#i have tried to be nice to myself and to tell myself if i need to cry that i should

[bloominginsanity]

My dad was able to explain fear and how to work through it so well that I apparently rationalized and created my own coping mechanisms for my OCD and didn't realize I actually had the disorder until I was 30.

No one can touch my room. I sound like a teenager saying this and in college I didn't actually care, but in my teenage years and when living in certain unsafe homes, I would have a goddamn break down if this was not listened to.

My life was high stress at one point, like HIGH STRESS. My brain redirected this to having utter and complete control of my room. One day, while I was at camp, my mom moved a stack of games from one shelf to another because she thought it would look nice. I came back, saw the change, and broke down sobbing, curled in a ball on my floor for twenty minutes. I had to move it back. I then moved it again to the same location later because she was right. It looked better that way. The problem was that I had to be the one to do it.

I knew it would change when I left home and I was right. I didn't care as much. The stress and the danger was gone from my life for the most part so the coping went away too. Fast forward to when I'm 30 and I move back into a high stress environment. My mom borrowed my sewing kit BY ACCIDENT. I was helping her with a craft project and apparently put it in the bag for her to take to work with her. She got back, unloaded it, and I found the kit. Out of order. It was a pretty raggedy thing in a ten-year-old plastic Ziploc with safety scissors and scraps of cloth. I had duct tape on the bag to cover the holes in it. But: The needles were out of order. The scissors were in the needle and stray-thread tin. There was a stray, white thread just floating around.

I stared. I hadn't had a breakdown in ten years. I told myself it was fine. I tapped my fingers on the table. Made a weird noise. Finally muffled a scream. Slammed my fist on the table to get the feeling of STRESS out. It didn't work. My brother asked what was wrong and I told him nothing because I KNEW it wasn't serious. I ended up in a ball on the floor trying not to sob as I told myself it didn't matter.

My mom apologized to me when she found me and I told her she didn't need to and that it wasn't her fault because I knew it wasn't. I was likely the one that had put it in there. I was still crying. It took me FIFTEEN minutes to be able to even look at it and fix it. I tried around ten minutes and I had to look away and stamp my feet to get the horrible feeling out and not cry. I was antsy for the next hour even after I fixed it. It doesn't even bother me to think about it now, four days later, but at the time I wanted to dig my nails into my own skin and make myself bleed just to distract myself from the feeling.

It was just a slightly messy sewing kit.

I never show signs otherwise. I check for my wallet, phone, and keys when I'm out several times but that's not all that odd. I've lost things before and am an expert at finding them. I guess I wash my hands a lot but I have dogs and I don't like getting sick. That's it.

My dad taught me that the repeating voice in my head that tells me everyone finds me annoying isn't real and that if you don't try that you'll never even know otherwise. He taught me how to identify what the fear looked like and what it was and how to call it a liar. Once I knew what to call it and what it was, I knew it was never who *I* was. It was normal to be scared and if other people could fight it then so could I.

[He taught me a lot actually. He taught me how to recognize social queues and what they meant. I got shouted at a lot as a child for not being able to react to them properly even if I saw them. Pretty sure the man is ND in some way and just found a super positive way to cope, which he passed down to me.]

I am still not normal, likely never will be, but I've been told so many times that no one would ever guess that I suppose I slot right in here. I didn't know it was actually called OCD until I was 30 and talking to another friend that had been diagnosed and thought 'that... sounds familiar.'

fuck it. shout out to "high functioning" neurodivergents

the ones who can mask easily, the ones who can get social cues, the ones who have managed to go most of their life not even knowing they were ND because they didn't present as the stereotypical ND person.

the ones who can pay attention in class, understand social etiquette, who understand societial expectations

the ones who don't feel neurodivergent enough bc they don't struggle in the same ways/areas a lot of NDs do, or they can't relate to other NDs' experiences because they always understood these things easily

the ones with high empathy, the ones who DO get the joke, the ones who are constantly told that they can't possibly be neurodivergent because they don't act like what you'd expect a neurodivergent person to act like.

you are neurodivergent enough. you are valid, and so are your experiences. not struggling as much as others do in some places doesn't mean you dont struggle at all. your condition and diagnosis is valid. your symptoms are valid. YOU ARE VALID. not checking all the supposed boxes doesn't mean you aren't neurodivergent. you are enough. you are valid. you are loved. you are valued. you matter. you belong in neurodivergent spaces, you deserve to use whatever resources are available to you, you are allowed to take up space in these communities. and i am so, so proud of you.

