#i actually think i'm more in the adhd side of the spectrum it's just i also have chronic pain and trauma

[an-ruraiocht]

really interesting how my pain therapist acts like me being autistic is an accepted and foregone conclusion. she's always like "as someone with autism it must be challenging..." etc and i'm like. now hang on a minute. just because i've been peer reviewed by basically everyone i've ever met doesn't mean i've actually been diagnosed

i don't know if this is her diagnosing me or if she just misremembered what i said the first time lmao

[your--isgayrights]

Probably a bit silly and you’ve likely answered this before, but do you think you’re going to come back to “at the Very least, the Wall will change?” I’m just getting into ORV and I want to read some fanfic! I promise I am patient but I’m hesitant to start reading something that’s abandoned. I hope this doesn’t come off as disrespectful! I completely understand burnout (med student here hehe) and there’s no shame is shelving a project for a time if it no longer speaks to you. I just wanted to check

You're right that I've answered this before but like it's totally fair to ask me again after how long it's been lol. Bc like I think about this a lot too and thus the answer/feelings I have about it kind of changes?

Like my journey with this fic has kind of been tumultuous because I started it before I had access to ADHD medication and a lot of my life can be divided into the Before times and the like Now Times where my baseline happiness/standard of care of myself is vastly improved. I outlined all of wall fic before publishing the first chapter and then the scenes I wanted to include took up a lot more time to create than I initially thought they would and that like frustration was really harmful to like my sense of being a "writer," I guess?

Sorry, getting into this bc I'm trying to articulate my own feelings to myself, but I'll tldr; it at the end probably.

Like when I first started wall fic it had like a strangle hold on my imagination and was a way I was able to articulate feelings about things in life. Truth is, I'm someone who has called 911 for suicide/self-harm of friends/classmates like 4-5 times before turning 18. There is this feeling of helplessness I always had as a minor that the world was always ending around me but even when I was up till 5 am making sure my friend got to the hospital ok without any way of really knowing except waiting for a text back, I still had to just buck up and go to school the next day. The emotions I have towards these times in my life really latched onto omniscient reader, because the way it discusses suicidal ideation and what can help with it rang really true to me. I love KDJ a lot, part of that is, in my interactions with suicidal ideation, his sense of narrative inevitability really describes the emotions behind it well, the feeling of "this is the only Solution that will Actually work" is sewn into the fabric of the universe as "probability." And I've actually been thinking about that term "probability" a lot lately, and how it relates to ideas about Narratives. We're always estimating the likelihood of future events based on past experiences, calling things "realistic" or not. But the function of this system in my own life has often been to convince myself to 'give up' on certain things, conserve the energy it would take to try them. Sure that has helped me when Ive not had any free time/energy in crunch times or big projects, but when something is actually important, giving up feels like shit to be honest. Which is part of why I really love and kind of idealize this character of Yoo Joonghyuk, someone who 'never gives up.' To me KDJ and yjh in wall fic represent these two radical sides of a spectrum where someone becomes unhappy by giving up caring about everything and someone becomes unhappy by never giving up on anything. KDJ is then sort of this love letter to people who give up on themselves, people who could never imagine living past a certain age and yet somehow implausibly remain. YJH is a love letter to people who have been left behind and are So aware of their choices and their power over situations that they blame themselves for things that were actually out of their control in the first place. It's these two different ways of interacting with helplessness and grief and fear, giving up knowing you never could have made a difference in the first place or being convinced you could always have done Something and blaming yourself for failing, constantly stressing about what you could have done and what you ought to do the next time it happens.

Codifying these themes into Characters is originally this fun way of exploring emotions I have about them and sharing the experience of feeling them with others without having to tear too much of my self a part. I feel like when we're young it feels like a sense of self is something like a wall, an image of ourself that we have Built and must put in work to Maintain from erosion. This sense of self and protection makes us feel distinct from other people, the line we draw where we begin and end in the universe, and they become rules dictating How we will Act and Appear towards others. Drawing these walls and lines is pretty important to KDJ's perspective in wall fic, but i now realize I had sort of started doing to myself? Towards the middle of writing it?

Just because I've been on the Internet so long, I know the sort of "narratives" of being different "kinds of authors" online. Because of this, when I started posting wall fic, something that was of a lot of concern to me was how I appeared as an Author to people reading. I honestly think now that the performance of things I associated with like Being an Author were more sort of motivated by a fear of failure and disappointing others than anything else. It's kind of only been recently that I've realized that I have a choice to do things because I enjoy them instead of the fear of not doing them, which sounds a little crazy/obvious to be honest, but forcing myself to be an honor roll student for like more than a third of my adolescence while completely unmedicated kind of made that sort of intrinsic fear of disappointing others the ole'reliable of Task Motivation. Participating in ORV fandom has sort of been this emotional tight rope walk for me of like. Kind of really desperately desiring validation from others but also being afraid of receiving it bc of like the pressure it then puts on to Keep Doing the thing that Works and otherwise feeling like a Failure. But obviously like creative writing isn't going to have the same like Fear/Urgency factor as life stuff and it shouldn't feel that way, anyway, tbh. I'm kind of having to like. Re-invent the idea of writing being Fun and Relaxing for myself. And the idea that talking to other people on the internet (also like. People in general I still do this at uni even) does not actually have to have like any performative elements or factors of like? Disguise? Because like my sense of self doesn't actually have to be a wall I keep building and have to repatch whenever someone comes along with a pickaxe like my sense of self doesn't actually need a metaphor attached to it because it just is what it is lol. Like whatever I am RN is my "self" and that meaning would only suffer under the restraint of comparison, lol.

It's been easier to like feel normaler/better quicker in like my day to day stuff, but because a lot of the time I spent previously trying to write wall fic lies in that like that brain space where I felt afraid and stressed out etc I think I currently have like an aversion to sitting down with it out of like a fear of returning to that mindset. Because I'm like looking it in the face and such I do have like strategies of getting over it like doing warmups or taking time to make nice writing spaces and having a name to/strategies to access the creative part of my brain, but that stuff takes time and because it's a lot less likely I'll have writing on the brain than go through my every day life like the process of becoming normaler/feeling better goes a lot faster day to day than in my approach to writing.

