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nobodysdaydreams · 1 year ago

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Benedict Twins Neurodivergent Head Canons (by popular request)

At first I was going to make a post about all the MBS character's neurodivergencies, then I realized I had wayyyy too many for the twins alone.

Then I also realized that despite my efforts to try and separate them by diagnoses, a lot of their symptoms are the same thing in different fonts and with different diagnoses emphasized throughout the show. So here is everything I came up with.

(Warning: insanely long and unhinged post ahead. Feel free to disagree with any of these. Just don't be ableist please!).

My head canons for the twins:

ADHD-inattentive type - mostly Nicholas, possibly season 2 Nathaniel

Autism - mostly Nicholas, you could argue Nathaniel also has it

Anxiety/OCD symptoms - mostly Nathaniel in season 1, you could argue Nicholas has other forms of anxiety

BPD - mostly Nathaniel in season 2, you could argue Nicholas also has it

Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD) - Both twins have it, and I think Nathaniel also has CSD, and I will explain what that is

Maladaptive Daydreaming (MADD) - I don't know if both twins have it, but there are some scenes they were in the had the vibe going for sure

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ADHD-inattentive type:

Nicholas' ADHD-I head canon mostly comes from personal experience (that's been my official diagnosis since childhood). Specifically, the way they wrote the show version of the character was way too relatable to me. The fact that there are so many books on his desk cluttered everywhere? Him dismissing the food Number Two tries to give him in that one scene even though he ordered it? The flashbacks of Nathaniel having to tell Nicholas to make sure his appearance looked good? Flashback Nicholas showing up late for the orphanage pageant? The general scatterbrain tendencies? Nicholas getting emotionally overwhelmed when he has too much to do or can't find a way out of a situation? I love the man, but thank goodness he has Rhonda and Number Two to do the executive functioning for him because if they didn't he would be in trouble. Those scenes were way too relatable, as were the scenes of him feeling guilty for being a burden to his friends family because they handle so much for him.

Since this head canon comes entirely from my own experiences, it's probably the easiest for me to write. I haven't done much with it in my fics yet because I've been focusing a bit more on the plot™️ and other characters, but when writing season 2 content, especially from Nicholas' perspective and how it changes after he's been given the happiness technique, I do intend to do a few things to incorporate this head canon into how I write his scenes.

It's also worth noting that while I see this head canon as mostly applying to Nicholas, Nathaniel does seem to have more ADHD-I symptoms in season 2. Season 1 he has a lot of anxiety (which I will talk about), but in season 2, he's a lot more quirky and scatterbrained and relaxed once his anxiety symptoms are decreased, and I could see ADHD being a head canon for him as well, it's just that his anxiety masks his executive dysfunction more than Nicholas' does. Of course, there are a lot of other possible reasons for Nathaniel's change in personality between seasons, and I'm gonna talk about those too.

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Autism:

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): So unlike the ADHD head canon, the autism head canon is one that I am not professionally diagnosed with, but I am familiar with it through irl friends that I've had that have been professionally diagnosed with autism. It's also worth noting that this is not really my own head canon or an unpopular one, other people in the fandom have mentioned this head canon before).

It's also a head canon that I think makes a lot of sense, especially in the show, they mention multiple times that Nicholas was at one point an academic, which could imply him having special interests and hyper fixations. During the flashbacks of him at the orphanage we really don't see him interact with anyone other than Nathaniel, which could be due to a number of factors, but could also suggest that maybe Nicholas struggled socially. This is support by the fact that when he rants at Nathaniel in 1x8, he says Nathaniel always tried "to control me [Nicholas], to control your friends", but Nicholas doesn't say our friends or my friends, and the only friends of his own mentioned from childhood are Nathaniel (who his says was his best friend), and Tommy Jacobs (who Nathaniel told him to stay away from and was implied to be a social outcast) suggesting that Nathaniel was the one building and maintaining the twin's social circle, though of course that's speculation.

I also previously talked about Nicholas being emotionally overwhelmed, and I know I connected that more to my own experience of ADHD-I symptoms, but I could see it being connected to experiences of autism as well, such as autistic burnout, autistic meltdowns, or sensory overload, I suppose it's open to interpretation especially if you head canon Nicholas as having both ADHD and Autism and consider all the ways that ADHD and Autism can coexist and interact within the same person.