feel free to, and actually, i encourage you to reblog this with your experiences. we belong in this community as much as anyone else. please also tag this w/ any neurodivergent conditions i may have forgotten 💙

since this is getting lots of notes I'd like to add, even if you're undiagnosed or maybe self diagnosed, for whatever reason, (i.e. can't get access to a diagnosis, not being taken seriously, or just not wanting an official diagnosis, etc.) this still applies to you. actually especially to you folks. don't think for a second you're not valid just bc you don't have the paperwork or whatever to say it

[autisticalastor]

the privilege of being born to be a man

Pairing: Alastor/Lucifer

Rating: G

Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Genderfluid Alastor (his egg is cracking), Demiromantic Asexual Alastor, Colorblind Alastor, snippets of human!Alastor, slight TWs for internalized transphobia

A/N: Honestly, I just wanted to write Alastor trying on a dress and starting to realize he's Not Cis, but then I got Emotional about it. I like to headcanon Lucifer is agender and just plays fast and loose with femininity and mascuilinity, and this is just the perfect catalyst for Alastor's own little gender journey. Anyways, enjoy some snippets from Alastor's life as a human here as well! Title is from I / Me / Myself by Will Wood!

On his more feminine days, Lucifer takes forever to get ready. Alastor's fairly certain most of the time is spent just picking out an outfit, as if he can't just summon the perfect pieces with the wave of a hand. It can be a bit irritating when they have somewhere they need to be, especially since Lucifer never seems to know in advance when he's going to want to spend an hour or two trying to be the prettiest man in Hell. As if he wasn't already.

Today was one of those days, and Alastor was busying himself with some light reading as he waited for Lucifer to be ready. At least they didn't have anywhere important to be for a while.

“Alastor,” Lucifer calls, finally emerging from the bathroom. “What do you think? I haven't tried this style before, but I thought it looked nice in those old catalogues.”

Alastor looks up, and he must say, he's impressed. The dress Lucifer has picked is a vintage 1940s-style dress, mostly white, but patterned with small yellow flowers. It does look rather stunning on him, and as Lucifer gives a little twirl to make the skirt spin out around him, Alastor can't help but think he was made for outfits like this. Some part of him idly wishes, not for the first time, that he had the same freedom Lucifer did in that regard.

“Absolutely stunning, dear,” Alastor responds. “I do so envy your ability to pull off such lovely outfits.”

Lucifer gives him a warm smile. “Y'know, you could always join me. Bet I could whip up the perfect dress for you.”

Alastor looks away, a bit conflicted. In his time, it was rather unheard of for men to dress in women's clothing. Those who did were certainly not treated well. Part of him had always wanted to try it, envying his mother and the ladies from their church in all their pretty dresses and skirts. But he had pushed the feeling down, the shame of how he'd be perceived enough to keep him off the idea.

Now, of course, there isn't really anything stopping him. Except for this odd feeling that it's perfectly fine for someone like Lucifer or Angel Dust to play fast and loose with masculinity and femininity, but not for him to do the same.

“No, I don’t think so!” he replies, voice a bit tight. “I don't doubt your design skills, but I do doubt I'd make quite as pretty a picture as you do.” He's deflecting, and he's certain Lucifer can tell.

“Aw, c'mon! It's really fun! Plus, it can be just for us. You don't have to go out in it if you don't feel comfortable. I just think you might like it if you tried it.”

“I don't know…”

“We can design the dress however you want! I'm sure there's a style out there you'd just die to get your hands on.”

And there is. Alastor can picture the dress he'd ask for perfectly in his head, as if he's already got it in front of him. If nothing else, I could at least keep it as a memento…

“All right,” he agrees with a sigh. “You truly do live up to your reputation as the master of temptation, don't you?”

Keep Reading

[kstewdeux]

@inuvember | Prompt: Kagome | Ao3 | FFN

“No one needs to pee this much! I call horseshit Kagome!” Inuyasha snapped as he fidgeted and huffed and glared into the canopy to give the girl some ‘privacy’, “Maybe drink less. No one needs to drink that much water either.”

