#i am a struggler of words!!!

[cubbihue]

Wait do people not realize you're an unreliable narrator? I thought it was obvious

OUGH

Its only happened once thankfully. but. oh man. man man man man.

[welcometololaland]

(let us all put our hands together and praise the writing gods because she who is a struggler has SOMETHING. WOOHOOO!)

“Come on, baby,” TK pleads, trying very hard not to groan out loud. “I’m trying to apologise here.” “I haven’t heard the word ‘sorry’.” “Oh my god,” TK grumbles under his breath, bumping his head against the headrest as he closes his eyes momentarily. “I am sorry. I was irritable and unfair and under caffeinated, which is not an excuse, but—” Carlos flips his hand over and squeezes TK’s briefly. “TK,” he says, sounding tired but suddenly much less annoyed. “I don’t want to fight with you.” “I don’t want to fight with you,” TK agrees, glad the conflict seems to be disappearing with the road behind them in the rearview mirror. “It’s going to get in the way of all our role plays.” An unguarded laugh falls from Carlos mouth, and although he rolls his eyes, TK knows he’s forgiven. “What’s next on your list?” he asks. “Lodge manager and guest?” “Good suggestion,” TK admits, “but I was thinking of a ski patrol officer and menace on the slopes.” “You’re the menace?” TK scoffs. “You’re the liability, Carlos. You’re the one who doesn’t know how to ski.” “I didn’t promise I was going to learn,” Carlos points out. “I plan on staying warm, reading a book and occasionally going outside to make sure you haven’t gotten frostbite.” “That’s no fun,” TK insists. He pouts too, but Carlos can’t see it since he’s being all Detective Reyes and following the law to an unnerving degree by never taking his eyes off the road. “You have to try, at least.” “I’ll try,” Carlos promises. “But I’m pretty sure I’m going to hate it.” “You’re just saying that because you only ever want to do things you’re instantly good at.” “That’s not true,” Carlos protests. “It took me ages to learn the rules of Catan.”

TAG! everyone is it!! some friendly suggestions below the cut (if you would like to share 💜)

@rmd-writes @thisbuildinghasfeelings @bonheur-cafe @liminalmemories21 @strandnreyes

@reyesstrand @sunshineacd @theghostofashton @ironheartwriter @emsprovisions

@cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @carlos-in-glasses @heartstringsduet @corsage @lemonlyman-dotcom

@ladytessa74 @three-drink-amy @butchreyes @decafdino @never-blooms

@sugdenlovesdingle @freneticfloetry @whatsintheboxmh @eclectic-sassycoweyes @herefortarlos

@alrightbuckaroo @tellmegoodbye @chicgeekgirl89 @lightningboltreader @captain-gillian

@nancys-braids @pimento-playing-hopscotch @goodways @literateowl @carlos-tk

[mrs-snape5984]

“As long as I'm with you, I've got a smile on my face…”

“Save your tears, it'll be okay. All I know is you're here with me…” (“Here with me” by D4vd)

Suffering from ME/CFS makes me feel like my whole world is falling apart in front of my eyes. Since I’ve already lost so much joy and so many abilities due to this devastating disease, my continuing loss seems to increase even further.

As some of you might know, do I love to write my own stories about Severus and Julia just as much as I enjoy using my tumblr blog as some kind of journal, whenever I’ve commissioned another artwork. It’s my way of rolling out a red carpet for the artists of Snapedom…it’s my way of honouring them for their talent in their profession. Commissioning those amazing people and letting them make my ideas and fantasies come to life, is my very own manner of coping with my physical and emotional pain.

And now, this coping mechanism seems to crumble into pieces as well as everything else, that I’ve already lost! It hurts me to admit, that my brain fog takes advantage of my capability to create vivid images with my words. My thoughts are getting blurry and chaotic. I’m struggling to find the right words to express my emotions (it’s even worse in my native language German than in English!!)…and this scares me to hell!

My mind was the only place, where I could find some shelter from my infuriating and terrifying reality of losing myself to ME/CFS. What if I forfeit my only - just barely existing- talent now?? How should I flee this nightmare of existence if writing wouldn’t be an option anymore?! How should I express my gratitude towards all those marvellous artists of Snapedom, who are all weaving my emotional comfort blanket with each piece of their art?!?

I don’t want to give up on my writing…and I won’t…even though my pride would probably fade away with each badly written chapter of my fictions…and with each unworthy post on my blog. I must admit, that I’m already acknowledging the loss of quality. 🥺

I found an inspiring poem about the importance of staying resilient, no matter how difficult the hardships of life might become, and I want to share it with you:

"KEEP GOING" (Better known as "DON'T QUIT") by Edgar A. Guest

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you're trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and debts are high, And you want to smile but have to sigh.

When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest, if you must, but DON'T YOU QUIT!

Life is queer with its twists and turns, As everyone of us sometimes learns, And many a failure turns about,

When he might have won if he'd stuck it out, Don't give up though the pace seems slow, You might succeed with another blow.

Often the struggler has given up, When he might captured the victor's cup.

And he learned too late, when the night slipped down, How close he was to the golden crown,

Success is failure turned inside out, The silver tint on clouds of doubt, And you never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems afar,

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit, It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.

My dear @mmad-lover, I can’t stress enough how grateful I am for your dedication to this stunning piece of art and believe me, it was worth every single second of waiting! Paula, I was incredibly touched to hear, that my request seemed to be something special, something personal to you. I can assure you, that, indeed, all of my ideas have a profound meaning to me and I’m glad that you’re such an empathetic person, who sensed that particular importance of your art to me. Your devotion to this drawing is palpable in every single detail, every line of your brushes. You created exactly the mood, that I wished for Severus and Julia. It doesn’t matter that the world is burning to the ground around them, they will always have each other’s backs! Just like I’m relying on Severus for more than 21 years now. Thank you for everything, you precious soul! I’m glad that I met you and I hope, we’ll stay in touch. 🥹

🖤Severus & Julia🖤

🖤Sevy & Jules🖤

[vulpixisananimal]

B-side. Chapter 3

The 4th day

"Ladies and gentlemen, Struggle-fiends of Twilight Town! It's time for summer's most sizzling clash! That's right! Today is the day for the Struggle and title match!"

(The sandlot had been renovated for todays Struggle tournament, with lots of seats and a big combat ring to fight in. It would have been exciting, if you didn't screw things up yesterday. You were standing with the other contestants, who were. . .)

"Welcome, the four bad boys who struggled their way through the preliminaries!" (The guy in charge of all this, you never learend his name, really did like driving up the crowd and making a show of this.)