Because in my brain the progress of wall fic is a sort of gentle curve I've been trying to shape the growth of upwards, I wouldn't say it's abandoned at all. But also like because the next "update" is not really guaranteed and I'm kind of hesitant to force myself to commit to a timeline for finishing/releasing it, I think it makes sense to like hesitate about starting it as a reader? In terms of a sense of completion, the chapters are organized in such a way that each one concerns a sort of complete Section of KDJ's life/relationships, tho. Like, Chapter 1 shows KDJ and YJH's first meeting as kids and establishes the "soulmate" setting. Chapter 2 shows the life KDJ carved himself to thereafter, how he and YJH's paths have diverged, established the stakes of KDJ's current "world" in a way parallel to the first few chapters of wos/orv. Chapter 3 focuses on how the soulmate worldview and KDJ + YJH's characters/past interact with the way they view children/the idea of "childhood/youth." Chapter 4 is meant to show how that worldview encounters adult life/ adult friendships/relationships, but the final part of it is something I'm still working on a bit. The structure is such that I tend to bring the end of the chapter back to a moment of peace/resolution/settling in the "new world" after the events of the chapter and then writing a one sentence cliff hanger about what the next chapter includes. So if you want to give some of it a read but don't want to be left feeling too incomplete, I'd read up till before the last sentence of Chapter 3, tho that's a bit silly, lol.

I will say again and have said before, I don't mind that much getting thoughtful comments/messages like yours at all. Thoughtful in the sense of like, desiring a response from me as a person, I suppose? Towards the start of writing online i really like needed the validation of little comments to feel good about myself/my work, but now I realize that the thing I like actually desire that ao3 comments aren't often a good format for is that I just like talking/discussing these things with other people. Sometimes comments will make me feel more like an unpaid customer service representative getting feedback or a student looking at a quick note on my report card. The kind I like most are messages where people want to ask me questions, argue with me about something, share something of their own interaction with the text that there's room for me to interact back with them as a person. The thing I hate most is feeling like I care too much about something/talk/think too much to the point that people are tired of hearing from me/form a bad opinion of me.

So like typing this all out has actually put myself in the brain space of remembering some of the things I like to write about and feel and how the current part of wall fic explores them. I'm kind of setting up my computer and such to start working on it like rn actually, hopefully the like feelings I'm having towards wall fic won't evaporate when i have to go to my class in 1/2 an hour or when i try to reread some of what I've written so far lol.

TLDR; Wall fic isn't abandoned or on hiatus or anything, but I am super slow about it lol. If you wanna give it a read I recommend stopping before the last sentence of Chapter 3 if you don't want any "cliff hangy" feelings. Questions like yours that ask me to interact with orv/wall fic/related themes do honestly help me start thinking about it again and I'll probably try to work on some of it tonight bc of you so thanks 👍

[faggylilpunk]

Finnaly made a tumbler! Anyway, haiii! :3 i am albert, i am a punk dragon dino!

What to expect:

very leftist ideologies

Politics

16+ posts

A lot of photos of me and cass

Talk of crimes (anything serious will have a tw and be tagged appropriately)

Furry & therian content (tho less common)

Punk diy stuff (i plan to make some tutorials for a lot of the diy stuff I've made<3)

F-slur/T-slur (I am reclaiming them but will have them tagged as #f-slur and #t-slur if they bother you ofc! Not changing my @ tho, it kinda means something to me qwq)

I may post words like slut, whore, and other degrading terms, they will be tagged as said word (ex: #slut) so you can blacklist the tag ^^

I may talk about themes of self harm, violence, abuse, or explicit substances, all of which will also be tagged! (Ex: #selfharm #tw:selfharm) but i will also have a more descriptive trigger warning for heavy subjects like self harm, sa, abuse ect. If you dont wanna fully blacklist the tag ^^

Some of my patches will have things that fall under these^ o will likely not go through the effort of censoring and i might not tagg it unless it's fairly close up so if it really bothers you just block me ^^ no harsh feelings

This isn't a 18+ blog, nsfw pfps will be blocked to keep ppl safe, my cusion follows me

Do not interact if:

Nsfw pfp

Anyone else, feel free to argue and talk shit, i will put nazis, pedos, fascist, zionists, zoos, racists, and who tf else i hate in thier place or just block ya after trying lol

About me:

trans masc/enby person (gender bxy)

therian/otherkin identifying with a dinosaur-esk dragoniod (yes, I'm aware I am human -_-)

I am a plushum, meaning I have romantic and/or sexual attraction, twords plushies. I consider my bunny plush one of my partners bc i love them very much

Furry

Pansexual and arojump (under the aromantic spectrum)

I am diagnosed with autism, adhd, dyslexia and dysgraphia

Self diagnosed and peer reviewed with social anxiety, gender dysphoria (duh), bipolar disorder (not sure which one yet tbh but it's exstreamly obvious to my bipolar partner lol) and potentially dyscalcula but im not fully sure so take with a grain of salt

Mutual/social anarchist, i really wanna be able to set up a free market where I live one day

I am very vulture culture, frequently bring home dead animals to burry for respect and bones

Very left leaning if it isnt obvious enough

I've been called the f-slur & t-slur a few times. Now i call myself that because what ya gonna do if I already call myself those oh so scary words?

Im atheist and dont believe in any form of life after death but like I support yall having freedom of religion, pagens, Christians, Muslims, Satanists, like go for it, I just simply cant understand the idea of a greater purpose

I grew up where slurs were used casually. I have racist redneck family. Thankfully, I grew up to realize wtf is actually wrong with that side of my family ?-? You can break out of shitty thinking, there is no excuse for racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, ect. Like get a life

I try my best to support, but we can only walk places, and we frequently eat outta dumpsters

More will be added as i think of stuff

[minhosbitterriver]

okay i promise this is the last one for know since i know your requests are piling up😭

it’s a bit of a change of pace from what i usually ask for, but would you be comfortable writing a small ot6 reaction of how the heroes would be with an autistic/adhd partner?

like how they’d react to their stims or going on and on about their special interests? maybe helping them when they experience sensory overload or burnout? how they react to that autistic rizz😎

i saw on your “about me” page that you also have audhd, so i know i can trust you with this topic. and as you know i’m moving back home from another country, and i really struggle with transitioning, so these new couple weeks are going to be so mentally and physically exhausting.

again, only if you’re comfortable writing it!! i know mental disabilities aren’t the easiest topics to talk about, let alone write about!!

okay i promise i’m done for now. sending lots of love🫶🫶

- 🍀

This was genuinely such a pleasure to write 🥹 I can't even explain how soft this made me as I was proofreading it, I love it so much 💕 I do have to preface the fact that the way I decided to portray AuDHD in these pieces is mostly similar to the way it presents in me, but of course, not everyone's AuDHD looks the same! Still, I tried to keep it as relatable as I could. I especially dedicated Junhan's part to you, so I hope it brings you some kind of comfort during these hard times 🥺🫶

I won't even lie, I don't think I've ever really written something like this before, so it was kind of a head-scratcher for me for a little bit while I tried to figure out how to approach it because like you said, it can be quite difficult to talk/write about disabilities in general (and we all know that ADHD and autism are just one big spectrum, so it makes it just a little more complicated). But I'm actually really happy with how it came out, and it ended up being so self-indulgent and fun, so thank you!

