#it's certainly not the worst adaptation I've seen but it really didn't work for me

[warblingandwriting]

So this is kind of a weird series, I think, and this is more a of a ramble than a proper review. Out of the gate I’ll say I didn’t like it, but it had some ideas I liked, and I would love to see a remake written and directed by women that makes the queer subtext explicit, and deals more explicitly with women's issues by people who actually cared about the original story. Instead I feel like this series was far more interested in trying to modernize the story, in particular by making the female characters (especially Miranda) ‘strong’ in an entirely modern and literal sense. Anyway, spoilers ahead, although I will say I don’t think spoilers matter much for this series or the book. The series isn’t good enough to recommend, and there aren’t really big twists in the book that I think would be ruined by knowing certain plot points, just a fair warning if you truly like to go in blind, as I do actually really recommend the book.

Making Miranda into a "tomboy" stock character, and Irma into a typical "Rich girl" stereotype is not a replacement for adding depth. I actually don’t mind Marion’s characterization since she barely gets anything to do in the original film or book, but overall I still dislike the dialogue writing in particular. I can understand perhaps feeling like the Peter Weir movie makes the three disappeared girls lack some characterization as they're not on screen for all that long, but to feel the need to add these stereotypical affects as if they weren't fleshed out characters in the book is a bit painful for me to watch. I think, too, in doing this the series tries to comment on the ideas the book explores of the sort of idealization and veneration of these girls after their disappearance, by making their set somewhat rebellious, so that there’s a disconnect between their idealization and the reality? But I think the book does this much better by drawing the reader into that same idealization, and maybe make you not even realize you’re doing it until the end. The book functions as almost an interesting criticism of true crime, but this film doesn’t do the same, which is kind of unfortunate in an age when that genre has become so saturated.

And why does Mrs. Appleyard need a dramatic backstory? This was admittedly my least favourite part of the series. In the book (and by extension the Weir film), she is a traditional character, with somewhat mysterious origins, holding up the institutions of repressive patriarchy for England in a relatively recently colonized land. This series really took the book’s line about no one really knowing if Mrs. Appleyard had the credentials to run a school, she just looked good enough for the parents, and ran with it. Yet I still have no idea what her deal is. I guess she worked as prostitute and thief, but eventually killed the man she worked with and fled to Australia, and her strictness is just a reflection of her not wanting the girls under her care to end up like she did. However, I think this actually takes out a lot of the depth of patriarchal control from the book as opposed to enhancing it (which was, I think, the intent). Instead of this control of young women being institutional, casual, and easily reproduced by everyone, including the women around them, it now becomes a cycle set off by ‘bad men’, something unnatural, something that (as we see from pretty much every woman in the story) women won’t adhere to unless somehow forced. I suppose that’s true, in a way, but when every woman we see upholding gender roles and patriarchal structures in any way has been abused it sort denies the existence of casual internalized misogyny and the way these women were shaped by the culture they grew up in. It has a very sort of “as long you’re aware these things exist at all, you could never participate in them” energy that doesn’t ask anyone to examine their own biases, and why they might feel a certain way about a certain thing. I do appreciate the choice of this series to simply confirm that it was Mrs. Appleyard who killed Sarah Waybourne though (something that is ambiguously implied in the book, but practically outright denied in the Weir film), it is the one representation of that internalized desperation to ally oneself with the patriarchal ideal of female perfection that the series keeps, and it works (although I do think it would work better if Mrs. Appleyard in this version wasn’t already a hardened criminal who had killed before).

That’s not to say every piece of media has to engage with sexism in the exact same way, but I felt like the way this series did it lost a lot of the book’s depth. I don’t have much to say about the queer aspect, because I don’t hate it, and no one seems to ever actually find out about the relationships that happen so they don’t really deal with any ramifications for it. I’ll just say I think it was not done great, especially Irma being jealous/upset that Miranda is not interested in her in that way. I think I would have preferred a relationship between two of the three disappeared girls as opposed to the one they went with. I get what they were trying to do with the tension between someone who just wants to cover everything up and someone who wants to actually engage in a relationship (to the extent that that would be possible), but I think that could have been done just as well with any of the three lead girls, really, together. And it would have allowed Miss McCraw to keep her place in the story as the sort of necessary fate of brilliant women. As smart and accomplished as she is, working at a girl’s school is genuinely the apex of career possibility for her, again providing subtle and biting critique of women’s perceived abilities. Now that she is sort of at the girl’s school in exile she no longer gets to fill that role.

