not trying to sound like a downer but it's a matter of sink or swim, sadly. It worked better in some situations than others. And I guess that's what's carried over to some characters in the comic. - RJ

[aspd-culture]

I think the House pfp makes me like you a lot more, lol. /srs

We love our very problematic but extremely, sometimes painfully, unflinchingly honest and mostly accurate portrayal of (SPOILERSSSSSS) canon ASPD. Tbh, one of the few accurate portrayals I've seen and the only one that doesn't cover it up with "but he's a good person" or "but they learn to love and change their ways and no longer are like that yay they're cured" or pair the representation with a side of demonization. Special interest infodump below:

We know House does bad things, but in light of that, the show forces you to stare in the face the questions: What does it mean to be a bad person? If it's your intentions, do your bad actions not matter? If it's your actions, do your intentions not matter? Does the effort not to hurt people in spite of your pain and trauma and maladaptive worldview not matter, no matter how hard you try, if you fail? How many failures is considered "being human" and how many makes it "being a bad human"? Does a good or bad person even exist with how fluid and nuanced life and human nature is? Can you, as a fellow flawed human, define a good or bad person and if so what gives you the right? The show demands you look at this man with low empathy and learn to feel for him whether you like it or not. And so many prosocials completely misunderstand the show and paint him as the antagonist when the entire point of the show is (imo) to humanize the people you shove into the "bad" box. Also hhhh I hate the people who say "House is autistic that's why he acts like this!" Nope nope nope he is literally diagnosed with ASPD. Do I think he's got autism too? Possibly, but I think he may understand social cues, body language, subtext, etc too well for it to be that. I would personally guess ASPD+ADHD+MDD. One of his major specialties is dissecting the social boundaries not because the doesn't understand them, but to show the blind spots they leave, the disservice they do us. He knows what he does is against the norm, he knows he doesn't speak like the people around him and he knows how to do it right. He just *doesn't* because he finds value in removing that and finds no value in others' opinions on him. He knows he is seen as terrible and does not care to change it, not because (imo) he was not accepted as a person but because he was traumatized against people as a whole. See also, MIA and unknown father, questionable mother, shitty stepfather, and all the things he hints at but does not tell us outright. House is a lot of things, but socially unaware is not one of them, and whilst there are autistic people like that who are prosocial, I think the show addressed this clearly in the early episode of the autistic (they used the n*zi term but I will not) child who gives him the PSP or gameboy or whichever it was. House sees some of himself in that child, but it is clearly addressed that it's not quite right - that House relates but does not seem to click properly with being autistic. However, in the "soci*path" patient episode, House heavily struggles to separate himself from her, and finds himself repeatedly coming up empty on reasons they aren't the same. In fact, when he finds out it is reversible, it seems to me like he is simultaneously glad to have figured out the puzzle - and maybe to save her from his suffering - and distressed and jealous that she gets to get out of this. She will get to meet people who did not know her that way and be like them and feel like them and feel like one of them. Unlike in the autism episode, the characters around him seem to believe he has it as well. If he is autistic, he has ASPD as well - diagnosed in fact.

It's such a damn good show.

You did not ask for my (as restrained as possible) infodump about House, MD but you activated my special interest trap card.

[monstersinthecosmos]

Okay I don’t want this to be like an obnoxious millennial assumption because I’m positive that every generation has things like this, but the way autism and ADHD was treated for us in the 90’s and how it affects adult diagnoses is like, imo, so integral to our coming of age and the stories we tell and the way we’ve gotten to know ourselves, even the way it relates to our job market and economy and how we operate inside it, and especially the way a pandemic uncovered it for so many people and exposed the cracks and revealed that we were all just barely functioning and held together with popsicle sticks and anyway

I say that because maybe it’s the un-diagnosed 90’s child in me but I feel particularly emotional about Keith’s arc in learning that he’s part Galra, and the way even the creators said they made him sort of prickly because of his biology, and I just !! Think so much about Keith’s neurotype as a part Galra!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cause something about being diagnosed later in life is like, looking back at all the other ways you tried to handle yourself, all the missteps, maybe even misdiagnoses. Like, how many times did you try to treat ANXIETY without realizing you didn’t have an anxiety disorder, you just can’t deal with your family blaring the TV from the next room? How many times were you told you were lazy, or lying, when you didn’t know what executive dysfunction is? 

Keith is such a lovely rich character because his prickliness is EARNED—we know what happened to him, we know he’s traumatized, we know he’s been treated poorly by many people in his life. We know that he grew up thinking that he’d been abandoned by one of the people who should’ve loved him the most, in the whole world. He even questions that in his vlog—he makes the connection that he has trouble with people because of his mom. 