It's also worth noting that Nathaniel is also seen misinterpreting social situations and struggling to connect with his peers both in flashback and in the show. In the flashbacks, he doesn't pick up the fact that the perspective parents don't like him or that people are displeased with his morning after performance. In the present, he has to basically twist Garrison's arm into a friendship and has so many weird and uncomfortable scenes where he tries to offer her "a chance to share the spotlight" and gives her champagne she can't drink where it looks like he's attempting to get her to genuinely like him but he just keeps missing the mark and getting more and more frustrated. I suppose you can also head canon this as ASD if you want since it is a pattern of social struggles that has followed him into adulthood (especially since Nicholas and Nathaniel are twins and would likely have similar symptoms), but it's also important to remember that Nathaniel is an antagonist, so I could understand where this head canon could also be taken negatively.

As for how I incorporate ASD head canons into my fic, since ASD is a disorder I have a lot of personal familiarity with, but am not diagnosed with myself, I try to write it in a way where I keep what's canon canon, I talk mostly about the symptoms I'm familiar with or have heard friends of mine describe (I mention Nicholas stimming as a child and struggling to understand social situations, getting very emotionally overwhelmed, etc.).

One thing I was mindful of, especially when writing my fic was that even though Nicholas (and SQ, who I'll talk more about in another post) having autism is a fairly popular head canon made mostly by autistic people, I still wanted to make sure that when I focused in or hinted at those symptoms that I did it well and did it respectfully.

For example, one problematic trope that can happen in autism representation is infantilizing or having them portrayed as sweet and innocent characters, but also characters without a lot of agency, and I did worry a bit about that when writing them from Nathaniel's point of view, and talking about things like him not trusting SQ to make his own decisions, and viewing Nicholas as incapable or incompetent. I really tried to make it super clear that this is how Curtain or other characters are viewing them at various points in time, but it's not necessarily how they actually are. So far I think that I've been able to make that clear, at least I haven't heard anyone say that my portrayal is problematic or bad, and I have gotten a lot of comments saying that I do a fairly good job of switching between the POVs of different characters and showing how certain things from one character's perspective are incorrect in another's. But again, while I have some personal experience with ASD, I don't have it myself, so I'm curious to know what people with ASD think about this head canon and whether it's an accurate and positive one, and if any of you guys think that it's a problematic head canon, or does more harm than good, please let me know.

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Anxiety/OCD:

Anxiety/OCD Symptoms: My background with OCD and anxiety is that I have several family members and friends with anxiety and OCD, and I know that it's a really difficult disorder to live with especially when you're trying to deal with it on your own.

I know there have been a couple people who have already pointed out Nathaniel's OCD and anxiety-like behaviors, especially in the ways that it parallels Sticky's anxiety and OCD tendencies (and I might do another post talking more in depth about Sticky but if you haven't read Sophie's amazing fic about it, do that now).

I noticed these symptoms of Curtain's mostly in season 1, where Curtain started out as a seemingly confident and calm evil mastermind behind the Emergency and then became increasingly anxious and upset the more he lost control. You could also argue the way the Institute is governed by so many rules designed to not look like rules and Curtain's extreme need for control and orderliness are also signs of OCD or anxious tendencies. (and his anxiety and frustration when that control and order is disrupted, such a when he screams at his stenographer that "every minor detail" matters).

In my fic, I do a few examples of Curtain experiencing intrusive and negative thought patterns and using control to try and cope with that, but since it's not a disorder I've been diagnosed with or symptoms I personally experience, I try to keep it within Nathaniel's canon concerns (his fear of failure, being abandoned by his friends and family, his paranoia and mistrust of others especially when he's investigating the kids in season 1 and assumes Nicholas came to the island to mock him).

