#it is 100% because of the autism

[the-rogue-mockingjay]

Oddly enough my biggest struggle as a writer whether I'm operating in fanfic or original works is simply.....that I'm afraid people will judge my characters the same way they judge me in day-to-day life.

I'm not a person who feels emotions by halves. Everything I feel - happiness, anger, fear, hurt, despair, apathy, love - I feel deeply, intensely, and for a long time. I find value and meaning and joy in small simple things most people overlook or disregard (like a particularly pretty flower growing by a sidewalk, or the way a person smiled when I complimented their tattoo or shirt or whatever). And I've been told I'm overreacting to things my whole life- my brother is the worst about it and at least subconsciously looks down on me for being so delighted or so angered by things he (and society in general) deems inconsequential, but I've also been told this by friends, parents, councilors.... On the flip side, I am often unbothered by things that others lose their minds about such as traffic, someone driving slow, or some stranger/cashier/clerk/whatever being less than nice but not outright rude.

In other words, I have no frigging clue what's a "normal" emotional response to something. My ability to gauge it is absolutely busted, if I was ever able to accurately gauge such things to begin with.

When I make a character, more often than not they inherit my intense emotions (e.g., Marian Shepard, Brynja Ryder, and O'ravi Soltholia, among others). And there are some non-OC characters, such as Jaal, Nero from Devil May Cry, Haurchefant, and G'raha Tia, that canonically exhibit this trait as well.

And the nature of stories is that Bad Things Happen. More often than not in these stories the bad things are apocalyptic or otherwise deeply traumatizing, such as Ryder's heart stopping, finding the corpses of people who were vivisected, Shepard dying and waking up in a Cerberus base, the Warrior of Light watching their best friend (and possible lover) die to save them out of nowhere or having to fight an enemy that's possessed one of their dearest friends. More often than not, the fate of the whole damn world rests on the protagonists; if Shepard and WoL were to fail in their respective missions, all life in their galaxies would be wiped out, and if Ryder fails theirs, then that's (to their knowledge) all that remains of the Milky Way civilizations gone and exterminated along with the angara in one fell swoop.

As bad as these things are, as justifiable as it would be for someone to lose their minds about it....when I write about these things and the characters' responses to them, I am consumed by the fear of coming across as melodramatic. I am terrified that people will think my characters (or the characters I'm writing) are WAY overreacting, being overemotional, and for the life of me, I just can't shake this fear. Even if it's irrational, even if it's stupid. I just......good lord.

[aroaceleovaldez]

One of the most important things to know with Nico’s character is he is, in this order:

1.) An extrovert who cares SO MUCH about EVERYTHING, ALL OF THE TIME and thinks so highly of his friends and gets sad and lonely when he’s not around people and doesn’t want anyone else to feel sad and lonely. When he’s not around people he talks to the dead to fill in that gap. He’s surprisingly self-assured but is sensitive to what other people think about him (ex: has no qualms against murder and doesn’t regret it at all but is concerned he scared Reyna and Coach/made them uncomfortable by killing somebody in front of them).

2.) The world’s most awkward nerd. He loves card games and struggles to not infodump about his special interests at inopportune times and wanted to be a greek hero/pirate/possibly an aviator growing up, but also that was like Two Years Ago and he doesn’t wanna talk about it.

3.) Thinks of himself as judge, jury, and executioner on both a metaphorical sense but also he is literally that. Like, that’s literally his job position as Ghost King/son of Hades and he takes it very seriously and he will straight up murder somebody if they are breaking the laws of the Underworld (unless he's giving somebody a pass because they’re his friend/family because see: bullet point 1 <3). And it directly ties into his powers (seemingly being able to judge people’s souls while they’re still alive and then also like. just. rip people’s souls out or turn them into skeletons).

So do with that information what you will.

[greghatecrimes]

an addition to the “chase and thirteen accidentally call house dad” crack series of posts: thirteen and chase decide to prank house for christmas. together they buy him a mug that says “world’s shittiest dad”. thirteen also gifts him a hat that says “women want me, fish fear me” and chase gets him one of those obnoxiously patterned vacation dad button down shirts. cuddy is horrified when house shows up to work the day after christmas wearing cargo shorts, sunglasses, sandals, the hat, and the ugliest shirt she’s ever seen, drinking coffee with a little umbrella in it from a brand new “world’s shittiest dad” mug.

(addition: there is now art of this, omg!)

[youling-the-ghost]

Hey just a friendly PSA: you don’t need to have a special interest to be autistic. It's perfectly fine to not have a thing that you've been obsessing over since you were a kid, it doesn't make you any less autistic.