Can I ask by what date you're supposed to have already moved? You don't have to answer, of course, I'm just curious.

SIDE NOTE: I received your message this morning and again, please don't apologize! I seriously completely understand that life is hectic recently, so please — make sure to take deep breaths and rest when you need to, make sure to eat and hydrate yourself for extra strength! That said, thank you for answering my question! I haven't had the chance to really touch it yet, but I have a few ideas that I want to try and see if it fits the vibe I want to go for with the threesome 🤭 ── ( 𝐱𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐞𝐬 )

─── ⋆⋅☆ STEADY LOVE

( 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 ) ( 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 & 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬 ) ( 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ) ( 𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 ) 7.4k

[valkerymillenia]

Finally had the appointment with the psychiatric specialist. Had to get up at 6am and go to a whole other city but I got it.

He was a guy (not the actual doctor I was supposed to see because she's on medical sabbatical). And he was nice but I am awkward with strangers and there were some things... Look, I just hate medical gender bias and there was a little here.

But most of all, there was... Some ableism?

Don't get me wrong, he was good and proper and did his job, he was also nice (and very young), but I was there for an ADHD and autism screening so I could have an official documented diagnosis and, well, there was quite a bit of gender bias about these disorders... And a significant amount of unconscious ableism too.

I'm already being treated for these things but my current doctors (psychiatrist, psychologist, and GP) don't have expertise in this area because these disorders aren't usually diagnosed in adulthood and that is their field, and this guy is the "expert" so we need his stamp on the matter just to dot the i's.

Turns out we didn't have enough time for all the tests because someone messed up and scheduled this as a follow-up appointment instead of an assessment but we made do. Here's my problem though: he only wanted to focus on the ADHD.

Also, he ignored a lot of details I was trying to put on the table but I might be reading too much into this.

According to him, yes, I definitely have ADHD and it's good that I'm already testing the medication for it but he wants to see what else he can do and if he can fix the side effects, but we didn't really have enough time for a full evaluation so he sent me home with a bunch of written tests to take so he can check them next month and have a more concise idea of my issues.

He also cut some of the older medication I had that is now obsolete with the new stuff.

I'm fine with all that. Grateful even.

But I wanted to talk about the autism diagnosis, I've been trying to approach this with doctors for years, I've desperate to be heard ever since I learned just how strongly the symptoms applied to me every since I was born, I'm been desperate ever since I discovered the gender bias in diagnosing females, I did so much research and talked to other autistic people and associations that gave emotional support, but the doctors keep brushing it off, not because they don't agree but because they literally don't want to talk about autism in general, they don't even wasn't to explain why they don't want to talk about it, the stigma is just too big.

Eventually, this is what this doc said:

"Look, autism is a spectrum and all so it's complicated. You definitely have serious autistic traits for sure but I don't think we should test you for it, there's no point because you're an adult and you've already learned coping mechanisms and masking the hard way, you struggled a lot but you're here, there's really not much else we can do help with and not much treatment we can give for this so why saddle you with a bad label?"

Like, it's so ableist. He totally missed the point? I told him I don't really care about what treatment they can give me, I just want confirmation because:

1. there's safety in labels, much more comforting to know I'm normal zebra and not a failed horse,

2. having the diagnosis gives me access to more information and a better ability to find good coping mechanisms and helpful tools for my daily life,

3. having the diagnosis allows me to find community and get mutual help and support without judgement,

4. having an official diagnosis helps me get certain amenities (or at least understanding) to make my life easier, be it with work or family life, even with social security or at certain events,

5. and finally, just because I survived my childhood without a label and found a way to blend in with neurotypicals doesn't mean that's a good thing (I was horribly bullied and abused for a reason), it doesn't mean that I'm currently happy pretending to be what society expects, doesn't mean it's not fucking exhausting, doesn't mean I don't deserve validation for my struggles.

But noooo, his whole focus was on "we can't medicate to FIX it so why bother" and on "what people would think of you if you had that label".

Bitch, I don't care about either of those, I don't care what people think of me, I care what I think of me, and autistic is not a slur, contrary to what people in this country seem to think! I just want to understand myself and my own struggles, and whenever I get harassed for being different I want to be able to defend myself with this knowledge.

For fucks sake, just test me and show some support!

I stg the doctors in this country are so scared of the word "autism", it's insulting.

[bleue-flora]

oh ofc! opposite sides of the spectrum as in if we look at autism in the circle spectrum of each trait being highs, mediums and lows. Its different ends like my brother is hyperlexic autism, very good at english and maths and great at learning languages. And im the type of autism that cant understand metaphors and takes things literally and i suck at learning languages. I don't mean opposite literally though, its not yes or no, i just say it that way to simplify it and I'm doing categorically thinking where when I say "Im type of autism" I don't mean to label myself as one thing as a constant. Like I'm not constantly misinterpreting metaphors adn my brothers not constantly hyperlexic, its just more based on what is done more often. Traits are shifting and changing all the time based on external factors, but one person with adhd may be like "I struggle getting a job" while anotehr person with adhd tells them "Well, I have a job and I have adhd so get over it". Both people have adhd, but their struggles differ in severity levels or are based on different things within that same topic, but you're right, its not always this consistent thing and is fluid. I do not mean to sound condescending sorry. But yeah I see many nd traits in both characters personally idunno if I could be convinced otherwise

[context]

Yes, hence spectrum of “functionality” as in severity and ability to adapt. Personally, I actually dislike using that term as I feel it’s kinda condescending to people on the spectrum. I more so see it as while our brains may be structured similarly, based on other factors can determine whether we might be better at “functioning” or dealing with our struggles. In other words, I guess I don’t necessarily think that it’s fair to say that someone with high functioning autistic doesn’t deal with its struggles as much. Because while I am very good at masking that doesn’t mean that I am not dealing with all the struggles of autism (and by extension ADHD). Factors like being raised and such can influence I think this “functionality” in some ways (not across the board).