There's also a scene where Curtain makes SQ believe that his friend Reynie is only trying to take advantage of him, and while it's an example of Curtain letting his own anxieties and fears overshadow what's best for his son, I really try to write in an way that emphasizes that Curtain does believe he is doing the right thing and protecting him, even if he's not doing it correctly. While I mostly focus on his anxiety and OCD symptoms and tendencies in season 1 (because that's when they are emphasized the most), you could also argue he has them a bit towards the end of season 2 as well, but I also think that might be RSD related, which I'll talk about later.

I have also considered possibly exploring more about his relationship with Nicholas especially within the context of my head canon of Nicholas having ADHD and Nathaniel having OCD, because I've had those kind of relationships irl, and sometimes it's balanced really well, because the person with OCD is usually better at executive functioning while the person with ADHD can provide distraction from negative thoughts and reassurance/emotional support, and those are the kinds of relationships I've had that have worked really well. However, I've also had relationships, mostly with roommates, where things just don't match up; they want a roommate with a certain level of cleanliness that follows a steady and predictable routine they can plan around (when you shower, when you bring guests over, etc.) and I just can't live like that and it's no fun getting bullied and nagged all the time and it's also no fun living with someone who is messy and unpredictable, so I can understand why in a situation where both these things were happening, Nicholas leaving created very complicated feelings for both of them.

I'm not sure if I'll have the chance to explore that more in flashbacks or maybe in season 2 when they spend more time together, but it is an interesting dynamic. And just like I said with Nicholas' ASD head canon, while I have some personal experience with OCD and anxiety through friends and family members, I don't have it myself, so I'm curious to know what people with OCD and anxiety think about this head canon and whether it's an accurate or positive one (because even though Nathaniel does grow and change, he's still an antagonist for most of the series especially in season 1), and if any of you guys think that it's a problematic head canon, or does more harm than good, please let me know.

It's also worth pointing out the Nicholas does have some anxious tendencies as well (this has been mentioned by several people in the fandom, and also Nicholas and Nathaniel are identical twins, so it is likely they'd have similar neurotypes), but he also has a better emotional support system than Nathaniel does, so it's likely easier for him to manage his anxiety in a healthy way vs. Nathaniel relying on control. I'd be interested in hearing what people with OCD and anxiety think about this and whether it could apply to both twins.

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Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) symptoms:

BPD Symptoms: Since BPD is a less known disorder, I'll first explain that it's a personality disorder (PD) with 9 symptoms (you need 5 symptoms for diagnosis, which leaves 256 possible types of BPD) and it's often linked to some form of abandonment related childhood trauma (a parent leaving, dying, being emotionally distant or abusive, etc.). I will say I was on the fence about this one, and debated including it in my post at all, because I want to acknowledge that head canoning a character, especially a villain character, with a PD can be stereotyping and problematic if not done correctly (though there are many villain characters who have been head cannoned as having BPD by people with BPD (pwBPD) including Anakin from Star Wars, Catra from She-Ra, and Azula from ATLA).

Additionally, I'm also not someone diagnosed with PD, and wouldn't make head canons unless I thought it could be positive or accurate representation. And I think season 2 Nathaniel might qualify for that. Maybe, it's a little complicated. My experience with PDs and BPD comes from knowing people with it irl, but specifically older people with BPD (older than 45), who tend to present differently than younger people because they are on average less likely to have received mental health help or a diagnosis when they were younger and the relationships and goals you have and prioritize at 60 are not the same as the ones you had at 25. I specify season 2 Nathaniel when I talk about his BPD symptoms, mostly because that was when I noticed them. Going into season 2, I did not have BPD in mind as a head canon for him at all. But watching season 2, there were a lot of his scenes where I found myself saying "this looks familiar" and "wait...are they trying to portray BPD in an older person?" and then I realized that when you took out a DSM checklist and looked back at the character...he does fit the criteria pretty well.