The series didn’t seem to allow itself to be about different types of women, trapped by different situations, in the strange liminal space of repressive English society in conflict with the ‘Wild New World’ (for the white main charterers of the book, anyway) of Australia. While that exists in this series, as I have outlined, the form of repression has been boiled down to be very similar from character to character which to me, flattens the story in spite of everything that was added for the series.

The additions seem to me to make it obvious that this is more of a reaction to the original movie than it is to the book, which is always disappointing in a remake where there is additional source material. It's even more annoying when there are some book-exclusive details that make it obvious the book was read by someone. I admit I like the Weir film, I think it is better than this series, but I can at least understand the impulse to see that, due to the nature of film, we lose a bit when we lose Lindsay’s third-person narration allowing us to understand the characters better, and want to restore that depth. But I think this series went about it in the wrong way. Although they came out in the same year, (and therefore probably weren’t influenced by each other) it seems to go for the The Haunting of Hill House netflix formula, and as someone who also wasn’t a fan of that series, it just doesn’t work for me. It’s not helped by the fact that every time book accurate dialog actually shows up it feels out of place, and often out of character with all the new additions that make up the majority of the story.

I think the book actually captures very well the repression that existed as a woman (or afab person) both in the time it was written, and now. Even after their disappearance the girls are scrutinized and obsessed over, almost like a cruel joke that even in places unknown they aren’t truly free from a world that venerated and caged them. I actually really like Lindsay’s unpublished ending, and it’s one of the things I kind of like the series for sticking with. The girls find a sort of ‘time-warp’ and go into it, to places unknown, and, one might hope, to a sort of freedom.

[luminouslumity]

Some more retellings I read recently! I've actually alluded to having read DoS before, but wanted to wait for TSoP to come out before making an actual post first. And unlike last time, I wasn't a big fan of these books. Though in hindsight, I probably should've known that when I saw the cover for DoS; no, but seriously, Greek is a beautiful language, but seeing it used as font will never not hurt the little linguist in me. Also, Nestra... No. Just no. And as for the books themselves? Well, what I like to do when reading or watching an adaptation of a work is to look at it two ways: first, does it work as an adaptation, and second, does it work on its own? And in the case of Heywood... not really for both.

I do want to give credit where credit is due though, I actually did enjoy Heywood's writing as well as how she incorporated some pretty minor details from certain sources that I haven't seen any other retelling use (ex: Menelaus having a son by a slave woman, something that's actually mentioned in the Odyssey), but that's as far as my praise goes, at least as far as her first book is concerned.

Another thing to keep in mind is that her books are one of those retellings that strip away the mythological aspects entirely for the sake of telling a historical narrative and I honestly have yet to find one that actually does this well, because without the presence of gods or monsters, you run into some really stupid contrivances at best and quite a few gaping plot holes at worst. Then we get scenes like Helen literally kicking and spitting on Eileithyia's rock because she doesn't want to get pregnant again and Iphigenia getting sacrificed because the priest Calchas wanted revenge after he blames Agamemnon for his sister's death, and a part of me honestly can't help but feel uncomfortable reading scenes like this, almost like it's mocking an ancient religion that many still acknowledge and practice to this day. Oh, and just so no one misunderstands me, I'm taking issue with Helen basically insulting a goddess specifically, even if that goddess is physically absent.

TSoP does seem to tone this down, or at the very least, it's not to the extent that we saw in DoS from what I noticed, though it's also completely possible there was something I had missed. One moment that does stand out to me though is when Danae internally compares the light coming from a torch fire to a golden shower and then we immediately get the reveal of Perseus' actual father, which I actually thought was pretty funny. It helps that Myron himself was really sweet from the little we knew him, which also makes me sad because there really didn't seem to be any reason for Danae to lie to Perseus about who his father was. It's not like Danae was ashamed of Myron or anything, either; it's one thing for her to want to keep her past a secret from her son for now, it's an entirely other thing to lie to him and say his father was a god!