"Regular finalist and head of the Twilight Disciplinary Committee, Seifer!" (You can see Seifer sneer at you, of course he made it in. Maybe beating him would finally shut up him.)

"Completely out of nowhere, who knew he'd make it so far THIS year? Vivi!" (The small and cheeky looking. . . Uh. . . Shadow person? You didn't know Vivi that much, just that he was good and knew some magic.)

"An underground favorite and local attitude problem, Hayner!" (You look over to Hayner, silently wishing he got over yesterday.)

"It's his first trip to the finals! And Struggler number 4, who happens to be my absolute favorite customer, Roxas!"

(You awkwardly wave to the crowd. Yeah, favorite customer. Last time you checked, you were still being framed for stealing things around town. Why the sudden change?)

"So, who will win this sweltering summer Struggle!? And win our grand prize!! But more importantly, who will get the chance to face off against our surprise champion, the pale blur of Twilight town, Siffrin!!"

(Siffrin waved from nearby to the crowd. Honestly, they looked nervous. Not really used to the attention, maybe? Then why'd they go and beat Setzer? You see him glance over at you, then look away.)

>>>

(Round 1, you and Hayner.)

". . ." (The two of you were all ready in the Struggle arena, foam bats and everything. Hayner looked excited, you sighed, and looked away.) "Hey… Sorry about yesterday."

"What?" (Hayner shrugged.) "You still worried about that? You need to learn to let that stuff go Roxas."

"Sorry. . . I've got a lot on my mind." (You take a breath.)

"Sorry, man- wait," (Hayner gets in his fighting stance.) "What am I sorry for? C'mon! Let's get the match going!!"

(You smile, and get your bat ready. You glance over the crowd, your eyes landing on Pence and Olette cheering you on. Hah, you had some good friends, Roxas.)

>>>

"When did Vivi get so tough?" (Hayner asked.)

(Round 2, Vivi and Seifer. You had one in your match against Hayner, he was bumbed, but bounced back quickly.)

"I dunno. . ." (You say, watching the two go at it.)

(Vivi was fast, faster than you'd seen someone move in a long time. By the look of it, Seifer was just as surprised as you, struggling, haha, to keep up.)

"I guess it wouldn't be the first surprise Struggle winner in the past couple days." (Comments Hayner.)

"Yeah. . ." (You glance over to Siffrin. He wasn't watching the match.)

>>>

(Round 3, you and Vivi.)

(You held you Struggle bat tightly. Vivi had been a beast last round. So much so that Seifer himself had given you some words of wisodom.)

("That's not Vivi, thrash em.")

(Well he didn't have to tell you twice.)

(The match started, and you rush forward, taking a few swipes, but the shorter opponent just dodged and jumped away. You try a few more times but each time he'd jump around with his annoying little laugh.)

(You take a few breaths, alright, if that wouldn't work, let him come to you.)

(Vivi hopped around a bit more, before rushing at you with a few strikes. You block him and take your chance. Striking back at Vivi and connecting!!)

(Just a little bit more of that and you're set, Roxas!)

(And so the little dance continued, don't go on the offensieve, wait for an opening and strike!! Again, and again! Vivi struck again and again, but you already got his whole gameplan locked down!! You parry his next swing and send him flying, now's your chance!! You rush forward and. . .)

(Time stops.)

"Again?!?" (You shake your head.)

(You look around, everyone's frozen. Your Hayner, Pence, Olette, the crowd, Siffrin, all of them unmoving. You took your fighting stance, 'cause you could tell what was going to happen next, and the Keyblade appears in your hands.) "Bring it!!"

(From flashes of dull light four of those dusk things surround you. You got this, you got this, YOU GOT THIS!!!)

(You breathe in, and out.)

(You swing, one at a time!! Again, two, three!! It's easy!! This is EASY!! You jump to the side to dodge one of those sharp limbs, you feet feel like they're floating as you drift around the creature. And that must have confused them!!!)

(Again, and again!! And again!!! One down, you strike the others too, keep going!! Keep going untill-)

(Done!!! Finally!!! Stupid, stupid weirdo stranger things!!!)

(You're panting, and you shake your head. Wow, you were light headed. Looking around, everything was still frozen, though. You look around. . . Do you hear clapping?)

"Roxaaaas, alriiiight, fight fight fight!" (You turn around, there was a man in a black cloak clapping, he walks towards you. You take a step back.)

". . . You really don't remember?" (The figure shakes his head. He takes off his cloaks hood, revealing a head of long, spikey red hair, blue eyes, and teardrop tattoos.)

"It's me, y'know, Axel."

(You squint at the weirdo.) "Axel?"

(He shakes his head.) "Talk about blank with a capital B. . . Dusks wont be enough to get this done."

"Hey what's going on here?!?" (You take a stance, getting annoyed at all of this weirdness!)

"Sorry, no time. You're coming with me, conscious or not." (With a burst of flame, Axel reached out and from nothing summoned a pair of chakrams, and started twirling them in his hands.) "Then you'll get your answers."

"What?!?" (You grip the Keyblade closer.) "No way! Just tell me what's going on!!"

"Number 13. Roxas. The Keyblade's chosen one. . ." (Axel said under his breath. He looks to the side. Then back to you.)

". . . Fine! You asked for it!" (You charge Axel, taking a few swings.)

(Axel blocks easily before swinging one of the chakrams into your side, you grit your teeth feeling the fire glance against you. You hop back as Axel takes advantage of that and swipes at you.)

"Hey! Do I ring any bells yet?!?" (Axel yells as you block the swings. You wait for a second, then counter, swiping under Axels swing and hitting him once, twice, thrice, again!)

(He stumbles back, watching you for a moment before dashing forward and twisting behind you in a fraction of a second. You only just have enough time to turn around and block.)

(You take another step back, and wait for Axel to swing in again, which he does. Just like Vivi. You block it and attack again.)

(You're trading blows, but you can't go on forever, c'mon Roxas, get it together!!)

(Axel swings again, another swipe, another retaliation. Don't get greedy, back up once you got your hits in.)

"Roxaaaas c'mooooon." (Axel's taunting you.)

"Shut up!!!" (You yell, charging at him again. He blocks your blows easily. Stupid, stupid-)

(He charges at you again, Chakrams ablaze. He unleases a fury of attacks, each one harder to keep up with. C'mon, Roxas, just a bit- there!!)

(You see an opening, and take it! You swing for Axel, striking at his chest with all you had!!!)

(And it was enough, he stumbles back.)