However, just fitting a set of DSM criteria doesn't mean a character is good representation, and even accurate representation can still be stereotypical representation (*cough cough* Number Two's mom). Whether Nathaniel could be considered good BPD rep is a difficult question to answer for a couple reasons. The first is because characters with PDs are often stereotyped as villains and antagonists, and while Nathaniel is a sympathetic, likeable, and ultimately redeemed antagonist, he's still an antagonist (not as much of an antagonist as Anakin "the women and children too" Skywalker, a BPD head canon often made by individuals with BPD (plus more about his symptoms here)), but still an antagonist. And while people with BPD have head canoned antagonists as also having BPD, these are usually well-loved antagonists with popular and clear redemption arcs, and Nathaniel's book counterpart (who, for the record DOES NOT have any mental health disorder he's just awful) is very different from his character in the show. So even if Nathaniel is good BPD rep, if someone unfamiliar with how different the MBS show and books are sees the head canon and applies it to the book character on accident, it could leave them with a very false and negative view of the disorder. You could argue this could also easily happen with Nathaniel's anxiety head canon and his control issues, and it could, but anxiety isn't generally vilified nearly as much as PDs.

But on the other hand, I could also see where Nathaniel's BPD could be a positive head canon, and there were a lot of things about it that I really liked. BPD has slowly started to get more positive rep in the media and in the world of psychology in general, but stories with themes of self-improvement where the pwBPD is portrayed in a positive light are still normally reserved for younger people (20s/30s/early 40s) and people without kids. When older pwBPD, especially untreated or undiagnosed individuals and especially individuals with kids are shown in media or talked about in psychology...let's just say it's not great. Now, obviously untreated mental health symptoms can negatively effect the people around you and cause serious damage after so many years, but the lack of positive growth stories about older pwBPD has always bothered me because it completely ignores any good qualities they have, or even the possibility of getting help later in life, and I hate seeing people that I love consistently talked about and portrayed so negatively not just in media but in the field of psychology in general. I also think it's a bit ageist to say that young people can get help for their mental health disorders and improve, but that it's too late for older adults.

That's why I love so much of what they did with Nathaniel's character. They didn't dismiss the impact his symptoms had on his family and SQ, but they also didn't completely blame it all on his BPD symptoms (in fact, in season 1, his anxiety symptoms seemed to be the main focus). They also established very early on that Nathaniel was a redeemable and sympathetic character and wasn't meant to be a copy of his book counterpart (Reynie's 1x8 speech about how Curtain is a good person). Additionally, once his BPD symptoms were more present in season 2, that was when Nathaniel became more likeable in the eyes of the fandom, not less likeable, and I really like that they did that. For as much as we make jokes about hitting Curtain with his golf cart and hating him, I've also seen a lot of people talk about reluctantly coming around to loving his character as they've rewatched Season 2, and I was one of them for sure. I loved that they showed how silly and fun his character was, and how yeah, he's not thinking clearly and is actively committing crimes, but really all he wants is a world where he is loved and has his family with him, he doesn't actually want to hurt anyone. Then there's the fact that his narcolepsy trigger is vulnerability and how that could connect to his self-image, and the fact that the society kids have trauma linked to abandonment that could led to the development of BPD later and how that connects to themes of healing generational trauma (also side note: children can't have a BPD diagnosis so while the kids do have abandonment related traumas and you can draw parallels there, you can't head canon them with BPD to mirror Nathaniel the same way you can head canon other diagnosis between the adults and kids, like with Nicholas and SQ both having autism).

However, the positive aspects of Nathaniel as a BPD character ironically can also be seen as a bad thing, because on the one hand, it's nice to see an older person with possible BPD getting a self-improvement story arc and sympathetic portrayal, but on the other hand: the show was cancelled. And that was really upsetting to me, especially because becoming "a good guy" didn't completely remove Nathaniel's BPD or anxiety symptoms, but they showed him dealing with them in a more healthy way with a support system, and that's such a great message, and we have so little representation of that, so I'm glad they hinted at that...but they totally could have done more with it, and I'm so sad that they can't now because it's a message that does not go unappreciated.