But I just wonder like, how much of it is just his biology. Not understanding the body he’s in, being completely ignorant of one whole half of his culture. Had he ever mutated before the TBP fight? Did it take him by surprise, did it frighten him? ((* This is head canon territory LMAO there’s no way to really know—like, is he able to do this because he just spent so much time with Krolia, or does Shiro going That’s the Keith I remember mean they used to have really primal sex that turned his eyes yellow? Lol)) 

Like when we talk about even the most broad generic terms of saying someone is neurodivergent, we don't even need to put a real life label on Keith. Like he's literally not human! Of course his brain looks different! Of course he functions differently! And I wonder how much is nature v nurture -- if he knew the truth about his mom, if his dad had lived, if he'd been allowed a normal childhood, would he still have been a weird kid?

Cause like, even seeing the way Shiro is able to get through to him, we see ways that he allowed for thrill seeking, and he didn't judge Keith for stealing his car. It reminds me of like, what we know now about asking children to sit still in school, and how perhaps some children would do better with standing desks. Shiro wants him to behave and succeed, and doesn't judge him for being a car thief, and gets through to him by bringing him cliff diving. And it just feels like this clue, you know, that nothing is wrong with Keith, he's just living in a weird place where people don't get him.

It’s just really special to me, because there’s so many pieces in the sequence of events of Keith’s character arc, and I know I’ve said this a handful of times now, but I really sincerely believe it’s the only thing the show really nailed. Accepting himself during the BOM Trial -> MOMENTS later learning something very important about his biology -> spending time with Krolia -> coming back to pilot Black when he’s READY and WANTS to (unlike the first time, when he resisted) -> becoming a pragmatic strong leader by the end.

Gosh idk. 

I don’t really have anywhere to go with this, it’s just something I was thinking about today and it gets me real emotional. Like, Keith must have had these moments, re-evaluating who he’d been before he’d known, finally understanding why he was Like That, and it’s so healing to imagine him accepting his past self and forgiving it because he understands now. 

[caramelarchive2]

REBIRTH

closed, writing answers

We hit 50 followers. A! Thank you all!!

I picked the title because, well, I'm killing canon to bring it a new life

As promised, here is our event: an ask game where I give canon characters some depth. I'll use the hashtag #death note reborn if you want to look through them all once I've written some! :D

So, pick a character and one of the letters from the list below! I'll run this for about a month? I've never done a writing event before but that seems reasonable :)

　★━━─・‥…━━━☆

╾PICK A CHARACTER

Anyone goes except Takada, the members of Near's or Mello's team (Matt is fine), Rem, Ryuk, BB, Ide, Mogi and Ukita. i. do not know them enough.

I'll have the most stuff for L, Light, Misa, Matsuda, Matt, Mello, and Near, but anyone not mentioned above is good to ask for!

you can also ask about my OC Rie :>

╾PICK ONE

A: all my thoughts (everything I think about the character, a mix of the below) | L, Aizawa

B: background rewritten (a version of their past with more and/or different details) | Mello

C: change (how do they change, how have they changed, how do they want to change?) | L

D: darkest secrets (what they keep hidden and why) | Soichiro

E: existential crisis (what about existence scares them?) | Matsuda

F: failure (who/what they're afraid of failing)

G: games (do they play card, board or mind games? are they any good?)

H: headcanon list (my top headcanons) | Mello

I: in-depth psychoanalysis (what it sounds like)

J: job (a different career for them)

K: knight in shining armour (what's their role in the mediaeval au, how their character is different) | Mello

L: lei's death note (my headcanons, but those that are present in my au and go against or contradict canon facts)

M: motivation (what's their motivation? what drives them as a person?)

N: number (I list 1 to 10 and something after each; see Matsu's for examples) | Matsuda

O: older (if they lived for another 20 years, what would they be like?) | Mello

P: personality rewritten (turning them from 2D plot devices to 3D characters with emotions + feelings)

Q: question (ask me a specific question)

R: regrets (what do they regret the most about their choices, would they make different ones?) | Light

S: sexuality and gender headcanons (what. what it sounds like.) | L, Light, Mello

T: terrified (what they're afraid of) | L

U: uncertainty (do they ever doubt themselves or their actions? when? why?)