(You're panting, out of breath.) "NOW will you tell me what's going on?!?"

"Heh, Sorry." (Axel gives you a grin.) "No can do."

(You feel the world distort even worse than before. You stumble back.)

"Roxas," (A new voice, you turn, theres a man standing nearby, red outfit. Face mostly covered) "this man speaks nonsense!"

"Roxas!" (Axel yells.) "C'mon, don't let him deceive you!"

"Roxas!"

"Roxas!!"

"ROXAS!!!!!"

(You grip your head, it hurts, headache. Eyes squeezed shut, stumbling back. Roxas. Roxas Roxas Roxas Roxas ROXAS!!! STOP! YELLING! YOUR! NAME!!)

"H-Hayner, Pence, Olette. . ." (You mumble to yourself. Your friends, your friends you, you needed your friends you- it was, still just, so loud and-)

"Hey. . ." (You feel a hand on your shoulder, a calm voice, a familiar one.) "Breathe with me, okay?"

(. . . . . . You breathe in. . . . . And out. . .)

(You remove your hands from your head, and look up. The crowd was cheering, Vivi lay defeated at the other side of the arena. Those two men were gone.)

(Looking to your left, Siffrin had their hand on your shoulder, they were smiling at you.)

". . . How'd did you-" (You start, he cuts you off.)

"Looks like you'll be after my championship, big guy." (They pat your shoulder before walking away.)

"Roxas!!" (You turn, your friends were running to you.) "You did it!!"

(. . . Yeah, you really did.)

(Somehow.)

[Prev] [Masterpost] [Next]

[worldsewage]

what is struggles Deal .. like as a king salmonid. what is bro out doing making music n shit Aside from that also . Being . Struggles king salmonid thang , sgorry i love struggle and i am intrigued. do it got beef with like .. the other kings. this is worded really bad. Sorry kicking my feet in the air twinkling my eyesAlso maybe i missed it but Why. Is struggle a king salmonid ? number 1 struggle fan call me the struggler

Running Salmonids are Salmonids who have excelled in life and are chosen to go through Salmon Runs to have offspring, I think I talked about this in one of the linked posts in my pinned?

King Salmonids are also Salmonids who simply haven’t died and as a result keep growing, I think I elaborated on this here.

Struggle was elected because she was— prior to her transformation— a very popular Salmonid musician and dancer who got married into a larger company to send her off, with another potential runner, to the homerun grounds.

But Struggle’s desire to make music somehow outweighed the frenzy to cross the river and reproduce that Running Salmonid get during the journey across the ocean, so struggle became a king since she never began to rot. So she just became this distorted weirdo King Salmonid who only ever wants to perform.

[srbachchan]

DAY 5547

Jalsa, Mumbai                Apr 24,  2023                 Mon 11:56 PM

In time .. sort of .. 

An entire day of psychological thoughts and the training of the mind to feel and understand that which comes in the natural climate of the system ..

Of life .. of presence .. of existence .. and more than that does not need to be expressed .. too close for the comfort of others  ..

yes we think for the comfort of others .. we do .. it may not be observed but we do, unconsciously and consciously .. more the latter .. 🤣

and when in the turmoil of mind body and soul, turn to the one that brought you into this World - Babuji , Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan ..

so tranced through those that have corresponded with him and now in possession of all his letters, which they convert into book and release it in the market to exploit the sale value of it ..

often asking me to express my opinion on it .. or write a ‘bumper’ .. is that what it is called ... which they shall display at the back of the book cover to lend it credibility .. 

and I do receive the copy of it with the, dedicated, dripping with juices of sentiment in them, written as an acknowledgement for the benefit of their gratitude towards the progeny ..

I read it all and through it .. and am in admiration .. but the protocol is unacceptable .. you destroy the worth of the one that rightfully legally and copyrightedly owns it in inheritance .. 

words and expressions of condolence is expressed therein .. the absence of the greatness and his brilliance admired .. but benefitted to another ..

never mind what hath been done cannot be undone .. BUT what can be done is still in the hands and shall one day hopefully derive the worth that it deserves ..

for the writing is supreme ..

a letter in response to one of the many ..

Mainly saying ..

( and can someone translate the opening sher of the page .. it is rather subtle )

“I write but that does not mean that I write prose as well .. I do write prose, on and off .. my poetry is the poetry of them that struggle in life .. because I am a struggler in life .. my readers know me like this .. and they that do not know me like this, do not know me .. when ever did I say that I have come to give the last truth of life .. if I can even give but one truth of life, I shall feel blessed  ..”

the sher 

“इश्के बुता करूँ कि मैं यादे ख़ुदा  करूँ ; इस छोटी सी उमर में मैं क्या क्या ख़ुदा करूँ “ ~

 should I pray for the beauty of love , or should I  remember the Almighty , khuda  .. in this short life of mine , what all should I put to the Almighty 

a really terrible translate of the sher original .. if any dedicated and learned Ef can , please do so ..

Awake because the right translation worries me and to find it I have tried every communication vehicle and failed .. so .. at this hour of the night I sent a message to dear friend Rumi Jaffery , who directed  Chehre .. and surprisingly he responded to say he was awake and called .. we spoke and finally got the translation from him ..

बुत यानी मूर्ति  ; की मैं मूर्ति  से इश्क़ करूँ , या ख़ुदा को याद करूँ  । एक उम्र मिली है इतनी ��ोटी सी , उसमें क्या क्या करूँ  ।  या तो मूर्ति  से प्यार करूँ , या ख़ुदा को  याद कर लूँ  । एक जीवन में दोनों करना तो मुश्किल है 

do I love an idol or statue, or do I remember Khuda  ... i have been given this one small life, what should I do ... i can either love the image or statue or idol, or remember Khuda .. in one life to do both is difficult 

and the eyes keep turning the pages of the letters and marvelling at the genius and acumen of Babuji .. and i live with them .. and now shall bring myself to slumber .. 

GN .. 😴

Amitabh Bachchan

[ausetkmt]

Top 26 Assata Shakur Quotes: Wars, Government and People

Assata Olugbala Shakur is a former member of the Black Liberation Army (BLA), who was convicted of being an accomplice in the first-degree murder of State Trooper Werner Foerster. She has been on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorist list since 2013 as Joanne Deborah Chesimard and was the first woman to be added to this list. Check out some of the top Assata Shakur quotes here.