For example, the way my brain works is that I’m good at recognizing patterns and as such as I grew up I looked at media - tv shows, movies etc - as examples of body language, speech reactions, emotions etc. Often times the media does things in extremes making it obvious for me to notice and then apply to the real world to develop these masking traits. Because of this I look like I blend in and have it altogether even if I’m falling apart at the seams. My pattern structured brain is good at math and loves metaphors and sarcasm and such, while my friend make take things very literally and be excellent at grammer. Those I feel like are more so skills though like someone’s special interest being rocket science while another being the medical study of sight or whatever. That doesn’t mean they don’t have similar structured brains and ways of thinking just because they are different… sure I may have a job and say “suck it up” (not really that’s rude lol) to those perhaps complaining about it, but that is also more so my outlook on life or what I’ve had to have as an outlook in life. I can’t just roll over and play dead I keep getting up and fighting and laughing because at some point when things go wrong over and over you just think - of course it did. And it’s not to that those things affect me or hurt me less only that I deal with them differently. And I will say I am blessed with the capacities to overcome obstacles that others may not be able to (and perhaps that’s where functionality comes into play if you have abilities that mitigate your weaknesses). So, I’m not saying I’m better than my friend who is struggling to get a job, but we are also different people who have different priorities, different personalities and were raised differently, not to mention that I am medicated and working on being a better person in therapy.

Though some of that again is just my own theory or analysis of autism, I am of course no psychologist… having said all that I stand by what I said about C!Tommy…

[houndsharkk]

quick disclaimer, I am not asking for a diagnosis or anything of the sort (since, while I love y'all, you are likely not medical professionals and also don't know me irl) -- I am working with a team of doctors to diagnose and treat me; I only want to use community resources to either quiet my worries or bring up as anecdotes while having a conversation with my doctor

okay !!! so

hello hEDS community. I need some help 😭 the resources available on the internet (at least that are easy to find) are not providing me with any like written or photographed evidence of physical symptoms besides the most extreme side of the spectrum so it's very difficult to figure out whether some of my symptoms are actually worth bringing up because I'm not sure if I meet the criteria or not

for some background information, I am a chubby teenager (16+) with diagnosed HSD (hypermobility spectrum), POTS, bunions, some mild developmental problems with my ankle tendons (they grew wrong or something?? i guess), diagnosed with ADHD and have a professional confirmation (not formal diagnosis, though) of autism, on testosterone (have been for nearly 2 years now), have a few mild skin conditions (eczema and keratosis pilaris), and have had untreated carpal tunnel for about 5 years

(I only mentioned all of those because I know some of them are comorbid with hEDS and some can affect the skin and cause similar symptoms so I don't want to confuse those for hEDS symptoms!!)

I am not really sure how to word this so I guess I'll just jump right into it?? the symptoms that i've been really confused and back-and-forth on are: not having any dislocations ever (possible subluxations but I'm not sure? nowhere says like.. what those feel like so I don't have a reference point), mildly stretchy skin only in some areas (around scars, stretch marks, under wrists, neck, some parts of stomach area), veins that seem to be more visible as time passes (not just in my hands/arms, but on my chest, neck, armpit area, feet, and very lightly in my legs), and very small rounded atrophic scars that seem to be showing up way more frequently (mainly on my chest where some stretch marks are, side/ribcage area, and back of my shoulders, but there are one or two on my arms as well)

I really have no idea if these actually meet the criteria or if my body is just a little bit weird but not hEDS weird?? I've found 0 sources that actually show symptoms like these 😭

symptoms I have that I know meet criteria are: heel papules, hypermobility, I think soft skin, stretch marks that seem to grow and become irritated despite my weight percentile staying mostly the same throughout my life (+ I don't gain enough weight in a short period of time for them to be as bright as they are), mild dental crowding that I had to get braces for, and chronic joint pain

any responses with like similar stories or confirming/denying that these count would really be appreciated!!!! my parents won't take me to a specialist because the rheumatologist I went to said she couldn't check for hEDS (which?? what..) and they took that as being a "you don't have that" moment so I need to wait a little bit to find one myself but I'd rather not waste my money on an appointment if it's not necessary

thank you!!!!!!!!

[silvermoon424]

hi katy :)) i’m sure you’ve answered this before, and if you have, you can totally just ignore this ask, but recently i’ve been wondering if i have adhd. i’m a 20 year old woman, and i’ve been diagnosed with anxiety for basically my whole adolescence. in the past few weeks though i’ve learned a lot more about adhd/neurodivergence and i feel like it’s much more accurate to my experience. my only real exposure to adhd is my little brother, who has been diagnosed since he was 12 and behaves VERY differently than i do. if you could possibly detail your experience with adhd as a woman that would really help me out a lot in deciding if i want to pursue a new diagnosis. thanks in advance!!

Hi there!

ADHD/autism/neurodiversity in general can be experienced a lot of different ways by people; it's a very broad spectrum, but there are definitely traits that pop up again and again for a lot of people. Here are some traits I have personally identified as being influenced/driven by my ADHD (or autism, sometimes it's hard to distinguish the two)

Very poor impulse control, especially with money and food

Having poor memory in some areas but excellent memory in others (usually due to how strongly the topic interests me)

Having trouble remembering things (as in appointments, important dates, etc)

Having a very hard time focusing or maintaining focus

Easily distracted

Fidgets often (my fidgets are picking through my split ends and jiggling my ankle)

Needing to take frequent breaks when working/doing chores/etc due to burnout

Needing CONSTANT stimulation; for example, much of my free time is spent listening to Youtube video essays while I color manga, typeset, scan things, etc. Sometimes I do just watch things (especially late at night when I'm tired), but I don't think I could ever do a menial task without having some other stimulation for my brain

Talking to myself

Info-dumping

Being amazing at multi-tasking (but struggling with single-tasking because of the whole "need more stimulation" thing)

Hyper-fixating on things to the point of not realizing I'm thirsty, have a crick in neck, etc

I daydream frequently and have an entire daydream universe (called a paracosm) full of my own OCs and storylines. I'm what's called an immersive daydreamer. Immersive daydreaming/maladaptive daydreaming is its own thing, but from what I've heard people who do it are often also neurodivergent. If you daydream a lot about a fictional universe(s) of your own creation, I would highly recommend looking into this topic.

My brain literally never shuts the fuck up. Ever. I'm constantly thinking about SOMETHING. Even when I'm trying to fall asleep I'm playing with my OCs and paracosm, lol (one of my favorite parts of the day tbh). Because of this I've suffered from insomnia for much of my life. I've been on a sedative that also functions as an antidepressant for many years and it's helped a lot.

I literally just learned that this has a name: Rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD). People with ADHD are often highly sensitive to criticism and rejection (real or imagined). For my entire life I have been extremely sensitive to being criticized, and all this time it has been a side-effect of my ADHD!

When given a task, I need to be told exactly what to do and how to do it or else it's not getting done. In general I have a hard time "thinking outside the box" and can be pretty oblivious.

Executive dysfunction is a bitch. This also overlaps with depression and autism, but basically I have a literal mountain of projects and hobbies I want do and another literal mountain of shows/anime/movies I want to watch but I can't get past the mental hurdle of actually engaging with them. It's very hard to explain, but it's like even though I want to do them I either don't have the energy, get overwhelmed by the enormity of the task, start doing it and then lose focus/motivation partway through, etc.