For writing Nathaniel's BPD symptoms into my fic, this is a bit complicated, because while Nathaniel does have a lot of canon symptoms (abandonment related fears, mood swings, moments of anger, unstable relationships, impulsive career change and self identity between seasons, etc.), and I really don't need to add anything, it's still a matter of debate whether it's good representation or not, and I could see people interpreting his character a number of ways. So while I sticking to canon, I still leave things ambiguous. For example, there's a scene in my fic where Curtain admits he doesn't have a stable identity because he avoids vulnerability. You could say that's also due to BPD/unstable self-image or you could say it's entirely due to his canon narcolepsy trigger. It's up to you whether you want the BPD rep there or not, because I've reviewed posts and tips written by people with BPD about writing representation, and recognize that while Nathaniel fits the DSM criteria pretty well and the show focuses a lot on his abandonment issues and symptoms, he is still an antagonist for most of the series. A likable and ultimately redeemed antagonist, but still an antagonist, which means the plot of the show and my fic, while it's ultimately driving him to redemption, still require him do some pretty bad antagonistic things regardless of whether they are directly connected to any symptoms that he has (consider this your warning), and I can see why that aspect of it might be a turn off, which is why I leave the rep open to the interpretation of the reader.

As I mentioned, there are 256 possible types of BPD, I don't expect that everyone with BPD would relate to Nathaniel, and this is also generally a younger fandom (teens/20s/30s) and a big reason I like Nathaniel's rep is because he's portraying what I've seen in older as opposed to younger people with BPD, so it's possible someone with BPD looking at this character would either see it more as a representation of an older family member (because these things do run in families) or wouldn't be able to relate to him. But I'd still be curious to know what people with BPD think about this head canon and whether they agree that's what's being represented here and if so, whether it was done accurately or positively, and just like with other head canons, if any of you guys think that this head canon is problematic or does more harm than good, please let me know.

I'd also be curious to know what people think about Nicholas possibly also having BPD, because he did grow up in an orphanage and his adoptive parents don't seem to be around anymore. He also seems convinced that his friends will leave him whenever he makes a mistake, which...again it could be the anxiety, it could be that both twins have BPD...it could go a number of ways.

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RSD and CSD:

Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD): I know anxiety is also a popular Nicholas head canon, but I did want to mention the ways that I see Nicholas' flavor of anxiety as very RSD oriented. For those that don't know what RSD is, it's when you experience severe emotional pain because of failure or being rejected, and it's often related to ADHD. In my personal experience, it's a lot worse when you feel like you've messed up in a moral sense, done something wrong, hurt someone, or let someone down, especially when the other person assumes that you have malicious intentions, or did something on purpose. You just feel like you want to delete every memory of what happened or destroy yourself to make it go away. It can also happen in response to constructive criticisms too if the person still feels that they really messed up or hurt someone.

I see a lot of RSD/anxious tendencies in Nicholas, specifically in response to what he did to Nathaniel, but also at the thought of something happening to the children or his friends and it being his fault for creating the Sender and dragging them into this. This is also supported by the fact that Nicholas' anxiety seemed to go up a lot after 1x03 when he finds out Nathaniel is the Sender and he has his little breakdown in the woods. Obviously he's always been anxious about the operation in general, who wouldn't be, but once he realizes he might have himself to blame if things go wrong or if one of the children gets hurt, that's when the anxiety really starts to come. Again, you can feel free to disagree with this head canon and I could see Nicholas having anxiety in other situations as well, but as someone with ADHD-I who head canons Nicholas that way, this was something I picked up on.

Compliment Sensitivity Dysphoria (CSD): I talked about RSD with Nicholas and how it's common in ADHD-I, but RSD is common in other disorders too, and Curtain definitely has it, but I think he has something else as well. A little phenomena I also experience on occasion, which I have named "Compliment Sensitivity Dysphoria" (not a clinical term, my own term). I don't know if it's a thing other people with ADHD-I experience, or maybe just those of us who have a family history of other stuff and it's a combination of things that's causing it, but basically, it's the opposite of RSD. With RSD, you get one negative comment, you want to destroy yourself, but with CSD, you get complimented once, you develop a God complex.