And speaking of the characters, I actually really liked Claire's version of Helen, I just hate that it comes at the expense of turning her into a neglectful parent even before she runs away with Paris (thankfully, her actions aren't exactly glorified, either; actually, I feel like I would've enjoyed this plotline alot more had it been executed better), as well as turning Menelaus into a distant husband and Leda into an awful mother. Meanwhile, Agamemnon is horrible even long before he sacrifices Iphigenia, and Klytemnestra once again never kills Kassandra in cold blood, even though the entire point of the myth is to show the senselessness of violence and vengeance and how her grief had corrupted her in the years her husband had been away at war.

I am once again asking, what's wrong with being direct?

And as for TSoP, the characters here are certainly a lot more enjoyable personality-wise... but that's also an issue, because it all comes at the expense of turning Perseus—whose entire quest revolved around saving his mother—into an entitled brat. First because he thinks he's a demigod, then because he finds out he's the grandson of a king and has a prophecy to fulfill. In fact, he doesn't even go on a quest at all, just sent away because his mother actually wants to marry Polydectes and he won't stop throwing a tantrum about it. Then we just skip to him meeting Medusa and then killing her after she rejects his feelings for her, "saving" Andromeda from what was basically a symbolic sacrifice, mistaking the hospitality feast he's given for a wedding banquet in honor of himself and his supposed new bride due to the language barrier, killing her actual betrothed before she finally decides to go with him, killing Polydectes when he refuses to stand down, and then nearly killing an old Acrisius before finally listening to what his mother and wife want and letting his grandfather live.

That's it. That's the book.

And I liked the use of the Prophecy Twist at the end and also how Danae refused to forgive her father for what he had done, but really, whatever positives I have to say about either book aren't really enough to outweigh the negatives.

And I mean, compare everything I just said about TSoP to the original myth; an evil king wishes to marry a beautiful princess who'd been rescued from the sea (or he already has married her in some versions), but she has no interest in him, so he sends her demigod child, who was protective of his mother, on a quest to slay an unslayable monster in hopes of getting him out of the way for good. With help from the gods, he manages to succeed and even rescues a princess on the way back after she's nearly sacrificed to a sea monster as punishment for her mother's vanity. Afterwards, he saves his own mother by presenting the head of the monster to the other monster and turning him to stone, before later killing his grandfather by accident! And it wasn't even Medusa's head that took him out, either, but a discus!

See how sweet and simple the original is? But no, instead we get Perseus who keeps throwing these violent tantrums because he isn't getting what he wants, made worse by the fact that his character has about as much depth as a rock. In fact, why have this be a retelling at all? This solution can pretty much apply to just about any other one too, but for TSoP specifically, it could've very easily been about someone who grew up being inspired by the tales of Perseus, maybe even facing a similar situation to him and becoming desperate to escape it, and then later becomes their own downfall by the end of it. That would've been much more interesting, methinks!

And before anyone brings up the Medusa thing, the version everyone talks about actually comes from much later sources, specifically Ovid, who was Roman, and a pretty spiteful one at that; in fairness, the Greek poet Hesiod does describe her as having been a mortal who had sexual relations with Poseidon, but even then, he makes no mention as to whether the encounter was consensual or not, just that they did it in a meadow—yeah, not a temple, a meadow. Other Greek and even some Roman sources also have her always be a monster, even being descended from the mother of monsters herself, Echidna.

As for Athena changing her into a Gorgon for her own protection, I can't find an ancient source anywhere that states this, never mind that it's not like women wouldn't have been immune to her curse, either. And as awesome of a concept as a monstrous figure being seen as a patron for women is... that's not exactly true either. Ancient Greece didn't have women's shelters, for one thing, and though it's true that engravings of her head can be found on buildings, they can be found everywhere else as well, including on tombstones. That's because it was actually used to ward off not any specific human, but evil spirits instead. Because nothing was seen as scarier than a Gorgon. Also, there were several deities whom women prayed to (and still do!) for protection, including Athena herself, so praying to Medusa—who they would've considered a monster—wouldn't have really made much sense. Again, cool concept, but it kinda falls apart once you think about it for more than five seconds.

But yeah, these certainly aren't the worst retellings I've read, but still there's nothing particularly outstanding about them, either. Not in a good way, at least.

[aros001]

Going in blind: Watching season 2 for the first time. Random thoughts.

Huh. Only 7 episodes. Not complaining necessarily. For series with an ongoing plot I've definitely become more in favor with their seasons only having as many episodes as they need rather than them having to stretch themselves out to full up a certain number of episodes, which can lead to padding and just bad character moments.