That's all I could think of off the top of my head but I'm sure there's more. I feel like every week I discover there's a new way ADHD is impacting my life. Please let me know if you have any other questions!

[tuiyla]

Sorry if this has been asked. There has been a lot of posts about mental ilness and behavioural issues and there have been quite a few good points for blaine and Brittany being on spectrum and I was wondering do you think any other character had mental ilness and behavioural issues? For example Quinn seemed to have depression and baby blues and some other issues likely caused by parents alchaloism and pill popping that was hinted at

Hasn't been but even if it had, no need to apologize Anon! In case anyone asks something that's been covered I just link to it :) or add new thoughts because I always have those lol. Disclaimer that I'm not an expert of any kind on anything psychology related (or otherwise) so these are just fandom thoughts.

I've also read posts about Rachel being on the spectrum but can't find those rn, sorry, and here's a two-parter about Santana and ADHD. I'd say I agree with that though I can't add much to it.

I'd say Quinn for sure had some flavour of post-partum depression that she repressed for a year until her menty b in New York and subsequent skank era. In general she definitely strikes me as someone who struggles with depression. The Fabrays' issues are, whew, a big topic but yeah that probably affected her too.

I think anxiety isn't too much of a stretch for Tina since she was so socially nervous she invented a stutter for herself. Blaine is an anxious little bean too. Again I'm not qualified in any way to diagnose and they're fictional but that's my guess.

I would also consider some kind of depression for Santana but my main thing with her is anger issues, so more on the behavioural side. (There I go reminding myself of that Quinntana post ooops.) That could also just be a manifestation of ADHD and I wouldn't rule out ODD with her, but that's really getting into the science of diagnosing fictional characters. Bottom line is her anger issues definitely are actual Issues that, in my ideal world, she eventually goes to therapy to talk about.

I think that's about as deep as I thought about it. I think the most compelling case is for sure Quinn and depression, most probably post-partum. She never got to really process that. I'm generally not one to actually label characters, I more just analyze and discuss symptoms since that's where our story is but yeah there's a case to be made with lots of Glee chs.

[wanderlust84]

time to rant because i got nothing else to do and nobody will acknowledge this <3

this is a draft that i forgot to post lmfao but it'll make a good yt vid

ok so first, why do people say 'woke'? most twitter (i don't give a fuck i'm not saying X) users say this and it's such a revolting word. something about it makes me feel so uncomfortable and i don't understand why people use it, when did it even become a thing that people say? it just came out of nowhere!!

second of all, is it me or do those girls who wear those KISS falsies, the thinnest drawn on eyebrows and french tip acrylics scare me. like i have no clue where they get that money to afford it from but why do they look so intimidating? half the time they're the sweetest angels you'll ever meet, but if they're not that, they are the RUDEST people you will ever find on earth. they will treat you like you murdered their whole entire bloodline. and there is never an in-between, almost like there isn't a spectrum for that type of girl. also lets talk about the fact that they always have their minions who are always brunettes who will gang up on you whether you have shit to say or not. anyways enough on that because this is too long now.

another thing i wanna point out is people who say "i don't listen to music, i only like soundtracks." LIKE SHUT THE FUCK UP. you're not 'different' if you only listen to your undertale and deltarune soundtracks and keep megalovania on repeat. you just seem stupid and love attention if you do that, i'd rather you say that you only listen to nettspend rather than that. i would admit that there are some good soundtracks out there, whether it be from games or movies. for example, the euphoria s1 and s2 soundtrack, the turning, the idol, ultrakill (tenebre rosso sangue is soooooo good) and a bunch more (i'm trying not to say where you belong and earned it from 50 shades of grey or a thousand years from twilight lol). 1 thing i'd like to say is that it does not make you different if you say that and you just seem stupid around everyone else when you say that, and that applies to everyone in my perspective. but if you actually only listen to soundtracks, please listen to actual music, its worth it.

gonna be straightforward on this one, WHY IS TIKTOK SO TOXIC? when i decided to experiment on tiktok like last month by creating a new account, my for you page was full of pro-an@ and self-h**m influencing stuff. i know there are lots of video essays on youtube regarding this but this is seriously concerning for the amount of 12 year olds (or younger) who use tiktok and indulge this content because from what i've seen, kids will watch ANYTHING and remember that shit. i'm gonna give a real life example, i was at my 9 year old cousin's birthday party and i showed her a video of the iconic 90th anniversary fendi runway show at the trevi fountain (it's my favourite show :D). 3 weeks later, i come back and she asks me the question "who was that girl in the blue dress from that video?". so i'm pretty sure this proves my point. anyways i could give endless examples of this but i don't wanna make this longer than it is already. my point is that this is seriously concerning for the younger generation, especially with those youtube shorts with the subway surfers on the right hand side of the screen and this guy talking about creepy-pastas on the left. first of all, this is basically enforcing ADHD in them since its limiting their attention span to the borderline at this point, second of all, 99% of the time that info is not true and filling your brain with misinformation. back to the point, kids will take in that content which is really harmful for them mentally and physically, this applies to boys too cus those gym videos which i always see on my fyp are pretty harmful to them and i personally don't think tiktok should be for kids.

i cant think of anything else to add :P

[bisluthq]

https://www.tumblr.com/bisluthq/761446650477707264/margaret-is-the-real-life-version-of-a-manic-pixie?source=share

For a while I was very manic pixie dream girl, but like a more subtle version of it because I don't like being the centre of attention and I couldn't afford to put pink streaks in my hair lmao but I do like indie and undiscovered things and was always suggesting new shit to friends who were like how do you find this? And I am very whimsy head empty or contemplating the meaning of life and parallel universes while dancing in the supermarket because my song came on the radio and why can't I dance?!

Anyway then I was diagnosed with autism and ADHD and it was like ooooh lmao. Obviously not everyone on the spectrum or who has ADHD is like this, this is just my experience. and when I can get the stimulants, I'm a lot quieter because the noise of the ADHD has been turned down which brings out the autism side more of needing stability and predictability, compared to not being able to focus on anything and needing a LOT of stimulation. And I didn't know that my "ability to chameleon" was actually masking the autism and being so nervous of acting the wrong way that I just mirrorballed my way through life.

Now whenever I see the MPDG in art, I always just think they're ADHD coded, sometimes also ASD coded lol. But idk I just felt like sharing with the class cause it makes me laugh.

I think some “quirks” we see in fiction are definitely signs of neurodivergence! With MPDGs it def seems ADHD coded and maybe ASD coded as you say. With a lot of “dramatic” or “crazy” female characters it seems like it could be Borderline Personality Disorder. Idk lol I think while it would be cool for more fiction to expressly state this, sometimes seeing people act “differently” on screen (but like them) could encourage people to seek out diagnoses I think maybe? Congrats on yours!!