Kagome rolled her eyes and went about the very awkward business of having to utilize nature because the luxury of modern plumbing was centuries away. She still hadn’t gotten the full hang of it either and half the time she was left with the stale stench of urine hitting her at the most inconvenient moments - usually when they were about to talk to someone important because she didn’t feel insecure enough. Wasn’t like she could carry non-biodegradable baby wipes that might survive and become an archaeological nightmare which left bathing often and lots of nasty chaffing. Thank god diaper cream existed otherwise she’d be in tears all the time with no nice, safe way to explain why she needed to stop. Inuyasha was already impatient and snippy with her. Why add more to the pile?

But, for all the grossness, death by dehydration was way worse. She wasn’t about to forgo hydration just to avoid having to pee. Seemed a very dumb way to die.

Cleaning up best she could, Kagome tried her best to hold onto what dignity might still exist as she headed back over.

“Took you long enough,” Inuyasha groused as he started walking and she fell in line, “You always find ways to waste my time. Breaking the jewel, getting kidnapped, just always something.”

“Well excuse me for taking a minute to pee,” Kagome huffed as she shouldered her backpack and flexed her hands around her bow, “Not exactly used to roughing it so it takes me longer. Sorry not sorry.”

Inuyasha made a face and glanced at her in confusion.

“Roughing it? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You have been to my house. You have been to my world. You have  seen what I’m used to and having to relieve myself outdoors and in the open is a bit out of my comfort zone,” Kagome snapped as she turned and faced him, “I am dirty. I am tired. I hurt. I’ve got blisters, cuts, scrapes and bruises. I’m doing all of this in a skirt because my school uniform is the sturdiest item of clothing I own. I’m doing the best I can with what I’ve been given and it would be nice if you could maybe appreciate that I haven’t simply thrown in the towel and gone home where life isn’t miserable.”

“Ah, you really are weak then," he tsk'd while making the oddest face, "Fair enough. Makes sense."

Kagome’s face contorted in anger at the flippant insult and she began marching forward again. Inuyasha hesitated for a moment before catching up.

“Well, well, what would make being here better?” Inuyasha asked before looking thoughtful, “You ever bathed a hot spring? That’d help with the pain and stuff. It’d be nicer than the rivers you’ve been using. You’re the one making your own life hard stupid.”

Kagome sent him an annoyed look.

“Not like I know where to go to find one Inuyasha. No Mapquest or Google to guide my way,” she clipped bitterly. Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

“Don’t know what that means but you have me idiot. Just tell me when you want a hot spring and I’ll find you one. You don’t have to go home for nice things. There are plenty of nice things here,” Inuyasha huffed.

Kagome sent him a skeptical side eyed glance.

“You’d do that?”

”If it’ll make you move faster, sure,” Inuyasha groaned in exasperation. Kagome set and reset her jaw.

“I would like a hot spring,” she muttered after a moment, “Will you please find me one?”

Inuyasha smirked. If providing a few luxuries was all it took to keep her here and on task, this whole quest might not take that long after all.

[wufflesvetinari]

hi!! okay so i really loved that one fanfic you wrote (3:16) way back when, it's honestly one of my favorite fanfics ever but I have a question for you!! I've honestly adored your writing style and techniques and I was wondering: what is your writing process? Not just plot wise (although yes that!) but also prose-wise? because honestly, the first thing that drew me into your fic was how FUCKING good your prose was and I was just in absolute awe reading what you had written, and it sort of started me on a journey to improve my own prose and make it sound nice.

so uh yeah!! what is your writing process and if you have any advice for how you write so beautifully (Not just prose wise!! plot and character wise too haha) or just like. writing advice in general, i am ALL ears <3

oh this is so incredibly sweet, thank you!!!

i've tried to marshal some thoughts...tbh i am always envious of effective writing that is UNLIKE mine, so there are lots of ways to go about this. (and also i am just Some Guy.)

i'll focus on prose things i think about during writing/revision b/c otherwise we will be here all night...but imo some of this overlaps with effective pacing, character, etc.

Prose is character – some writing is “voicier” than other writing is, living closer in a character’s POV.  but in most cases, if you are in any way in a character’s head, your prose is part of their characterization. dick grayson will use different words and notice different details than damian will. being intentional about a character’s voice has the nice iterative effect of strengthening their characterization, which then makes your prose more confident as you understand their voice, and on and on it goes

Allow “workmanlike” phrases – sometimes cliché exists for a reason; you don’t actually need every sentence to be a poem. in fact, you NEED simple writing to string together your powerhouse lines without turning it all into purple prose/losing the reader/ruining the pacing.