26 Assata Shakur Quotes That Took the World by the Storm

Assata Shaku Quotes on People

#1. “The only ones who can free us are ourselves.” — Assata Shakur

#2. “At this time, I’d like to say a few words, especially to my sisters. Black people will never be free unless black women participate in every aspect of our struggle, on every level of our struggle.” — Assata Shakur

#3. “Nobody in the world, nobody in history, has ever gotten their freedom by appealing to the moral sense of the people who were oppressing them.” — Assata Shakur

#4. “People get used to anything. The less you think about your oppression, the more your tolerance for it grows. After a while, people just think oppression is the normal state of things. But to become free, you have to be acutely aware of being a slave.” — Assata Shakur

#5. “We had to learn that we’re beautiful. We had to relearn something forcefully taken from us. We had to learn about Black power. People have power if we unite. We learned the importance of coming together and being active.” — Assata Shakur

#6. “When you go through all your life processing and abusing your hair so it will look like the hair of another race of people then you are making a statement and the statement is clear.” — Assata Shakur

#7. “In the long run, the people are our only appeal. The only ones who can free us are ourselves.” — Assata Shakur

#8. “The more you understand what you’re dealing with, the stronger you get. People see fear as a bad thing. Fear is healthy when you’re dealing with Amerika. But when fear controls you, when you’re afraid to struggle, fear is a bad thing. I’m more afraid of what will happen if I don’t struggle, than what will happen if I do.” — Assata Shakur

#9. “People are tried and convicted in the newspapers and on television before they ever see a courtroom.” — Assata Shakur

#10. “I think that the movement against the World Bank, against the globalization process that is happening, is very positive. We need globalization, a globalization of people who are committed to social justice, to economic justice. We need a globalization of people who are committed to saving this earth, to making sure that the water is drinkable, that the air is breathable.” — Assata Shakur

#11. “People are really beginning to see the mechanisms of imperialism. When colonialism existed people could see colonialism. When racial segregation existed in its apartheid form, people could see the whites only signs. But it’s much more difficult to see the structures of neo-imperialism, neo-colonialism, neo-slavery.” — Assata Shakur

Assata Shakur Quotes on War

#12. “I hate war, and I hate having to struggle. I honestly do because I wish I had been born into a world where it was unnecessary. This context of struggle and being a warrior and being a struggler has been forced on me by oppression. Otherwise, I would be a sculptor, or a gardener, carpenter. You know, I would be free to be so much more. I guess part of me or a part of who I am, a part of what I do is being a warrior – a reluctant warrior, a reluctant struggler. But I do it, because I’m committed to life.” — Assata Shakur

#13. “I think that the greatest betrayal that a revolutionary can participate in is to become like the people you are struggling against. To become like your persecutors. I think that is a betrayal and a sin.” — Assata Shakur

#14. “I have declared war on the rich who prosper on our poverty, the politicians who lie to us with smiling faces, and all the mindless, heartless, robots who protect them and their property.” — Assata Shakur

#15. “Freedom! You asking me about freedom. I’ll be honest with you. I know a whole more about what freedom isn’t than about what it is, ’cause I’ve never been free. I can only share my vision with you of the future, about what freedom is.” — Assata Shakur

#16. “If you’re deaf, dumb, and blind to what’s happening in the world, you’re under no obligation to do anything. But if you know what’s happening and you don’t do anything but sit on your ass, then you’re nothing but a punk.” — Assata Shakur

#17. “My experience in the United States was living in a society that was very much at war with itself, that was very alienated. People felt not part of a community, but like isolated units that were afraid of interaction, of contact, that were lonely.” — Assata Shakur

#18. “I think that in order to struggle you have to be creative. In my life, creativity has been something that has sustained me; it awoke my spiritual struggle.” — Assata Shakur

#19. “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.” — Assata Shakur

#20. “The methods of peaceful protests are not capable of being effective, because in reality most people pay little attention to things that are not abrasive.” — Assata Shakur

Assata Shakur Quotes on Government

#21. “I had to adjust to living in a Third World country, which means that things people in the U.S. take for granted-like hot running water whenever you turn on the tap-are not always available.” — Assata Shakur

#22. “I couldn’t see how we could seriously struggle without having a strong sense of collectivity, without being responsible FOR each other and TO each other.” — Assata Shakur

#23. “I found that people had all kinds of levels of consciousness, all kinds of levels of education, but that Cubans in general were very educated politically. I could go sit in a bus and get into a conversation with someone and that person had a wealth of knowledge. And energy!” — Assata Shakur

#24. “I believe in self-defense and self-determination for Africans and other oppressed people in America.” — Assata Shakur

#25. “Black revolutionaries do not drop from the moon. We are created by our conditions. Shaped by our oppression.” — Assata Shakur

#26. “Are you ready to sacrifice to end world hunger? To sacrifice to end colonialism? To end neocolonialism? To end racism? To end sexism?” — Assata Shakur

Conclusion

Assata Shakur holds a reputation as a militant activist and supporter of the Black Lives Movement. She is a household figure in fighting the wave of sexism and racism. Her words inspire millions today.

[ectonurites]

i was trying to figure out the wording to make a post about how i have a ton of shit to do rn and am feeling like The Struggler™️ but i was so preoccupied and distracted by that thought process that i spilled coffee on myself. so that's great

[tailoroffates]

Anxiety Brain Fog and Tips to Defeat it!

Hey-hi! I’m back again to chat about yet another aspect of anxiety!  Anxiety brain fog… Anxiety brain fog can happen when a person is feeling anxious and it causes difficulty thinking clearly/concentrating. It’s common to experience brain fog when dealing with stressful situations, or while an individual experiences high stress in general. So, why does anxiety cause brain fog? Well, it typically happens because anxiety takes up a lot of mental resources. This makes it so people need to use more energy while trying to focus on anything other than that anxiety, which is why it makes it so difficult to concentrate or think clearly.

Symptoms of anxiety brain fog include:

Fatigue

An inability to organize thoughts or activities performed

Feeling confused or “spaced out”

Being easily distracted

Forgetfulness, or a constant loss of your train of thought

Having difficulty finding the right words

Processing thoughts slower than usual

Forgetting about a task you need to complete

Needing more time to complete basic tasks

So basically, anxiety brain fog creates a forgetful mental state affected by your anxiety. The more anxious you get, the harder it becomes to focus. It usually happens when you go to do something that you know makes you anxious, and it makes preparing for that task much harder than it needs to be. There are other causes for anxiety brain fog, meaning things that can make it more likely to affect you. These are:

Neurological conditions, like head injuries or dementia.

Some chronic illnesses

Dehydration, hunger, or vitamin deficiencies

Drugs and alcohol

Certain medications, like chemotherapy or mood stabilizers.