[happyk44]

Jason who immediately loses respect for people who don't own up to their mistakes vs Annabeth who would rather die than admit she made a mistake

[nemmet]

thinking about what's new scooby doo fred in particular on this fine evening. he's the most 'just some guy' of all time. he likes sports but not the ones you would expect (ice hockey and wrestling). he lives with and COOKS FOR shaggy and scooby. he adores his van. he's easily embarrassed by his parents but cares so deeply about them and goes Dead Serious when they're in danger. he's such a big elvis fan that he went to a fantasy elvis camp. he almost died twice, and on both occasions scooby single-handedly saved his life. he's sad that he doesn't have a catchphrase. he refers to the rest of the gang as his family. he's easily distressed when others say his lines/come up with plans/drive the mystery machine because he's autistic and needs his routine. he panicked when fake-dating daphne as bait for a monster and ended up extensively rambling about his hayfever. he turned into a vampire that one time. he stood up and did a live trap demonstration in the middle of an interview because he cannot sit still for even five minutes. he has such a goofy way of expressing himself that velma and daphne refer to it as "fred speak" and need to translate it for others. he will throw his entire body at a monster if it causes his friends the slightest harm. he thinks he's above the laws of physics. he's never had ownership of the communal mystery inc braincell ever, in his life. and most importantly of all, HE CAN BENCH PRESS 220

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

How to Write Disability: SPOP vs ATLA

(TW: ableism)

(before i start talking about this, i have to tell you that i am not physically disabled so my observations may not be a 100% correct. i'm only writing this post in relation to my experience with autism. if you feel like something i've said is inaccurate or insensitive, please feel free to let me know!)

so the two characters i wanted to talk about, in reference to writing disabled/neurodivergent characters, is Entrapta from SPOP and Toph from ATLA.

Entrapta is an autistic woman who grew up in solitude, only surrounded by robots. as a result, she is desperate for human etherian connection while at the same time, struggling with social interactions because of her autism.

she was pretty heavily autistic-coded, even before the writers confirmed that she was canonically autistic; she has a hyperfixation on tech and machinery, she is shown to stim a lot, she has a preference for tiny food (likely a sensory issue) and she is not good at reading social cues or communicating in a way that neurotypical people would understand. she is also an extremely intelligent and intuitive person who is not only good at handling tech but also shows love and affection towards people in her own way.

Toph is a character from ATLA, who was born blind. not completely unlike Entrapta, Toph was also raised in solitude, although she had her parents and servants to look after her.

her parents were convinced that Toph was incapable of being independent, because of her blindness, and were unwilling to look past her disability and treat her as a person. as a result, Toph is extremely rebellious and stubborn. she is an incredibly capable individual who learned how to navigate her way through earthbending. however, she still faces difficulties due to her disability and has to rely on her friends every once in a while.

the trope that these two shows share in relation to their disabled characters is the humor. there are jokes made about Entrapta's and Toph's disability in both shows. however, the key element that differentiates these jokes is the target.

Toph was never the butt of a joke in ATLA. in fact, she was the one making jokes about her disability 90% of the time. Toph was comfortable enough with her blindness that she didn't mind joking about it or even pranking the others sometimes.

in fact, one of the running gags in the series is that the other characters forget that Toph is blind because of how insanely capable she is.

Toph is never the butt of the joke, she's the one making fun of the others for forgetting about her disability. and it's all done in good faith.

and whenever someone is being ableist towards Toph, it's taken seriously. it's not played off as a joke and the narrative doesn't act like people mistreating Toph is this funny gag that everyone should laugh at.

now let's come to Entrapta. there are “jokes” in the show made about her disability as well, except these jokes are often made at her expense.

one of the most problematic parts of the show concerning Entrapta is the way Perfuma leashes her TWICE, because she was worried that Entrapta would get distracted and leave the group. so instead of holding Entrapta's hand or something like a normal person would, Perfuma decides that the best way to tackle this situation is to treat Entrapta like an animal and put her on a leash.

this is shown as a joke and is never addressed seriously. the show writers think that Entrapta being dehumanized and infantilized is supposed to be funny and quirky. Entrapta never gets to confront Perfuma about this or gets any kind of closure.

this was the main example of ableism in the show but there are also other minor scenes where we see characters treat her in a way that other characters aren't treated.

examples being Catra using Entrapta's trauma and loneliness to manipulate her, and Mermista literally yanking on Entrapta's hair and yelling at her, because she couldn't understand social cues.

there are also multiple examples of what i'd like to call the “translate nerd language” trope, where one of the other characters get irritated at Entrapta for using technical terms while speaking, and she has to dumb it down for them.

there's a way to write disabled characters and while Entrapta was a very relatable and sympathetic character, the ableism towards her is never addressed. the princesses are never called out on their actions, while Catra gets off scot-free after a vague apology.

when ableism was portrayed in ATLA, it was always taken seriously. Toph was allowed to leave her toxic parents and find people who accepted her for who she is, she was allowed to prove people wrong and be a powerful character in her own right. meanwhile, Entrapta was forced to be friends with the people who mistreated her and she was only kept around because she was useful.

[samix-asb]

Gameplan

I am (not) sorry

more mobaganda. Drew this one before the wheel of doom so that's why papyrus is the only one as opponent, ily Donnie tho so I'll probably draw something with him later

mandatory @autismswagreblogs more uplifting stuff yay

also thank you @bigsakurafan for helping with the last part!