Examine “workmanlike” phrases – that being said, another failure mode is RELYING on these phrases instead of digging for something more interesting now and then. i might write the phrase “a chill went down her spine” – ok this is fine, but I’ve read this sentence 15,000 times in my life and seeing it in my own document should be a trigger to slow down and decide if there’s a more specific or vivid description that conveys character or mood or theme better. or is just prettier lmao. i think to myself: how does it feel to be scared? what is a physical reaction that’s REAL that i have experienced, and am not just taking from a list in my head called “Descriptions Of Being Scared That Writers Use”?

The fucking thesaurus lmao – do not find/replace willy-nilly obviously BUT if the only word you can think of is Not Exactly The Right Word Dammit then the fucking thesaurus is a perfectly valid brainstorming tool to get closer to what you are trying to say. even if u don’t find the right word, it’s often a jumping-off point to a better way to approach the sentence

Note your “is”es – ok this is the annoying one. imo this really strengthened my writing but i hated it so so much. when revising, find any instance of “is/was/seems.” (ex: “He seems impatient, and there’s a pile of paperwork sitting in front of him.”) There’s nothing WRONG with that sentence, but it’s worth checking to see if it’s an opportunity for a more active one that gives more character detail (“He taps impatiently on a pile of paperwork.” there. done.)

Condense – ok look at that example again. i phrased things more actively but i ALSO condensed two concepts (He seems impatient + there is paperwork) into a sharper sentence that ALSO tells us a bit about how this character acts when stressed. imo you can accidentally find really interesting prose this way, in addition to improving pacing.

Vary sentence structure – that being said, sometimes the way to go is a beautiful run-on, so long as that sentence has intention packed into it! if you are writing long lovely flowing sentences, it’s going to hit hard if you drop the emotional reveal in a short, choppy, standalone one. or if your sentences shorten as the mood of the scene changes, or or or.

Use detail to let a scene breathe – personally, i never want to write the phrase “there was a pregnant pause” or “there was a brief silence” if i can help it. this is personal preference, but i think the principle stands: you can instead control your reader’s sense of timing, create an implied pause, by giving detail in the right place. the reverse is why it bothers me when a conversation is interspersed with paragraphs of introspection lmao: in my head i’m wondering why pov is taking so long to respond

Use repetition – oh my god this is my cheat code. if you are really proud of a beautiful, distinctive phrase you wrote? use it again!!! make it a callback at an important moment!!! make it thematic!! do it on purpose. trust me it’s cool

Get out of their head – ok here’s an experiment. take a concept (“Dick is scared”) and tell yourself that you have to express this, but you CAN’T describe anything about Dick himself in order to do it. you can use the way the crumbling buildings of gotham loom above him, or the weather, or the way people react to him—but you cannot say a word about his actions or thoughts or feelings. chances are, you’ve now created some interesting prose getting at the concept abstractly. cool! use that, and also go and add the direct feelings back in if it makes sense to do so

"Unconscious" writing - uhh ok this one is weird, but sometimes for a VERY early draft—like, when I am staring down the blank page—I will stop…trying to write a story? I will instead begin to write, uh…poetry about what is happening in the story? Just, impressions, details, stream-of-consciousness…this will all have to be cleaned up and made linear later. but for now, go nuts. and usually it gives me a) some workable, pretty prose and b) an entry point into what i am trying to say so i can go back and write the “real version”

Dissect!! Good!!! Writing!!! - i'm sorry, this one is so boring. but if there's a writer who really WORKS for you, read very slowly and break down what's so effective about it on a prose level. i do this with ursula le guin. also, do this with poetry!!! which poems slam you to the ground and take your lunch money? how?

i know you also asked abt plot and character but i've already written so much lmao plz forgive me. i am not a big craft book person but i did enjoy refuse to be done and a swim in a pond in the rain. i also try to collect tips i find in this tag!