Episode 1: Jeez. Catra visiting Shadow Weaver's cell just to rub her success in her face and verbally abuse her back for once. It's like a twisted version of Zuko and Ozai from ATLA. Catra's upbringing under her was abusive but this is far from a healthy way for her to deal with it. She's basically deliberately swimming in her resentment.

Episode 2: It's not that I'm rooting for her but by-golly was it fun to watch Catra act like just the absolute worst she could while she was Glimmer and Bow's captive.

I touched on this in season 1 but part of the drama of the heroes feeling guilt over leaving Entrapta behind is kind of lost on me a bit simply because it was her own fault it happened. She deliberately went back into the purge room because of her machine obsession, which then closed on her and erupted in flames. It was more than reasonable to assume she was dead and no one but her was to blame, so I'm not really able to be invested in their guilt over it.

That said, weirdly enough I do like that her "abandonment" doesn't seem to be even a blip on the radar for Entrapta herself. She hasn't joined the horde because she resents the heroes or felt left behind, she simply is so obsessed with machines and experimentation that she'll be on the side of whoever lets her do the most of that. Like, it's selfish and irresponsible but it's very in-character and I'd far rather have a traitor motivation be based in that over something stupid like a misunderstanding.

Episode 3: I love the mental image of Shadow Weaver thinking up princess-themed ghost stories to tell Adora as a child.

So, if the previous She-Ra Mara separated Eternia from the other realms/planets/whatever she did and that's what cut off the She-Ra line for 1000 years, I'm guessing Hordak may be from the time before that happened, thus his drive to create portals and calling Eternia a backwards world. Either he's naturally long-lived or his technology is extending his life.

Episode 4: You know, you could maybe argue it was vague enough that it could be taken other ways but I'm definitely getting some vibes here that Scorpia is crushing on Catra. She literally refers to the two of them as soulmates at one point. I know she says she's trying to be friends but this feels a level beyond that.

Fun little reference to the original She-Ra cartoon thrown in there (and maybe Cowboy Bebop...? James Bond...? What was Glimmer's art style supposed to be?). I like how it is more like just playful ribbing than anything outright dumping on the original. Again, I've never seen original She-Ra but whenever remakes/adaptations go out of their way to trash to the original I always kind of wonder why they bothered doing an adaptation if the original is just that bad? Also, I was having trouble sleeping so it was about 2am when I watched this episode and the very Eartha Kitt Catwoman Catra made it very difficult for me not to lose my **** and stay quiet. With how much of a contrast that version is from the one in this series, that was hilarious. Bonus note, it's a nice touch that Frosta's version of Catra is a pretty crasher in that sweet suit, since that's the only impression of Catra she's ever had.

Adora being a chosen one is definitely elevated up simply by how much the pressure of what she's supposed to be is getting to her. I'm likely going to keep making Avatar The Last Airbender comparisons throughout the series but that's partly because I went into this series figuring it'd be at least structured similar to ATLA (season 1 being more episodic and a little more kid-friendly as it builds up the world before getting more serious later). Adora and Aang are interesting to compare here. Aang's worries early on were less apparent because he was more in-denial/choosing not to think about his problems that much, which fit with his character as a free-spirited Air Nomad. While Adora is much more military-minded. She can't keep herself from thinking about her problems and trying to prepare for the worst-case scenario. And jeez, that idea of who/how Catra is in her mind. Not only beating her but making her watch as she takes everything she cares about away. Not Shadow Weaver, not Lord Hordak, but Catra. That whole Lion King Mufasa/Scar moment between them in episode 11 and their fight in the S1 finale really did a number on her mental image of her old friend. Not reasonably so.

Minor note: I'm sure I'm the only one who got this impression but by the look of it, the way the robot's eye moved, and the music, after getting the soda spilled on it that little spybot gained sentience for half a second and then immediately died. It was so darkly comedic I had to laugh.

Episode 5: So that red disc is basically She-Ra's Red Kryptonite, having an effect on the mind rather than the body. The drunk Adora joke doesn't really do it for me but it did get some nice interactions going between Scorpia and Sea Hawk, two characters I certainly wasn't expecting to bond. I did really like Catra's panic when berserker She-Ra nearly beheads her. The implication is that is Adora really wanted to kill her Catra would already probably be dead. It's a thing I like about powerhouse characters like Superman or Aang, who could just demolish everything around them and don't simply because they're a good person...which in turn makes them the scariest person on the planet when they're well and truly ticked off. I'm not going to lie, I do kind of want to see a She-Ra version of Aang when Appa was stolen or when Superman fought The Elite.