[medsteeth]

this is gonna be me being annoying at the deadpool & wolverine film at 4 in the morning so please uh skip this will affect nothing

i found a letterboxd review of deadpool 3 that i found incredibly enlightening by comrade_yui since it showed my two possible feelings on the movie that are on very opposites of multiple spectrums.

on one hand, i liked deadpool 3 even without understanding loads of the references. its pretty funny at times, ryan reynolds is also naturally entertaining and i loved hugh jackman

HOWEVER it has so many flaws that turn it into a pretty shit movie that i can only enjoy in a semi-non-thinking way, in a way that's very brain dead and also based on how people surrounding me also enjoyed it in the theatre.

looking back on it, it's queerbaiting in the most brick-hitting way. every single possible gay scene, including all the ones that feature deadpool and wolverine are made entirely for comedy and entertainment with marvel scoffing in the background saying "did you really think this was actually going to focus on any nuanced part of their relationship?"

it feels like marvel/disney realised that queer people are a very easy demographic that latches onto gay content and makes its own content/free advertising for weeks, months and years to come with the writers merely having to write a funny adhd creature and a constantly seething man that (in fan media) is adjacent to trashy anime tsunderes (why did i say that. i'm sorry)

not to MENTION how many times they'll buy more movie tickets to see it again, and buy merchandise.

comrade_yui's review focuses more on the rehashed, reanimated side of marvel which i can't personally stand on since i don't know or particularly care for marvel in the older, general sense.

i absolutely love the but-but-but-- section. while watching the movie it felt exactly like that, a movie that just really wanted to reference other deader marvel characters for more hardcore fans to laugh at really loudly in the theatre without actually, yknow, doing anything. at all, story wise.

also this is a significantly more subjective nitpick: man is the comedy in deadpool really boring to me. ha-ha he said fuck-ass-shit-dick-piss-balls-fuck isn't that funny. and i'm not saying those jokes CAN'T be funny, especially to me since i'm a hit internet teen that was sadly raised on hotdiggedydemon. but at one point it's a bit like fake-laughing at cards against humanity and hoping that i can leave the party soon to lay down

that ⬆️ was a more personal gripe. actually all of this post was a personal gripe.

on the stupider and subsequently more positive end of the scale i completely understand and agree as to why people enjoy this movie cuz fuck man i gave it a 3 1/2 stars dude. but as soon as i actually start thinking about this movie in any critical sense, all of its shit and the flies that swarm around it haunts me; only repeating the same three dialogue options- "this is so us", "when are they gonna have Gay Sex" and "oh my god it's a reference to-" --

it's 5 am now. sorry and goodbye

[whiterosechrista]

"Inspirational" Posts and Personal Issues

Warning: long post. Proceed at your own risk.

Right, so.

I was scrolling through the 'inspirational' tag, and came across this post.

It made me probably more annoyed than I should be, so I'm gonna try and process why, while also asking for input/general conversation about it.

Disclaimer; I'm tired and haven't eaten much today, so I might just be overly sensitive right now.

In rough chronological order, here's the particular points that ticked me off;

Point #1:

The title; "STOP BEING LAZY AND PATHETIC" (In All Caps)

Right off the bat, something about that just rubbed me the wrong way. I know it's meant to catch your eye and make you pay attention, but something about (in)directly referring to people you don't know as "lazy" and "pathetic" feels.. wrong. Like, excuse me? Who are you, random person online that I've never met in my life, to tell me I'm lazy and pathetic? What right do you have to judge the life of someone you've never seen in person? None.

Point #2:

"No One Cares"

One of the first sections goes on about, in short, how everyone has problems, and no one cares about yours, so just move on with your life. Now, technically, they're not wrong; everyone has problems, and it is definitely not healthy to think yours are inherently worse than everyone else's. But saying "no one cares" feels inherently untrue. Sure, if you whine online (or irl) about every little grievance, it might make people annoyed and/or desensitized to it. But humans are inherently empathic (most of us, at least), and we probably would've died out a long time ago if no one cared about others' problems. Idk, it just feels weird to me.

Point #3:

"You're Not Lazy, You're Privileged"

Now, there's definitely a good point there. People who're struggling to make it by can't afford to be lazy, so if you can, you're probably more on the privileged side. But this gets me thinking about those people who call the younger generations "lazy" because they're not out working 8 hours a day/rely on technology/don't get out much/etc. Firstly; one person's experience of life is never going to be the same as someone else's. By the simple fact of having individuality in everything from personality, to wealth, to generation, to culture, the way you live your life is never going to line up exactly with everyone else's. Secondly; I'm pretty sure a good chunk of the people dubbed "lazy" are actually suffering from some form of depression, and just haven't been able to get help for it for one reason or another. I myself am what I think the stereotypical "boomer" would describe as "lazy"; 24 years old, unemployed, constantly online, rarely leaves the house, doesn't have good eating/sleeping/cleaning habits, and guess what? I was diagnosed as having moderately severe depression. So yes, "lazy" people are likely privileged, as if I were in a worse financial situation I would have likely pushed myself to get a job, which might've forced me into better sleeping/etc. habits, but that doesn't automatically mean I should work myself into a breakdown trying to feel more "productive".

Point #4:

"Focus On Your Health/Relationships" and "Make Routines and Stick to Them"

Again, definitely good points being made here, and I can agree with most of it, but here's the thing; I tried that already. I've tried making routines, I've tried focusing on my health, but no matter what, I always fuck up and get back to my bad habits. Now, that could totally just be me being bad at sticking to things, I'll freely admit to that. But here's another thing to consider; I'm neurodivergent. Been evaluated as being highly likely on the Autism spectrum + I have attention span issues possibly related to ADHD. Putting reminders on my phone doesn't work. Putting events on my calendar doesn't work (unless it's a big important thing/something I'm looking forward to). I've tried to get into better hygiene habits by putting "Take a Shower!" on my calendar twice a week. Didn't work. Tried putting a daily reminder to "Check In With Friends!" on my phone. Didn't work. However I'm wired, those things just don't register as "important"- they just get filed away as "one of many notifications" and ignored. Do it without reminders? I can barely remember what time I had breakfast at. No way I'm making it work without outside influence. In short; good tips, but some people just aren't wired that way.

Point #5:

"Clean Space is Self-Respect"

Verbatim: "Clean space is a clean mind. Not even cleaning after yourself is a sign of huge disrespect to yourself. Stop reading this and clean your room right now !!!!!"