[goodpointsandbadpoints]

Ash, Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

[tamaxinof]

I feel really bad for having such an intense obsession with dan and phil even though i havent done anything online (or irl) that could actually impact them. like these people dont know me and all i think about is them. of course, a part of it is because its a hyperfixation but beyond that i do genuinely love them and that makes me feel like shit. why do i love these people? is that unhealthy? i mean, its in human nature, right? thats just what people do. of course, im aware that the "them" im referring to are the internet personalities that arent really them in their personal lives (which ill be honest i dont really care about unless they share it with us) but should i love them? the obsession hasnt caused any harm to anyone. in fact, it's saved me from truly hitting rock bottom. but should that be true? isnt it selfish and weird to put/have put my life in the hands of people who dont even know what my favourite colour is? but also i didnt have anything else at a time of complete depression so how is that weird? but also it just is, man. maybe??

[mellotronmkll]

GOD there is nothing more frustrating than being like oh Yay there's a guitar tutorial for this song I want to figure out how to play and watching it and it's just like completely inaccurate . Like nevermind then

[moptopper]

This probably makes me a Delusional Paul Girl but it always throws me for a loop when people call him a raging egomaniac... that just isn't the vibe I've gotten at all. Self obsessed? Absolutely, 100%! But that's not quite the same thing lol

[autisticlee]

can there be a service for autistic people (maybe even other disabilities too) that's kind of like an aide or helper or assistant, but more of a casual friendly type thing? basically people volunteer to be paired with autistic people who don't have friends and struggle to make them and their job is to be our friend as in go places with us, play games, chat, etc. whatever friends do. but they are contractually obligated to stick with it and not hurt or abandon us, but work with us. maybe invite us to hang out with their friends. we can try different people to see who we best fit with. then maybe that person sticks with one of us and not multiple so they dont play favorites and neglect us or get overwhelmed or something.

it's a volunteer job and they don't get paid because all they're doing is being a friend and doing normal things that doesn't deserve pay lol. why should you get paid to pretend to be someone's friend? do it because you want to support someone who needs you, nit because you think it will be an easy job to make money. and friendship isn't a job. that weeds out people only doing it for money and not trying very hard or quitting when they think it's too hard and abandoning the person they were paired with. and that way it's a free service for us since most of us are poor. but they probably need to get some education as well, and we go over our own specific needs and expectations so they know what we need and expect from them, how to work with us, and what they should expect from us. they could work with counselors so if there are any problems they can't handle and are worried about us, we can get a check in or something. but generally, this would be good for very social and friendly people who like to help others and are open minded, accepting, and kindhearted. (which is getting increasingly hard to find in my experience...)

it would be hard to find the right people, but that's why it's good to have meetups and try to find the right match. because sometimes I think that, even if I dont relate to the neurotypical/allistic/abled people, it might be helpful to have someone who can navigate the social situations for me and let me just follow along and be included in things. someone I can ask to go to a convention with me and they can be my voice and keep me company and lead me, while having fun themselves. or someone who invites me to a party with their friends and let's me mostly ait in their room with their cat, but occasionally step out to listen to their conversation and laugh with them. I can absorb their fun energy and have more fun, feel included, but have the space i need, because they are willing to work with me, support me, and acccept me, my needs, and my boundaries.

other autistic or in general ND and disabled people are cool and all, but when they also struggle like I do, we end up not talking to each other becasue we don't know how or cant. we often don't get along because differences that get in the way ("im autistic and I can do that why don't you just do it too" -a real life example that I experienced) or we cant meet each other's needs or struggle with boundary issues. maybe we both need help and can't help each other. or if the other does help it burns them out so fast they are miserable (like my one friend who always has to speak for me and then shes burnt out for months after and cant even talk to me over text....we used to be so close. now we barely talk 🥲). or they don't want to do the things I want to do, like going out somewhere, and rather watch TV all day when I hate doing that.

it would be nice to have someone to consistently rely on to help me out with doing "normal" things no one else will do with me because i'm too autistic for them, or they are too disabled to deal with me. I know people aren't obligated to be my friend or do things with me. so that's why a "job" for this would be great, so someone IS more obligated to do it. because i'm so incredibly lonely and exhausted and losing my mind over having not a single person to turn to or rely on 🥲

does that make sense?????

[wrightmourmarriage]

maybe the reason ive been fixated on pink floyd for so long is because they represent the autistic power fantasy of having your special interest fully funded and your passion projects realised with simultaneously millions of adoring fans and absolutely no perception of your names and faces

[kerosene-saint]

just found an old screen shot of a comment on one of my tik toks that told me to take the money I used to get my hair dyed (it was rainbow at that time) and spend it on an autism assessment... as if I could just walk into a facility and say can I have one autism test please and thank you and hand them $100...

[telecaster-g-girl]

girls after slipping and falling headfirst into their age of calamity hyperfixation accidentally