I know I talked about the show's focus switching from looking at Nathaniel's anxiety symptoms in season 1 to his BPD symptoms in season 2, but something else changes between seasons 1 and 2 and that's the characters surrounding Nathaniel. In Season 1, he's getting criticized by Garrison, Nicholas tells him off at the end, his son is disobeying him, and he feels attacked. Season 2, everybody praises his every move all the time, leaving him open to CSD. Now speaking from personal experience, the CSD God complex thing is very fun, but you gotta watch out for those pesky consequences™️ because if you don't, the RSD will come back worse than you could ever imagine, so you need to look out (which, obviously, our poor Nathaniel did not do). I also love the way he apologizes at the end: "I might have been going about things the wrong way (nearly froze thousands of people including my own family) so let's just go now and never talk about it again because if I reflect on the bad things I did I will self-destruct so let's all just move on now thank you :)" absolutely iconic. Accountability king right there.

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Maladaptive Daydreaming (MADD):

For those who don't know what maladaptive daydreaming is, I'll admit, I'm not as active with the MADD tumblr community (it does exist though) and you can google it, but if you've ever paced around or stimmed while listening to music and zoning about thinking about fictional characters, that's basically what that is, but it's only technically considered maladaptive if done to an unhealthy degree, but obviously what constitutes an "unhealthy degree" is a more vaguely defined area. MADD is incredibly common in people with ADHD (specifically, ADHD-Inattentive type), but it's also very common in OCD, ASD, and personality disorders as well.

MADD presents differently in different people, but in my experience, the dancing and stimming to repetitive or happy music is the format that tends to trigger the most euphoria. Which is interesting for someone like Nicholas, because having a form of narcolepsy that causes him to pass out when he feels real joy means he wouldn't have had the chance to experience MADD like that, until he's given the artificial happiness by Curtain. And once Curtain does? Nicholas is cheerfully pacing around his apartment (I think I commented somewhere on a live blog that it looked like MADD), and then there's the whole "dance party in the field scene", big MADD vibes there.

MADD also has an overlap with ASD (hence the stimming and motor stereotypy that often happens during the daydreaming), and OCD (because both involve repetitive and uncontrollable thoughts, it's just that the thoughts associated with MADD are fun and addictive thoughts instead of distressing ones. But they can still be harmful if taken to an extreme).

Again, clinically, I'm not sure if Nicholas has enough instances to be "diagnosed" with MADD, but those scenes in season 2 had the vibes going so I just thought I'd mention it. Also, a canonically autistic character that I (and many others) head canon with MADD is Abed Nadir from "Community" if you are interested in looking for another example of MADD in someone with autism.

Finally, you can maybe make the argument that Curtain has MADD as well, or at least one instance of it.

Again, I wouldn't say the MADD aspect is overly focused on in Nicholas or Nathaniel, but it's common in OCD, ASD, ADHD, and PDs (all of which tend to run together in families), and Nathaniel's Stand Back Dance had the vibe going for sure. Between moving across the world between seasons, getting a new career, and doing his little dance, the man was entering his Rebecca Bunch era (and if you don't know who that is, Rebecca Bunch is a pretty well known canon BPD representation from the tv show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and I've seen a lot of people head canon her with maladaptive daydreaming as well. She's also likely going to be Nathaniel's competition if he makes into the theater kid showdown, so for reference here's a clip of her experiencing RSD).

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Finally, since these are all disorders I know a lot about, I'm happy to answer any questions (as long as you keep it respectful and no ableist. Remember the RSD), and if you feel like any of these head canons are harmful and/or problematic, please let me know (mostly concerned about Nathaniel's head canons since he's a bad guy, but if you think Nicholas' head canons are problematic as well, feel free to message about those too. Again, remembering that I did this with the best of intentions and also the RSD).

Also, since the Benedict brothers are identical twins, and you could argue they both had signs of all the disorders, which all tend to run together in families anyway, so if you want to skip the DSM technicalities and what's popular in fandom and throw up your hands and say "they both have ASD/ADHD/OCD/BPD" it's a head canon, it can be whatever I want!" then know that I fully support you in that quest.

And for those who might not be as familiar with one or more of these disorders, or didn't realize they had such a strong genetic overlap and are interested in learning more, I have resources for that too!

Misdiagnosis Monday has some great charts of symptom overlap. I include some below.

#long post #Connecting my special interests #Sorry I know this is an insane amount of stuff for just two characters who are twins and share a lot of symptoms #But I have never seen the mental illnesses that me my friends and my family members and the ways they intersect so represented #Gonna keep this post for the mutuals so my DM's don't get flooded if people actually take the time to read this #But I might add fandom tags later. We shall see.