Also, Catra's line of "I have control over Adora. I'm not giving that up for anything.". There's a lot to read into there.

Episode 6: I guess my prediction was sort of right. Shadow Weaver became basically a magic parasite and while it did increase the power she's capable of the implication seems to be that she needs a constant fix of magic to keep herself going, thus her attachment to the Black Garnet.

Have we seen Micah before? Given how long ago the flashback seems set, the fact that Shadow Weaver didn't kill him and thus he probably becomes someone important later in life, I'm guessing he's Glimmer's dad and the queen's late husband, since I think he's the only important male character whose face we haven't seen yet. Also, he's voice by Ezra from Star Wars Rebels and that cracks me up for some reason. It's the exact same voice and a relatively similar character.

I compared Catra and Shadow Weaver with a kind of twisted version of Zuko and Ozai and that definitely still fits here. Both Catra and Zuko confront their parent and call them out for the inexcusable abuse they put them through but while that moment was the start of Zuko's upwards journey this and SW's betrayal seems like it's going to cause Catra to spiral even further. Makes sense why Adora leaving affected her so much. She's probably the only one Catra's ever had that she could consistently trust and rely on, even if she did somewhat resent her.

Not surprised Hordak is getting along with Entrapta. She's not socially aware enough to be scared or intimidated by him, so she'll speak frankly, and since all she wants to talk about is the machines, experiments, and how they could get them to work Hordak probably doesn't take much issue with that. She's producing results, which is what he cares about, thus also why Shadow Weaver and Catra started losing favor with him. I wonder if Catra is going through imposter syndrome? Shadow Weaver had that line that Entrapta earned her place next to Hordak and, if you think about it, Catra hasn't really "earned" anything. We saw that she didn't really take her training or studies that seriously, showing up late to combat practice and even getting partial credit for what Adora beat. She wasn't promoted to Force Captain because of her own abilities but because Adora had defected when she was supposed to get that title. She's come close to a few victories but never really had any except for Glimmer and Bow's kidnapping...whom she then basically let escape when she returned Adora's sword to her. She doesn't have the slightest clue how the horde's bureaucracy works when trying to get things done, like simply getting troops armor. Given how much better than her Adora always was and how little she herself has to her name, I wonder is subconsciously Catra believes she doesn't deserve her current position and thus why she's fretting so much over trying to prove herself.

Episode 7: Am I mistaken or did Bow's parents say that he's the youngest of TWELVE siblings? I was going to ask whether Bow was adopted or if his dad's used a surrogate or if maybe there's even just simply magic in She-Ra's world that allows two people of the same sex to have a child together but now I'm just focused on the 12 kids thing. I get nervous just imagining myself having more than one. You should see me when I'm with two cats. I have to pet both of them because I'd feel like I'd be making one feel left out and like the other is the favorite. I'm a mess with kids.

The dad with dreadlocks (Lance?), his design looked familiar to me and I finally realized it reminded me a of a fanart design for a human Grim from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Very different voices between those two characters though.

I wonder if there's any significance to the robot protecting the crystal having the same design as those in the artic in episode 5? Obviously both have the connection to the First Ones but the robot in the forest who was also protecting First Ones' tech had a more insect-like design over these more worm/Graboid ones.

I'm kind of curious what Hordak would have done if Catra had told the truth. Given his interactions with her and Shadow Weaver he doesn't seem like the time to tolerate failure but I suppose the implication here is that he at least would respect those who own up to their failures. Or I suppose more simply he was just testing to see if she would lie to him and since she did there's little merit in keeping her in a position of authority anymore where she could lie about important things again.

Season 2 verdict: Still enjoying it. Another person on this reddit recommended I view seasons 2 and 3 as one since they are basically just one season split in two. I was going to do that but this ended up longer than I thought I would, so I'll just do 2 and 3 separate to keep them semi-organized and easier to read.

I think overall Catra is my favorite character since she has the most interesting backstory, interactions, and just general path through the story out of everyone. She's like Pearl from Steven Universe or, well, Zuko. There's just so much baggage there that she's trying and kind of failing to deal with. I'm always invested in whatever's happening when she's onscreen. Hordak so far is a good big boss villain for Adora to face but Catra is a good archenemy for her.