So the gist of the situation is, if it isn’t anxiety induced then you should do your best to take good care of yourself and if that doesn’t help, seek out medical attention that could provide better answers for your condition. Now, since the brain fog is a symptom and not a medical diagnosis there is no treatment for it that I am aware of. Though, managing the anxiety or the conditions causing the brain fog may help. I’m no medical professional or therapist, but as a fellow struggler of anxious tendencies, I happen to have a few tips to help you along the way.

My tips: 1.  Make a checklist and actively run through it before heading out to ensure you don’t stray off track. 2. Try to prepare ahead of time, or leave the things you need near the door where you can see them. Sometimes visual cues can help to re-spark your memory and clear the fog enough to set you back on the right path. 3.  Work on methods to slow or calm your anxiety. Giving your brain less to focus on can help redirect your attention towards what you need, instead of what you’re afraid of or anxious about. The tips I mentioned above are my personal methods of clearing, or at the very least, working through my own anxiety brain fog. I hope this information helps you find your own path to victory VS the foggy brain feels <3 Unfortunately, that’s all I have for you today, but for those of you who have your own tips for working through anxiety brain fog, I’d love to hear about them and how they help you in the comments or tags! Sharing is caring!

[toweroftickles]

Hi I'm so embarrassed- I know I'm like one of two-ish people who would want this but like I was wondering if you heard of a game called Solatorobo: Red The Hunter- and are willing to share some t-word thoughts GOODBYE AAAHHH

Well, guess what? You are lucky, because you just so happened to have found the other half of the two-ish people who would want this!! Solatorobo t-word thoughts are the elixir that gives me life and I am so excited that somebody requested them BUCKLE UP BABY

Tickle Headcanons

Red Savarin

Ticklishness Rating: 10/10

Most Ticklish Spots: Balls and Arches of Feet, Sides, Tummy

Absurdly ticklish, everywhere, but especially on his gigantic feet. The tiniest little poke can cripple him.

He's proud and cocky, and flustered by how sensitive he is.

Giggles like an angry little boy, always fighting to hold in his laughter. Tons of intense snickers in the roof of his mouth and through his teeth...he makes a lot of staticky noises when he's squirming.

Red's a struggler. Will never hold still and has to be wrestled down to get tickled.

He's constantly surrounded by girls...Caninu and Felineko alike...who think he's cute and love to tease & flirt with him. Pretty much every gal he meets tries to tickle him to death eventually!

The Dahak's (his robo) giant mecha fingers can operate with a surprisingly fine touch...very effective for tickling...and he's done this in battle before.

Chocolat Gelato

Ticklishness Rating: 7/10

Most Ticklish Spots: Belly Button, Armpits, Feet

More huffy and stern than Red, she sometimes gets fed up with her big brother's antics and feels the urge to punish him.

She can make Red do basically anything she wants (“Don’t make me tickle you”), and relishes the hold she has over him. Her bossy-but-demure nature belies a mean streak and sharp claws that she isn't afraid to use.

Her tickles are rough and squeezy.

Surprisingly, even though she's ticklish too, Red doesn't get her back very often, because it's always a fight he ends up losing.

Tickling really annoys her….unless Quebec does it. Then it’s a serotonin boost!

Forced to be the mature one, Chocolat rarely has the opportunity to act like a kid her age. Getting bear hugs and tickles from Quebec fills her with butterflies and lets her feel safe, loved, and smol. :3

Her cackling laughter isn't very ladylike, and this bothers her.

Ehl Melizee

Ticklishness Rating: 9/10

Most Ticklish Spots: Neck, Small of Back, Ankles

Some people, when they’re tickled, flail around wildly. Some curl into a defensive fetal position. And some feel their entire bodies contract like a tightly-coiled spring and freeze solid. Ehl is the latter.

She'll fervently insist that she's not ticklish, but acting is not one of her talents.

Ehl does not laugh. She shrieks in petrified agony.

Opera Kranz

Ticklishness Rating: 9/10

Most Ticklish Spots: Between Toes, Ribs, Inner Thighs

A predator in the purest sense, who loves to play with her food both literally and metaphorically. Domineering.

This feline pirate is a ravenous tickler who shows no pity. If a prisoner is in her clutches, she'll tickle-torture them to the point of capitulation without a second thought. It's her absolute favorite method of punishment, persuasion, and info extraction, and she knows just how to drill your weak spots. >:)

Calua and Gren always get nervous and excuse themselves from the room whenever she does this. They know not to get on her bad side.

In true cat fashion, Opera is haughty and treats everyone as beneath her. Constantly infantilizes her opponents, mocking, teasing, calling them “cute” or “sweetheart”….just imagine how bad it gets when she’s got them pinned down and won’t stop running her nails all over them.

When that sense of superiority breaks, she goes full Hulk mode.

No tolerance for what she dishes out. None. Howls and screams and threatens gory vengeance when given a taste of her own medicine.

Calua Napage

Ticklishness Rating: 7/10

Most Ticklish Spots: Belly Button, Feet

Too laid-back to really hate or be angered by tickling, but too defensive to really enjoy it either.

Extremely wiggly and squirmy, like a fish.

He always gets revenge, so watch out! But it’s all in good fun.

A teensy bit fearful of provoking Opera’s tickle wrath.

Several people have pointed out to him that they can't help but tickle his tummy; it's too tempting a target! He's thought about equipping a less-revealing wardrobe, but truth be told, he wants to flaunt his abs.

Quebec

Ticklishness Rating: 5/10

Most Ticklish Spots: Ribs, Belly

Surprisingly jovial for an ex-soldier, with a husky, bellowing roar that lets his heart of gold shine. Loves to laugh.

His voice isn’t deep; it’s in subterranean catacombs.

Guards Chocolat like an adopted daughter. He’s highly protective of her and the two are very close and affectionate.

Those paws might be massive & scary, but they’re just big fluffy tickle mittens.

When she was little, Chocolat's favorite pastime was getting picked up and carried around on Quebec's back. Whenever she wanted him to go faster, she'd kick him in the side with her foot or reach down and tickle his ribs, both of which made him chuckle.

As a result of his battlefield injury, his right leg no longer works, but his left does, so he has the unique distinction of being ticklish on only one foot.

He's extremely fuzzy, which makes him fun to touch...ladies tend to get very cuddly and physically affectionate with him, which can be a little awkward when they brush against a tickle spot.

Flo

Ticklishness Rating: 7/10

Most Ticklish Spots: Balls of Feet, Tummy

The French maid outfit isn't just for show, or for business. She loves wearing it, and she also loves getting flirty with feather dusters. ;)

Her sunny, chirpy laughter can brighten anyone's day! Flo yips like a little puppy.