First of all; don't tell me what to do. I'll clean my room when I'm in the right headspace, and having people practically yelling an order at me to do it is just going to make me less inclined to. Secondly; messy rooms are a sign of self-disrespect? I can get that, I guess. Seeing people online cleaning out their "depression nests" definitely makes me happy for them. Here's the thing, though; sometimes, the messiest people are the most active, creatively if not physically. I'm a writer- not great at getting anything finished ('cause possible ADHD), but a writer nonetheless. My head is constantly filled with a bunch of different ideas (when I'm not fried, at least), and I'm so busy trying to keep them straight in my head that the thought of "cleaning up" just doesn't have time to occur. I can maneuver through my room without having to watch the floor 24/7, and that's good enough for me.

(Also; changes are tricky for me to deal with (possibly because of Autism). If I'm comfortable in a space, I don't want to change anything about it. The big move we made last December, right as I'd started recovering from depression, was hell on me. I love the new place, don't get me wrong, but the shift was a mess.)

Point #6:

"There's a Reason"

Verbatim: "Remember the reason . Remind yourself, " Why did I even start ? " " Why did I even want this goal ?" . If you don't want the goal anymore then do something else."

Good advice, just one thing to point out; why do people feel like they always have to have a "goal"? The only time I care about a goal is when I'm playing a game (video game, tabletop, whatever). Like, sure, if you're feeling unhealthy and trying to get better, setting a goal can be helpful. But it can also be stressful. Say you expected to lose 10 pounds in 6 weeks, and instead you only lost 5. You did all the work - went on a diet, started an exercise routine, the whole shebang - and you only made it halfway to your goal. (Please note; I'm not a professional, I don't actually know how many pounds one could lose in 6 weeks). That kind of thing takes a toll. Makes you question yourself. Makes you think; should I just not even try? Now, of course, not everyone's gonna automatically give up at the first minor setback, but you get the idea. Setting a goal is a bit like setting a standard, and we all know what happens when people don't meet those. That's not to say you shouldn't set goals at all, it's just the amount of people ragging on people who don't have goals is a little extreme. You don't need a goal to have a good life. If you're happy, then you've got a good life, or at least a pretty decent one. Constantly setting new goals just wastes energy. Give yourself a break.

Point #7:

"Think About What Story You're Telling Yourself"

Verbatim: "If you are telling yourself that you are a lazy person , you will act like one. Your mom didn't carry you for 9 months just for you to say that you are lazy. Get a hold of yourself. Don't complain about how you don't have your dream life if you are lazy."

...

..*sigh*.

There's so many points I could make here. It's good advice, fundamentally, but the way it's worded.. I've heard the "carried you for 9 months" thing from stories about toxic parents too many times to find it inspirational. "I carried you for 9 months"- yeah, you did the bare minimum required to make a human, good job. On the other hand: "don't complain about not having your dream life if you're lazy"? Fair statement, can't argue too much, but it's not always laziness that keeps people from their "dream life". It could be financial reasons, health reasons, or just a plain old crooked system that, for example; hires people based on race, pays differently based on gender, or locks you out of some opportunities because you have a "handicap" that doesn't actually impact your ability to do the job. Effort is good, can go a long way, but sometimes the world just comes together to block your progress, no matter what you try.

Point #8:

"Realize You Can Change Your Reality Any Time"

Verbatim: "You can change your realities really fast if you start acting like the person you want to become."

Not actually much to criticize here; the "fake it 'til you make it" strategy is proven to work. It's just that the wording of "reality" makes me flash back to my dad's "Energy Healing" bullshit. Just say "change your life". Reality is always the same, you're the only thing you can guarantee to change- you're not omnipotent.

(No offense meant to anyone who practices this stuff, it's just not for me.)

Point #9:

"Heal the Past and Move On"

Verbatim: "Go to therapy and heal from the past. You can change your story around . If you are a victim of trauma or abuse , don't just go around and tell people because they lose respect for you ."

...

This is one of those perspectives that makes me have to take deep breaths to calm down. Yes, therapy is wonderful, and you can majorly improve your life by going to it (assuming you have a good therapist), but it's not as simple as just "going and healing". You have to be in the right mental state to realize you should go to therapy, you need to have the courage to make the step, you need to physically be able to get there (or find one that'll do video calls- speaking from experience, phone sessions are not enough), you might need a support system to help you if it doesn't work out, you need to be able to afford therapy in the first place.. I could go on. Also, "losing respect" for someone for trying to vent out their trauma to you is the worst thing you could do. Sure, you don't want to be hit with their trauma all the time, but just tell them that you're not up for that, or, I don't know, help them find a therapist. If a person is weaponizing their own trauma for sympathy, that's different story, but they still should get help. If you don't want to deal with it: block them. Mute them, restrict talking time, establish whatever boundaries you have to, but don't turn it into a "respect" thing unless they're blatantly not giving you any.

(I realize this is a bit harsh; people simplifying mental health issues is one of my big pet peeves that's hard for me to react calmly to, so I'm sorry if it sounded callous.)

Point #10:

"God Will Help"

Verbatim: "Learn to accept help. Sometimes God send people to help you. Ask help from God and you will receive help in miraculous ways."

Now, I completely agree that learning to ask for/accept help is vital. However; basing the statement around a "God" that not everyone believes in is not the best way to deliver the message. I personally am agnostic; if "God" exists, cool (though I have some questions about some things he did), but I don't particularly mind if he doesn't. Some people are just straight up atheist; don't believe in any kind of god at all. How is asking help from God supposed to benefit them? They don't believe in him. It'd be like asking Santa to buy you a motorcycle.

(I mean no offence to anyone who believes, I'm just saying framing your advice around Him means nothing to nonbelievers, and might in fact push them away instead. If I recall correctly, Jesus once said something along the lines of; "respect atheists, for they help you not because God told them to, but because they believe it's the right thing to do". If I'm wrong, please feel free to correct me.)

Overall:

There's actually plenty of good advice being given, but the way some of the things are phrased just doesn't sit right with me. Once again, if anything I said was offensive, it wasn't meant to be. Please tell me so I can do better. I'm sorry this is such a long post, and thankful to anyone who made it this far. You guys didn't have to, but you did, so thank you. :)

[missspringthyme]

January 6th, 2024

My cousin and his wife invited my sister, mom, and I to a "British themed tea house but I I woke up really late and needed to shower, so I told them to go ahead and I would get there later.

When I arrived, they had pretty much finished eating their sandwiches and treats and I felt pretty bad about how long it had taken for me to get there.

When I ate my scones, I put the clotted cream on top and everyone talked about how unlike the rest of them, I had done it the 'proper' way because I lived in the UK. I have no idea what the unproper way is.