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/PrincessesOfPower/comments/o027y3/going_in_blind_watching_season_2_for_the_first/

[ecrivainsolitaire]

I understand and appreciate your perspective as it appears to come from a place of empathy and warmth. I do often look at the positives. I am a very intelligent person due to my autism; I can learn languages really easily thanks to enhanced pattern recognition, I am a decent chess player despite barely practicing lately, and as you mention, I do see the effort I've put in as valuable and something to be proud of.

However, this is, perhaps out of well intentioned ignorance, diminishing of my (and dare I say our) struggle, because you don't see the way the process works in my head.

I'm lead to believe by my friends and Hollywood that some things that I have the most trouble with are extremely easy for neurotypicals. Let me illustrate with an analogy.

Have you ever played QWOP? It's a browser based racing game. You play an athlete and, instead of the typical "hold up or right to advance", you use the keys in the name to control the joints required in walking. This is extremely unintuitive as we humans are not adapted to think about walking; your brain says "walk" and your nervous system just obeys in automatic. In QWOP, you have to go "left knee, right ankle, right knee, left ankle" repeatedly, for 100 metres. Unless you're a master pianist you're gonna be tripping and stumbling and falling and most of the time you won't even make it, while all the other runners move normally. And even if you're perfect at the game, it's not gonna look like normal running. It's gonna look like a sadistic puppeteer playing with a corpse. Everyone can tell something is different. Maybe not wrong, but certainly not normal.

Now imagine that instead of running you gotta QWOP your way through greeting people, going to the store, taking a cab, answering a class question, DATING, everywhere, with everyone, forever. You're very bad at recognising facial expressions, but there's one you understand perfectly: the "what exactly is wrong with you?" Face. Because even in the best moments, sometimes you press P instead of W, and it shows. And sometimes that's enough to lose a friend. And sometimes it isn't, but you're so anxious and paranoid and burned out that you cut ties yourself instead of waiting for the other person to do it because you're so stressed about it. And you get used to be compared, in the best of cases, to Sheldon Cooper or Spock or Abed Nadir. In the worst, to a computer or a robot. Not a fun one like Data; people actually say the words "you act like a robot" to your face. And then it hurts nit because of the name, but because you were putting all your effort with that person and it didn't work.

Besides that, it's so mentally draining. I mentioned I play chess; I've noticed the enormous difference in my skills when I'm hanging out with friends versus when I'm quiet and focused on the board or playing the computer. I can actually quantify myself getting stupider when I'm trying to look normal. And that's just a game; it makes working so much harder because you have to be surrounded by people constantly. Please may everyone forgive me if this sounds insensitive but quarantine has felt like a blessing for me because I can finally work at home, alone, at my full potential instead of using half my brain power to make sure people don't feel put off.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate what I have. I'm lucky to be in the milder side of the spectrum, the one capitalists call "high functioning". I had to treat nonverbal communication like another language I wanted to learn and I took theatre classes, wrote down TV patterns, in middle school I read half a dozen seduction books because they contained chapters detailing the minutiae of body language, which I've never seen anywhere else because neurotypicals don't need it written down (and later we definitely need a discussion on how PUAs and incel communities prey on insecure autistic young men). I put a ton of work into it and thanks to my luck and effort, I can mostly function in society. But it doesn't feel like I finally learned how to run. It just feels like I'm very good at QWOP.

I do genuinely appreciate your feelings, and I am relatively positive about my situation. But I ask you not to think this compares to a neurotypical learning process. I had to teach myself things most people do in automatic. I messed up because of it. I lost friends because of it. And now I'm fine; I'm 26, I'm a teacher, and I lead a peaceful life with few problems. I have low light bulbs, I constantly use headphones and I keep math games in my phone for whenever I have to stand still for 20 seconds. But every time I leave my room and interact with other people I have to act in a way that is entirely unnatural to me in order to continue being a functional member of society. And that's not always a bad thing; most of the time it's neutral, as obvious as breathing, and sometimes it even gives me the advantage and makes me happy. But some days I can barely press another key.

Be nice to your neurodivergent friends. But listen to them first.

Sometimes I get real annoyed at the way adults treat delayed speech, like YES it takes some of us longer to download a fucking language, that doesn’t make us subhuman you dumb brenda