She'll tell you to stop, but won't really mean it.

If anyone wants some more Little Tail Bronx research for tickle HCs, speak up…this whole franchise has such a cool aesthetic & cute characters that need to be exploited. XP

[show-us-kaidenshenandoah]

i think im gonna start a series called "Kaiden-Shenandoah's random life tips" bc there's just some odd things i do that make my life easier/more enjoyable. that. like. i dont think make me special?? but most of my loved ones i babble to, when i mention them, will look surprised and be all "damn, that's clever. that's an issue i never thought about, but yeah, i can see how thatd help others/myself. ill have to remember that"

so. this post is all JUST IN CASE it helps someone, even just one person, then the effort will have been entirely worth it. bc sometimes living life is hard and sometimes you just need to hear someone say "oh, what about this possible solution?" to help you out by applying such to your routines or use that suggestion as foundational inspiration for something more customized to your own life or whatever else— just to make living life that little bit easier. and if me sepcifically needing a lot of "oddball" solutions and pre-cautions helps others??? that makes me feel awesome (and less alone), so hell yeah, ill do my best to remember as many tips as i have and be consistent about posting them within this thread. just in case and all that jazz ✌️

(and, even tho this likely DOES NOT need to be said out loud, ill say it anyway as my own proverbial "Bill of Rights" style just-have-it-written-down-in-case-the-worst-happens-in-the-future (but hope for the best) PSA: if these dont apply to you?? or if you think "wtf, people need help with this?? our generation/the next generation is doomed"??? maYHAPS THIS POST ISN'T FOR YOU. this is applicable only to people with lifestyles and/or brains that are similar to me and my loved ones. if you arent of that lifestyle or brain-typage, then thats that lol of course you cant relate. it's an "apples and oranges" thing, y'know. not better/worse or special/normal; just different. it's not something you need, and that's super okay. just don't be rude about the difference. if youd like to be kind and reblog anyway in case any followers or loved ones of yours could be helped by any of this?? that's so fantastic. some of this stuff has some really bad internalized shame about it, or else people have been conditioned to just "keep that to themself; don't talk about it", and either way some of these topics (not all, but still) have people who are hiding their struggle from others as best they can. you don't know what you don't know; and you don't know what people don't tell you. so it's very generous of you, as someone who cant relate to some/all of this stuff, to reblog just in case one of those silent strugglers follow you and/or are a part of your inner-circle. thank you so much for sympathizing with struggles you know your life as is doesn't share and thank you for being kind ♡)

i dont expect this to be helpful to EVERYBODY, and def feel free to just screenshot what is valuable to you and abandon this actual post (just pls dont crop my name out, esp if you end up re-posting your copy to your own blog or on different social-media elsewhere. bc credit is nice lol) bc i assume this will become a long/repetitive post as i update on/off. and most people dont like long posts lmao rip so you dont gotta reblog it if you hate long/repetitive posts or are worried about your followers disliking any long/repetitive post (besides: ill sometimes make one-offs not attached to this post, probably. esp since im forgetful and tumblr is broken/i lose things easily. but ill try to reblog this one for most of them, since thats easier organization for my brain 🫶 lmao)

(but yeah i only have three ideas i wanna do today, but ill come back to this whenever i remember another one ive done thats been helpful to me and/or that i created alongside a loved one that helped them lol)

also pls note that i am dyslexic and do not plan on editing any of this too seriously. so forgive me for mispellings, for forgetting an entire word, and so on. this is me being very casual, so ill inevitably miss some mistakes i make and whatnot

hugs and kisses xoxo best wishes see you later babe

[definitelynotshouting]

Hi! This is the anon that binged your fic a few days ago! I just got the time to read the newest chapter and I am SO sticking around to find out where this story goes. As someone who’s struggled with mental health I’m able to connect with Grian so well and that only doubles the desire I have to see him flourish and overcome these struggles. The way you write description is so inspiring too; I’ve learned several words since reading! I didn’t know anything about the hunger au when I started so some of the world building was a little lost on me at first, but as I continued it made a lot more sense very quickly! Amazing work, I’m very excited to see where it ends up :)

- binge reader

ANONNNN THIS IS SO INSANELY SWEET THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SENDING THIS ASK,,, i was thinking abt this earlier today but i rlly am writing this story primarily for all the recovery girlies out there. My little way of holding everyone's hand and saying its gonna be okay, actually, even if it gets so hard you want to lie down and cry forever. Mental health strugglers rise UP we are OUT HERE we are GOING TO MAKE IT!!!!!!!!!

Im really flattered you enjoy my descriptions, its something i think im most proud of in my writing :] smth about finding the perfect word to help paint an incredibly vivid picture really appeals to the autism in my brain, although i do frequently worry i might be going a bit,,,, overboard kdsbkdnekdk

and yeah, this is admittedly a rough draft of the story-- its missing quite a bit of connective tissue at the start, which is mostly bc i genuinely assumed only a handful of people already familiar with the world would pick it up and see it. In the hypothetical future polished version of this fic, i'd want to make the worldbuilding a bit more concrete right from the start-- i think its very easy to tell that im still sorta worldbuilding as i go, and there are definitely details i'd want to put front and center right away :] nonetheless, im pretty proud of how its shaping up, considering when i posted the first two chapters i had NO CLUE where it was going 😂😂😂😂

Im very, very happy so many people have gotten into the fic and its worldbuilding. Its a truly indescribable feeling when yall come into my inbox and tell me stuff like this ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ i hope you continue to enjoy the fic, and im really happy you feel seen by it-- that means a lot for me to hear :]

[fanaticsnail]

Travel is all fun and games until you step off of that 14 hour flight for a layover and realize you've got 3 more hours after it. Makes me wanna cry 🥲.

Anyways, on to the ocs. Writing the Zoro Fic (still don't have a name for it) I've found it a bit difficult to come up with OCs who can create interesting dynamics with Kuina and Karasu. With Kuina providing such a nice parallel to a younger Zoro, it's been hard not to just copy-paste the original crew lol. I have a few basic frameworks for characters, though. As always, no names:

Little Miss Chronically Unemployed. Not exactly a bounty hunter, more of a contract job kinda gal. Well, she would be if she could get a job, that is. Kuina is the first person in a long time to throw her a proverbial bone, and now she follows her around like a lost pup. Tsukino Usagi if she was a sad drunk.