[mythicalcoolkid]

You don't wish your disability was worse or more visible, you wish your disability was taken seriously. Please stop confusing the two, I guarantee you would not get the support you need JUST by being more severe or more visible. Please listen to visibly disabled people when we tell you it isn't better on our side

[hella1975]

so there's a reason my new job got back to me so quickly about my application and that's bc it's an absolute fucking shambles like actually perfect timing for me to decide to rewatch the bear bc i have never more felt like ive been thrown into a broke on-its-knees establishment trying to crawl its way up the ladder where i am somehow a godsend to them. my old job was crazy and shambolic in the sense that the industry is just Like That but this one?????? insanity. every 5 mins i am questioning what im doing with my life. ive already had a walk-in fridge moment

[cookiescr]

Healing is so fucking weird man like few days ago I was crying the whole day and now I'm fine even in the mention of the things I'm healing from and also anything that reminded me of them?? I am afraid of three things: that I have stopped caring, that I am suppressing my emotions or that I would get used to the calm and not be able to handle it again when something triggers my emotions

[imabiscuitinthousandworlds]

crippling anxiety hours let's go

[kethabali]

i just remembered how my mom used to say its actually her religious right to treat her children however she wants and if we retaliate we would be completely at fault bc the parent should ALWAYS be treated with utmost respect

[girl-bateman]

Diagnosis for girls who have never smoked in their lives but are constantly craving a cigarette

[jvzebel-x]

🦋

[dykedragons]

oh ps im so fucking glad to be done with school (dgmw i LOVED college but it was an INSANE amount of work and im exhausted). i can do whatever i want now guilt-free. its AMAZING. i can play minecraft guilt free i can do COMMISSIONS guilt free like bro....... it was so hard doing commissions during school TToTT

like yall.... what NINE (9) fucking classes in a term will do to an mf. i only recommend it if u have like zero other priorities bc. WOW. it was a LOT. (i also put 100% into literally everything i do but still it tested my fucking LIMITS.) (only one all-nighter had to be pulled though and it wasnt even on a school night so thats cool of me)

more. rambling under the cut

(like im soooososo grateful for the business + JUST whining like i needed the moneys regardless so i dont appreciate it any less. and they were still a lot of fun. but the workload was cray cray. im so grateful my commissioners didnt mind the ~2 month wait bc i felt so bad kjdnfnkjsfds blows yall a kiss... excited to get thru my current queue too!! once i. have the weekend to myself bc. GOD i need that.)

im really amazed im not burnt the fuck out?? like i look forward to drawing still!! and doing more 3D when i have the mental capacity for it (done my current comm queue). i love that stuff so much. ive pushed myself so much and created things in time crunches i thought would wreck me but ive proven myself wrong again and again and its amazing. im truly proud of myself and the person im becoming yall its a magical thing!!!! and my WORK. is the best its ever looked even when its rushed. i am fucking gobsmacked. my god. i NEED to keep doing gesture studies someone pplleease be on my ass about that lol /j

and NOT TO MENTION MY FRIENDS....... like MAN i fuckin love those guys holy shit. my dumb ass coming to school like "ohghggh i hope i make friends" BITCH YOULL MAKE THE BEST FRIENDS OF YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i was so silly... i met one of my best friends on the FIRST DAY and DIDNT EVEN KNOW IT!!!!!!! ugh im just. im so grateful. eternally grateful for this experience. i have grown tenfold i have gained tenfold.

i feel. ready for my next steps... i have my first job coming up and im gonna be doing 3D for freelance and learning new things... getting my shit TOGETHER making money (hopefully a lot) and learning to be an adult n shit. "catch up" to my peers (thats how it feels). it feels good and in my best moments i feel like the future is bright yk.... like. yeah i can do this!!!!!!! yeah. yeah. its gonna be alright.

[lemondropletters]

I know I’m making a joke but you really don’t understand how angry I am at the recent news.

[Video Captions: “Why are you the way that you are? / Honestly, every time I try to do something fun or exciting, you make it not that way. / I hate so much about the things that you choose to be.”]

[diegoshargrieves]

wow three days back on this account and im already venting.

[the-acid-pear]

I won't go back to the post first and foremost because i don't want to annoy op lmao we already stablished w both have dif opinions and that's ok BUT

Blood just helped me read the whole thing (she just randomly decided to read it and asked me a few questions about it) and man, is op fucking biased lmao

[pizzapizzadickz]

I often times find myself wondering when interacting with people "am I doing this right?'"

It used to be even more often, I probably was really anxious about it back then. Now... not so much? I still find myself worrying a bit. And especially trying to find the correct "answer" or action to say or do. But. It's not really by any fault of my own. It's just what's expected of me in social situations doesn't always come naturally. So I'm awkward. But idk. While I'll always probably try to find the right answer for things, I'm a bit less worried than I used to be. And I suppose that's something good in a way.