V: versus (I draw them as close to canon as possible, vs. in my style with my headcanons) | Light

W: worldly desires (what do they want in life that's a bit shallow?) | Matt, L

X: x-ray (what goes through their mind?) | Light

Y: you need a diagnosis (what I'd diagnose them with)

Z: zen (what calms them down + makes them happy) | Mello, L

That's it! Send an ask with a character and a letter! Thank you again for all the love and support, my dear followers 💖

[kauli01]

Hi! I’m Kauli! Here’s some basic info about me! I’m nervous about posting on a new platform ^ ^ I was originally on Insta but the algorithm was dogshit so I decided to move here ^ ^🩵

Thank you for 120 followers!! <3 I’m surprised that people like the silly stuff I post— ^ ^★!!!!!! 🩵🎀🦋🌸

STRAWPAGE IS OPEN :D

୨୧┇ [ ♪ A b o u t m e ♪ ] ┇୨୧

୨୧┇ [ Name: Kauli ★ Canadian / Native ★ B-Day: 3/10 ★ !! 18↓ MINOR !! ★ she / him ★ artist ★ Genderqueer / Transmasc / Bigender(?) , aromantic & bisexual ★ I love OC X canon. ] ┇୨୧

SharkJelly (Silver X Harley)

AppleShark (Epel X Harley)

EggShark (Deuce X Harley)

HarLila (Lilia X Harley)

MallLey (Malleus X Harley)

BirdShark (Rook X Harley)

BearGummy (Trey X Harley) and so on)

୨୧┇ [ Fandoms I’m in ♪ ] ┇୨୧

Genshin Impact ★ Diabolik Lovers ★ Twst ★ Fragaria Memories ★ and that’s it…☠️

!! Masterlist !!

Kauli’s OCs ┇ Writing Masterlist ┇ Harley Casimir intro┇Sukomei Ei ┇Looking for moots / friends on here ^ ^★

୨୧┇ [ !! Writing masterlist / rules !! ] ┇୨୧

Coming soon!

!! Drawing my AU designs or OCs are perfectly fine and I would like to see them so tag me!! !!

!! Please ask for permission about using my art for edits, using it as ur pfp or anything like that ^_^ !!

!! Please don’t DM me on a different account(s) or platforms, asking why I blocked you on your main account(s) or get your moots to DM me on your behalf! I blocked you for a reason! This has happened to me before and I can’t believe that I have to say this but it’s a reminder !!

!! Now opening commissions! Here’s the information !!

!! Your sensitivity is your responsibility !!

!! I have diagnosed GAD so please be patient with me !!

!! Art trades are for moots / friends only !!

!! DO not repost my art without my permission or use it for AI training !!

!! I ship Harley with my top favourite Twst character !!

!! My inbox is open to anyone so! Go for it! I mostly reply questions about my OCs and AUs— but I’m still willing to reply things other than that !!

୨୧┇ [ ♪ M o r e a b o u t m e ♪ ] ┇୨୧

More underneath this !!

୨୧ ★ —> I don’t want non-sharing / selective yumes in general to interact with me (I had bad experience with them and tend to get a bit annoyed by those people, I find the whole concept silly)

୨୧ ★ —> My timezone is UTC -7! I have school so I’m probably less active (mainly because of how bad the school wifi is…)

୨୧ ★ —> mainly ship my main OC (Harley) with my favourite characters.

୨୧ ★ —> Please don’t use my artworks for your headcanons— it makes me uncomfortable.

୨୧ ★ —> She’s just an OC and was originally gonna be a self-insert but she quickly became an OC.

୨୧ ★ —> Please don't ask me to be friends with you because it makes me feel pressured to be friends with you and I’ll be uncomfortable, I want our friendship to develop naturally and if we clicked

୨୧ ★ —> I do make suggestive artworks of my OC Harley which I'll always try to add a warning beforehand but I won't draw NSFW due to being a minor

୨୧ ★ —> Suggestive comments / artworks towards Harley are fine but NSFW artworks of her isn't, you are most likely to be blocked

୨୧ ★ Sorry but I prefer to not be friends with adults simple due to our age differences but we can be moots! I would like to be moots with you ^ ^🩵

୨୧┇ [ TAGS ] ┇୨୧

🩵Kauli ocs — About my OCs / artworks of my OCs

🩵Kauli writing books — my writings such as OC X canon or pairings.

🩵Kauli yapping 01 — just me yapping!

🩵Harley Twisted Wonderland — My main Twst OC (Harley)

୨୧┇ [ SHIP TAGS ] ┇୨୧

🩵Moonshine (Dawn of Knight X Lilia) — Dawn of Knight X Lilia

🩵Yuuri X Kauli ( Yuuris X Kauli) — Yuuka X Kauli X Yuuna

🩵SharkJelly (Silver X Harley) — Silver X Harley stuff

🩵AppleShark (Epel X Harley) — Epel X Harley stuff

🩵EggShark (Deuce X Harley) — Deuce X Harley stuff

🩵HarLila (Lilia X Harley) — Lilia X Harley stuff

🩵MallLey (Malleus X Harley) — Malleus X Harley stuff

🩵RookLey (Rook X Harley) — Rook X Harley stuff

🩵BearGummy (Trey X Harley) — Trey X Harley stuff

୨୧┇ [ Harley’s lore / personality and everything ] ┇୨୧

Here’s character reference of Harley! And info post about Harley is on here!