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hotjmess · 7 months ago

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Finally

for a long while now, i had a feeling that i had adult ADHD just not diagnosed. so whenever i talked about it online, or to friends, i would say "undiagnosed" ADHD. I never wanted to speak as if i had something i didn't, and potentially offend someone who genuinely was suffering.

That all changed this past Friday. I finally found a reputable psychiatrist in my area, in my state (CT) who could do an actual assessment. I've found so far in this path that has been the hardest part. So i did a questionnaire assessment first. Then had a 2.5 hour discussion with the psychiatrist to go over the results and discuss examples of behavior in my life, from childhood on, that would speak to the markers of ADHD.

I cannot tell you how nice it is to finally have confirmation of what i knew to be true. I have ADHD and have likely always have had it from childhood on. To be seen, to be heard, to be made to feel less nuts. To have spent the majority of my life wondering why my brain functions like it does....why can't i just be social in the same ways as everyone else? Why is math so hard? Why do i daydream so much? Why can't i focus? Why can't i make the phone call i know i need to make? why can't i finish a work project? Why?? That has been my life. Feeling off but not understanding why or even knowing what to ask. However us Gen X kids....man we had fun didn't we? However our parents didn't know any better - unless you were a boy with obvious issues in class, girls didn't get the help because no one knew! I was the daydreamer, staring out the window unless a topic really held my interest or a teacher grabbed my attention. Math was always so hard. still is.

all this to say i have it. More Inattentive ADHD than hyperactivity. Although there are some little things from the Hyper side that i do have. I just am so happy that i can now move into my future with tools and ability to navigate what i always knew to be true. i've started some medication, and now i need to read. Read books, and learn from others. The goal now is to "work smarter, no harder" as they say. i wish i could talk about all this with my Abby. Someday maybe. Someday.

#real talk #adhd brain #women with adhd #adhd journey

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boyakishantrinity · 1 year ago

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"... I think that worked."

"I don't think it did!!"

Shouting into the wind, the adolescents froze as the bloody corpse that was somehow still alive rose from the rubble. Iron rebar rusted as it were imbedded into just about every section, fragments of titanium and tungsten alloyed spear and swords, all three weapons embedded into her. Several stabbed arrows of divine and hellish origin and to top of the absolute bullshit. She still had the enchanted one hit kill death arrow they'd refused to use for the last four years.

"... Nuke?"

Exasperated, with more than a tinge of genuine. Well, giving up, he turned to his girlfriend.

"Nuke."

Tossing the canister to her boy, the fusion reaction activating as the woman began to lift the rubble off her back.

"... Thermonuclear device?"

"Why can't you just die?"

"Why do you insist on attacking civilians?"

"they're not civilians."

"brainwashed."

"cretin."

"You're going to die a slave to an ideal that's not even true."

"You're a failure of society, someone who has opened arms to worse than scum."

"I thought you were the hyper compassionate healer, she who accepted any and all."

"I'm only compassionate to living beings."

Lifted by the shirt, pain left striking across the body as the two woman stared each other down.

"... Mom?"

Half delirious, the other two froze.

"... That wasn't just me?"

Holding the trigger, harpoon in hand as she scanned their faces.

"Liam. I'm not mad-"

"I think I'm bleeding."

"..."

She ripped the woman's arm off her, cracking her jaw as she turned her heel. Gripping the rubble as she threw the rock through the destroyed building.

Rebar. Iron rebar left piercing the small child, blood soaking his mouth as horns poked out his head.

"... Ignos, porpua, Wroughr."

Her hand flicked, green magic snapping towards the young man. His wounds moving to heal as she dropped to her knees.

Blood, coughing onto the floor, the young man stumbling forward as he reached for his mother.

She refused. Whispering something into his ear as she muttered to herself, striking her own face as she whispered something.

With a flash of blue, he vanished. Particles transporting up and down a layer.

"Still think you're- *wheeze* a hero?"

Blood was now bleeding cleanly through every face orifice, her sword left fused to the ground, as she stumbled to grasp onto it. Heaving, clearly on barely mana.