Prince of....wherever the hell. Karasu, why do you, as a man, have an arch nemesis? What are you arching, your back? Seems being a swordsman is a one-stop-shop for being a bi disaster. Prince of some island and, for lack of better word, the group's sugar daddy. He's a stupid dumb dumb, I wanna put him in a jar and shake it.

The Struggler ™️. Obligatory devil fruit user, and despite being the youngest, they are adult supervision to these idiots. I'm thinking levitation, simply for the mental image of the rest of the group arguing with eachoter, only to suddenly be flung in opposite directions. Some assembly required on this one.

Thats what I have for this fic so far, however the more I get into this fic, the more I realize I don't know. The biggest example being: I am an only child, however with the amount of cousins and clse family friends I have, I've basically experienced every spot in the eldest-middle-youngest hierarchy. I've got an idea of what to do and ehat not to do when it comes to writing Kuina and Karasu but there's a small part of me that feels like I'm going to slip up and do smth stupid. Some Kuina & Karasu interactions, for your perusal:

Karasu has eldest child syndrome. Kuina has eldest daughter syndrome. That means even if their parents were present for their whole lives, they very much raised eachother. Very close bond because of this, but would rather die than acknowledge it.

As kids, Kuina once got dangerously sick. Karasu got so worried that he threw up and their parents were stuck caring for both of them.

Karasu once convinced Kuina her onigiri was poisoned so that he could have it instead. This backfired when Kuina freaked out and threw it away for "safety ". (This is inspired by smth I did. I have no regrets 👹)

Slow-motion punches. No words, just going up to eachother and pretend punching them into the face. You can't refuse a slow-mo punch, it's illegal. You just gotta take it.

UGHHHHH, I could go on and on, but for your sake I won't. OK, byeeee.

-♡♡ lots of love

Oh my gosh, HOW MANY LAYOVERS AND FOR HOW LONG??? Here I am whining about the fact that I've got a 2.25 hour flight coming up to see my baby sister, and you're doing a full 17 with stops. Dayum!!

Coming up with titles is just the worst. If this fic was me, I'd simply call it: "The World's Greatest," or "Whatever It Takes." Maybe even going with: "My Greatest Honor" considering the greatest honor for Zoro would be to pass his title onto his daughter.

Tropes are tropes for a reason, we love them. Having Roronoa Kuina as a reflection of both Zoro and Kuina (in his youth) would be an interesting way to have him see life come full circle.

Chronically Unemployed: the all rounder. Physically strong and burly, great sense of humor, could drink Zoro into a new liver -> reason why Kuina enjoys her so much? Reminds her of what her life would look like if she was less ambitious and more carefree. If we're going Japanese for names, Junko (ジュンコ) would be cute considering her obedience to Kuina. That name literally translates to "obedience" or "pure".

The Prince: Karasu's nemesis because he envies his parentage perhaps? Could go deeper: Zoro's wife and mother of Karasu and Kuina could be an heir to a title, and gave it up before her arranged marriage to the Prince's father. She chased love, and Zoro was who she wanted. The Prince sees Karasu as the embodiment of the childhood he could've had, and the Prince's mother could've been more hands off (as many are) than Zoro's wife. The issue? Karasu is in love with him, but has to keep up the farse that he isn't because he doesn't want the prince to stop talking to him -> even if that means insults. I would give him an incredibly pretentious name like "Ludwig" or "Leopold" and have his nickname / alias "Ludo" for safety for travel.

Devil-Fruit User: Leviathan is such a cool name, I love it! Anything to do with aqua mythos and I'm like a moth to a flame. "Levi" is also a very cute nickname, but considering the fact that I went with an "L" name for the one prior, I would love to steer your attention to other aquatic mythological creatures. Neothelids, for example, would be REALLY FUN to play with in the One Piece world, and "Neo" or "Theli" would be cute for the youngest member of the crew. A Neothelid is a creature that stems from mind-flayers, growing into a beast like a Kraken or Worm, that can: levitate, use telekinesis, breathe acid, and overtake creatures minds with a mental blast. Playing with those powers would be absolutely chaos, but I love it.

I am the oldest of four, my younger three siblings and I get along extremely well. We play D&D every Saturday night as a family, and I'd do anything for them. Wasn't always like that, but that comes with having siblings close in age. Sibling dynamics are a lot like watching older cats interact with younger kittens: swatting, showing who's boss, establishing the pecking order, and then realising "Oh shit, you're a lot taller than me now. What have I done," when they grow up.

Yes to the onigiri incident between them. Absolutely happened, it's canon to me. Poisoned food, food poisoning, absolutely.

OKAY SO NOW I HAVE A HOT TAKE FOR YOUR FIC.

Ship Roles:

Captain: Kuina (Little Sister)

First Mate: Karasu (Big Brother)

Navigator: Ludo (Prince)

Chef: Neo / Theli (DF user)

Shipwright: Junko (Chronically Unemployed)

Kuina is the captain because she is assembling the team. Captain whether she wants to or not. Karasu is the first mate because they are known for taking care of their Captain. He wants to keep her safe, like the doting big brother he is. That, and his mother would kill him if anything were to happen to her.

I'm sorry it took a while for me to get back to you about it! I have been thinking on this so hard and wanted to have the words happen in the right way. Love you, ♡♡ Anon. Enjoy your time away!!

[duskoon]

Hi! :D

Just want to say , I LOVE YOUR BERSERK WRITING VERY MUCH. I can't help but be so happy that there is another person who also knows it.

It's okay if you against it but can you make Platonic Yandere! Guts with Female!Y/n who is like an childhood friend and pretty much the only person that showed him affection?

Well. Hello there :D

I am thankful for your kind words, really it warms my heart that people appreciate my writing in spite of me taking, figuratively, a century to publish my works. I don’t blame ya. Yandere writings, let alone general writing, for Berserk is pretty underrepresented.

Berserk is one of my favourite, if not my personal favourite, series. The panel arts are so 👌, and it’s thematics is what initially hooked me up. Sorry for nerding up but consider your request in my list, fellow struggler 😉.

[fck-yea-poetry]

Snow

When I die- not if but when-

I do not require:

your blithering,

your blathering,

for you to put on a show

of a person you thought/think you knew/know.

Do not make me out to be:

a struggler,

a straggler,

a fighter,

a battler,

a person who jumped off the deep end 

and ignored the ladder.

I am me- but who is me?

Who am I and who are we?

My entity hesitates to confirm the definition.

They say I was “put here” but for what “mission?”

Perchance to make you smile-

if just for a small while.

Perchance to make you cry-

even if you know not why.

Perchance to make you forget, just for a day,

all of the things you hear them say.