Edited on: March 26th, 2025.

[8bitsupervillain]

Higurashi When They Cry Hou Ch. 8 Matsuribayashi pt. 36

Somewhere along the way with the fragments I started to get filled with a small sense of dread that the story will at some point, more or less just slam on the brakes and drag it to a crawl. I also started to become apprehensive that there will be some unanswered questions on my part. Maybe not necessarily large ones, but ones that I personally would’ve been more intrigued by a potential answer. Not for the first time the thought occurred that I just might have to look at the console arcs to see if I might get some of the answers I desire. Whether you view the console arcs as canonical or not.

A red capsule

I’m starting to think that the intro to the fragments section might have been full of it gang. Except for the first fragment the explanatory meeting, none of these seem to be from Hanyuu’s perspective at all. Perhaps it was said to act as a sort of framing device for jumping around from narrator to narrator?

For a small amount of time I thought this was a Tatarigoroshi ending era Keiichi. I have no good justification for why I didn’t immediately figure this was Rena.

I know this is meant to be residual amounts of Hinamizawa Syndrome talking, but I do think Rena is being too hard on herself for not immediately picking up on her mother’s infidelity, and Akihito’s duplicity as a small child. I know I mentioned it quite a few times before in Tsumihoroboshi, but I cannot for the life of me remember what they had diagnosed her condition as in Onikakushi. I sort of want to go back and find that out because I think it’s an interesting notion that her already pre-existing mental disorder is also remarkably similar to Hinamizawa Syndrome. What are the odds? Do you think that if Irie or Takano had access to Rena’s medical records from the time she smashed up her classmates they would’ve gotten any sort of boost to their research? Is that how Takano was able to so efficiently manipulate Rena in Tsumihoroboshi?

Eh? EHHHHH? Think about it.

I guess it’s only because Rena’s the one character we really see at these heightened levels, but it’s interesting to me how different her symptoms of the syndrome seem to be. You never see any of the other infected people exhibit this penchant for self-harm/mutilation. Well except for the most fatal stages of the syndrome I suppose, then you see them just tear into themselves. I guess this means that Rena is already at L5?

Initially when I read this it didn’t really affect me that much, but reading it again it grossed me out pretty severely and made me physically recoil while reading about her pulling the blood vessels open. Narrative narrative, I just wonder how Hanyuu became aware of Rena’s suffering to the point that she was able to sense she was going to kill herself because of the syndrome? It’s established later on that there is fundamentally an infinite number of fragments and permutations of events through the series that exist. So it stands to reason that in at least a few of these Rena did die from the syndrome. In the very first version of all the timelines that all the fragments sprung from did Rena just so happen to resist the symptoms long enough to get back to Hinamizawa? Or is it more likely that by some random fluke of fate she survived, became friends with Rika and the rest, and then Hanyuu realized she was a pivotal character to Rika’s survival? With the earlier revelation that there’s nigh infinite amounts of fragments Higurashi really is rather friendly to fanfiction isn’t it?

Once more I’m just sort of letting my mind get temporarily bogged down in hyper specific details that don’t really matter. How long, for lack of a better term, is Hanyuu’s range? I’ve seen/read too many things that has a gods’ divinity or powers tied to the people who believe in them, so I think I’m trying in vain to tie that idea and Hanyuu together. Not that it particularly matters, but it’s just something I’m curious about. I doubt that Hanyuu has been keeping an eye on Rena the entire time she’s been away from Hinamizawa, but I don’t doubt she showed up in the vision that stopped Rena from killing herself. Whether or not that was actually her or just a figment of Rena’s mind I don’t know. It is entirely possible that Hanyuu never even really knew that Rena existed until 1982. It is possible that I am giving Hanyuu far too much credit.

Without wishing to get into an argument about antidepressants I admit that I find it interesting that for all of Irie and Takano’s research you can apparently completely suppress the symptoms of Hinamizawa Syndrome with prescription medicine like that. I assume this is a form of antidepressant she’s on, I’m not exactly well-versed in psychiatric medicine. To be fair, I don’t think Ryukishi07 is either.

There was the implication that Tsumihoroboshi was the result of Rena not taking her medication. At least before the parasite/alien invasion ideas got thrown around, so this kind of makes me wonder if she’s on her meds for this chapter? For whatever it’s worth when she shows up she doesn’t act particularly more aggressive than she does in any of the other chapters she shows up in as a non-antagonistic entity. Not that this particularly matters in the grand scheme of things. Just a random stray thought.