The tea house was such a weird experience, there was a cardboard cutout of Lizzie and banner flags of Charles everywhere. In the corner, a woman on a harp played the entire Phantom of the Opera soundtrack. The most authentic part was that the food wasn't great (get wrecked Britain).

On the more interpersonal side, I sometimes struggle with my cousin and his wife because they're a little socially awkward. His wife is autistic but has done a lot of ABA, so sometimes talking to her makes me a little sad. It's almost like you can see her working really hard to be seen as normal and fun, but all I want to do is tell her that conversations would be a lot more fun if I didn't see her doing things that make her uncomfortable just to make other people comfortable.

My cousin, on the other hand, is a very classic 'um actually' nerd. I'm glad that they seem happy together though.

I left after an hour to go meet a friend at the place we always go to (Victorian school turned resturants/bars/coffee shops/art venue) and as always we talked for 5 hours. She thinks she might have OCD, last time she thought maybe ADHD.

We talked about different symptom profiles and neurobiology, but I also told her about the spectrum approach to mental illness and how focusing too much on a specific label may not be the best approach. Regardless, I hope she gets the answers she's looking for.

She apologized to me for constantly asking me questions about that type of thing, but what's the point of getting a master's in neuropsychology if I can't explain how the amygdala works using bad drawings in the notes app of my phone for my friends.

When I got home, I got sucked into a way too long and emotionally exhausting conversation with my mom. The first bit was insane, she told me she doesn't want to see me playfighting with my little sister in front of her because she is uncomfortable seeing me bully her. I said that was very unfair and didn't involve her, and also that my sister initiates just as much of the playfighting. The amount of times that I explained that it was a way we showed affection to each other, and that it was unfair to be treating me like an aggressor when we're both adults.

I found out later my mom went to my sister afterwards and asked her if she was okay with it, which is just incredibly funny to me. My mom keeps telling me we can't make any progress if I don't let my guard down, and I keep telling her that my guard went up in the first place because of behaviour that she has yet to change or even acknowledge.

I don't know how to stop going in circles with her. I finally managed to get my stuff together to switch over to my dad's house, so now I'm looking forward to a bit more space to relax before I finish winter break.

[mangodestroyer]

Crowley whump is everyone's guilty pleasure. And like... he's actually very sad and soft in canon. And very cute. We want the sad disaster puppy doted over any time he's hurt.

Azi, on the other hand... we know he has some issues too (because who the hell would come out of the events of GO without them?) Ofc Crowley is always supportive of him. And always wants to do stuff for him (just like in canon). At the same time, I feel like Aziraphale handles his problems better overall. Maybe it's the fact that he's a principality. Maybe it's just his nature. He's actually supposed to be more resilient despite being so soft (Michael Sheen said he has a steely side to him).

Also, there's evidence that Crowley was either abused and/or straight-up tortured by Hell. It's heavily implied, and we saw Satan himself just straight up hurt him/act possessive with him. The other demons have also tormented him. And he felt... very threatened by them when they found out he was working with Aziraphale. I know Aziraphale has also been abused by Heaven, but Hell was probably terrible to Crowley. Yes, I noticed this perspective changed from season one vs season two. We used to actually think Azi had it worse, but then season two heavily implied that Crowley was tortured.

And Crowley just straight-up shows signs of a more serious mental illness. Many of us notice that he has terrible mood swings. Bipolar spectrum disorder runs in my family, and I'm pretty sure I have mood swings/symptoms myself (I just never went to anyone to get diagnosed). I see myself in Crowley. I'm also likely ADHD/autistic (was likely misdiagnosed for a related disorder and had certain symptoms overlooked). Which are co-morbidities with bipolar. And Crowley also seems to show symptoms for those as well. Autism and ADHD can make it more difficult to deal with emotions/hardships. People with those conditions are also more vulnerable to abuse/more likely to piss off strict authority figures (we're not good at going along with things even if we try, and sometimes, we really just don't like how certain things are and do our own thing). Angel Crowley acts like someone who hasn't yet learned to mask. Autism can make one seem more innocent/oblivious. It also makes it difficult to read others (we can learn, with time, effort, and experience tho). Abusers sus this out and target those individuals as a result. So I imagine this has also led to some horrible experiences for Crowley. Abuse and betrayal.

Needless to say, he's been through a lot.

I think it says a lot about good omens as a fandom that our most popular fic is 100k words of "Crowley goes to therapy". Like we all took one look at this sadwetpathetic demon and went "he's so mecore fr. Fix him"

[thebibliosphere]

Joy, I like to think we're friends and I assume only the chillest people follow you so they're all my friends, too. as this is the case, I feel comfortable enough to admit to some ignorance. just some real "I am a grown man who is by all standards very well educated, I have no excuse for this" nonsense. it is this:

I was under the impression that chiropractors and chiropracty(?) are, on the spectrum of alternative medicine, closer to homeopathy than acupuncture. that it's more like reflexology than actual science. because it's one of those things that people always say: "Oh, just go to a chiropractor! Your debilitating, life altering malady will disappear! you don't need a doctor!"

but I keep hearing chiropractors mentioned as a valid addition to treatment for various conditions by sources that I respect, so I'm confused.

obviously this is far from a critical question, so no worries if you can't get to it. I'll do some in depth reading of my own when my ADHD decides the appointed time to do research on this particular subject has arrived lol

You are correct that chiropractic care is considered more holistic than science-based. It’s why I now only work with a chiro who used to be a PT and who uses the stretching method I mentioned, as it’s one of the few things that gives me relief from my chronic, debilitating pain. But my joints also slide in and out so much, she’s literally popping dislocated vertebrae back into place, which is not the case for most people. The cronch most people hear is gas release and ligaments sliding over each other, nothing to do with the spine itself.

I think many spinal specialists would also be happier if chiropractors fell off the face of the earth. The one I saw after my neck injury told me she primarily used to treat people following car crashes, and now a considerable portion of her patients are people harmed by neck adjustments. That was eye-opening to say the least. I personally would never see anyone that does the pressure/snap to the side method ever again. It’s too violent, even for healthy-bodied people.

Unfortunately, competent medical care isn’t widely available to everyone, and it’s far easier to see a chiro once a week for $40+ than it is to see either a spinal specialist (my last consult was $800) or a physical therapist (my weekly appointments are $250 before insurance), which is what has lead to the widespread use of them being seen as a valid alternative to actual doctors. Desperate people do what they can afford to do to get pain relief.

Some people get great benefits from chiros, and that's wonderful. I also get a lot of pain relief from reflexology, but that’s in conjunction with the rest of my care and not used by itself as a sole form of treatment. It’s my opinion that chiropractic care is much the same; if it’s not paired with actual physical rehab, it’s not going to address the underlying issue that brought you to the chiro in the first place, and that’s a problem.