Or perhaps I am just a drifter.

A grifter.

An endless thought-sifter.

A Theodore Geisel copycat,

but Tom wears no hat.

I twist and turn my words

in an attempt to hide the hurt.

But it never goes away-

all of the things I hear them say.

They deny my existence, but am I allowed resistance?

No- needs must.

I’m trying to find someone I can trust.

Where this is going, I can tell you do not know.

So I tip my hat, bid you farewell,

And wander off into the gently falling snow.

[autimind]

Adapting good, masking bad

"But we all mask to some extent.." Yes, yes we do. That is not the point, clueless person that I just made up.

Allistic people present themselves differently depending on location, context and interlocutor. They do this almost entirely on automatic. They can't help it, by the way. Allistic identity is built up largely around social intersections. Age, gender, race, social class, language, religion and so on and so forth.

That, however, is not what I would call masking. Masking is having to shield others from your authentic expression. Masking is a neverending more or less desperate attempt to be accepted by others. Masking puts the locus of control outside you, which is in my opinion why it doesn't work very well. Fluidly presenting differently is just pushing some aspects of your personality more than others in order to personally send a (social) message to the other. The locus of control is internal. To be sure, this also doesn't always work very well but it works well enough for allistic people to only rarely notice they are doing it.

If you ask directly, almost no one will say they hate autistics. They'll be shocked that you even ask. They do however react negatively to basically all autistic expression. We either talk too much or too little, too loudly or too softly. Our enthusiasm is called hyperfocus or monopolizing the conversation and so on. Stimming is called dispruptive behaviour. They'll basically demand we look them in the eyes all the time. There are far too many examples to list and I won't even try. You know them intimately, dear reader.

The autistic community, at least on Tumblr, talks a lot about unmasking. I'll be honest and admit that I don't know how to do that. Perhaps the layers and layers of masks are too ingrained? Then again, I think that unmasking should not have to be an autistic activity at all. It puts the onus yet again on us to take care of our own welfare when the reason we were masking in the first place is society's staggering lack of respect and acceptance for any neurodiversity.

If stimming, flapping, infodumping and such were regularly accepted by these impressibly flexible allistics then masking wouldn't be a thing and unmasking wouldn't even be a concept.

That being said.. there are ways to adapt to social situations that make life easier for all of us. I want to make it very clear that I do not recommend to start masking again. As a gay person, I am very conscious of that tendency of some to say that sure you can be gay but just don't shove it in people's faces. It's offensive and hypocritical. Still, there are ways of navigating social interactions that come from a place of strength. As an example: Asking someone "How are you?" because that is what you have been taught you have to do is masking. Asking someone "How are you?" because you genuinely care about them is showing kindness.

Kindness and well-wishing can be practised. It is an extremely wholesome affair. I have found in my own life that looking at other people as basically just trying to live their life as best they can helps enormously. Instead of always looking for their acceptance, I started to see them as fellow strugglers in this life. They have no authority, they have no special knowledge. Neither do I. It is all just one big exercise. Knowing this, I stopped being triggered so much, stopped feeling angry and hurt by every careless remark. I understood that even though people can sound as if they speak from authority, most of the time they are just doing whatever comes up in their mind. This made it possible for me to gently correct them when necessary or to just let some things go. If you act from kindness, many many situations will automatically be easier to handle.

The next thing to do, in my informed but certainly not scientific opinion, is to follow the rules of etiquette. I am well aware that compared to the average Tumblr-user I am an old guy and write like a pedantic old-age pensioner but etiquette is far more important than most people know. Etiquette, first of all, is not really about which fork to use during which course of a formal dinner. Sure, that rule is in there somewhere but that is not the point. Etiquette is about knowing beforehand what is expected and acting in such a way that everyone has as pleasant an experience as possible.

One example of a rule that is almost never followed anymore is that rule on 'flower arragement'. Picture a large social affair like a reception. Now picture all the guests as flowers and all groups of guests that are talking to eachother as bouquets, bunches of flowers. The rule says that the host (or hosts) has the responsibility to stick any single flower into a bouquet. This means that a newcomer should always be introduced to an existing group. That introduction should include some details about (possible) common areas of interest with at least one member of the bouquet. This smooths any awkwardness that even allistic people feel when they don't know anyone. A related rule says that during social affairs, a group should always welcome any new-comers and include them in the ongoing conversation. Any important conversations should not be had at all or be handled swiftly in another room.

Etiquette can be a wonderful tool for any autistic. There are not all that many important rules and all of the rules have a clear and logical reason that can be explained. We thrive on things like this! Once we understand why something is done the way it is and can see the reasons behind it and how it works, we can easily accept it and act on it. We famously don't do authority and will blatantly ignore requests when we don't see the point or can't picture how it should be done. But etiquette is an elegant system that can be explained in full. It could be an interesting SPIN, in fact.

Behavioural training and suchlike in my opinion makes one important mistake: It tries to get us to behave neurotypically by rote memorization. This doesn't work. However, we can be champions once we understand why. Why is it important to thank someone for a gift that you have just received? Let's say it is your birthday. Because you genuinely like the gift? No, absolutely not. You thank someone for the thoughtfulness, for giving you something in the first place. The actual specific gift isn't important. The giver can be anxious about how you'll react, mostly because it is very hard to find a personal gift. By thanking them, you release them from their anxiety. Etiquette has it that once given, a gift is completely yours to do with as you want. You can use it, display it, give it to someone else or throw it in the thrash. However, you don't do that right away. Why? Because the ritual of gift giving is a mutual acknowledgment as well as an opportunity to show you care.

Love on the Spectrum makes exactly the same mistake. The coaches train autistics in the social rules of dating. They then send them on a date with another autistic. I get the idea and understand it is meant well but autistics normally get on like a house on fire if there is even one common interest. We don't need training for that! Also, learning rules by rote results in stilted behaviour that wouldn't work with a neurotypical at all. However, when we understand that most of all social ritual has the goal of showing the other that they are important to us, we can accept the various niceties. Saying good morning or something like that so strangers in the street - or just nodding at them, which is what I do - is an acknowledgment. You have seen them, they exist. That is the message. An actual date needs more than that. You will have to show them that you are interested in them as a person. This is why you compliment them. This is why you ask a question, listen to the answer and ask a follow-up question. It shows your interest. By the way, compliments should always be general, authentic and never about the other's body shape.

If you feel anxious at even the thought of a social function, study etiquette. Understand why the rules are there. I garantuee you it will help. Most importantly, this is not masking. It is showing kindness to other people. It is also kind to yourself.