Nobody could live with no mana. In events of high stress, pain, or simply taking enough damage. You'll burn dangerously close to 1 mana, delirium, paranoia, all of which is generally not a good thing to have.

0.4.

0.5 was the price to heal. 0.1 was the price to transport.

0.4 points of mana, it'd take three months to heal back to 5 points of mana and then it'd snap back to my increasing pool.

"I have 0.4 units of mana."

She declared, half wheezing as she spoke. Seeming to gather her strength as she rested onto the sword.

"... I- Sister. Just. Surrender."

She looked at the man, the leader. Looking down before a smile formed.

"Sure, but I'll have to break my standards hun."

She gripped the hilt, pushing down onto the blade with what little strength she likely had.

"... Aunty. Please-"

She glared at the young woman.

"I thought I trained you to never show credence to the enemy."

The large man looked at her, with cautious eyes he lowered his jaw.

"Eleanor."

She froze, head fully snapping to him.

"Stop. You've already lost."

She dropped her hand, scratching her neck as she moved her arms and legs. Inattentiveness filling her body as she squat down on on leg and bounced up and down.

"hmm. Well."

She rested back on the pommel, twisting the end back on as she looked at them.

"No."

She raised a gun to her head, silver, size chambered. A colt revolver.

BANG.

#tag #Triage #last stand #writing #aura #idk

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lavalamplana · 2 years ago

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ADHD

I feel like I’m going to catch on fire. I know it’s probably because I’m on my period and my hormones are a mess. I don’t know why he’s popping up into my mind. This is hell. It doesn’t even make sense. I don’t want him. The person I want was never real. That man doesn’t exist. I have no idea why my mind is torturing me like this. Why am I allowing it? I cannot control my emotions and it’s really humiliating.

I talked to my psychiatrist about it. He said ADHD mirrors bipolar a lot. He said ADHD has a lot more to do with emotional dysregulation than inattention/being hyper. The emotional dysregulation is what causes the numb nothing or hyper nuts behavior. I can’t control my own mind. I can’t sleep. I feel chronically behind. I’m getting written up at work because I’m struggling to wake up on time. I’m missing important appointments. I want to set myself on fire. I infuriate myself. It’s all within my control, why do I feel like I am powerless? I forget important dates and events. I must come off like the most nonchalant non-caring insensitive bitch in the world. I am tired.

I want to jump off of a building. That was something I absolutely loved when I went skydiving. It’s three seconds of your stomach doing somersaults and then nothing. You just float as you fall. The wind is in your face, but you don’t feel like you’re moving. The adrenaline was the best part. I know that’s why I kept going back to my ex. I am bored. When I am bored I look for stupid shit to get my blood pumping again. So many things and people bore me. I’ll give him credit for that. He’s so insane with the constant up and down behavior I was never bored. HIs bullshit just got old after a while. It’s not fun to have deeply devastated feelings for the majority of the time. Like HELLO I am not enjoying you anymore, FIX IT. I was getting dangerously suicidal. And homicidal...that shit is not healthy.

Other men keep bothering me. Go Away! I don’t want to deal with it. It’s very annoying to me. I am stuck can’t you see this. I don’t give a fuck about how much money you make or how sexy you think I am. You’re all nasty. God I am mean. I’ve dissolved myself completely into my own mind again. Yet I long for intimacy but I am so fearful of it. It’s infuriating. Might as well pour gasoline on myself and light myself on fire. It’s so redundant. I don’t believe I’m a healthy person. I mean well, but these guys keep pushing their luck. I’m sure they’re trying to be sweet but I am trying not to fantasize about bludgeoning an axe through a head.

I was not a good girlfriend in my last relationship. I’m trying to save you and work out some major damage control. You’re welcome. No that’s not it. I’m terrified I’ll meet another Bill. Really fucked with my head badly. I think I’ll always be confused by it. If ever I am asked by a man I lie through my teeth about the whole thing. It’s so humiliating. I don’t want anyone to know. I don’t want to be touched. I want to be touched. I feel nothing when I am kissed. Nothing. It’s upsetting. I just feel skin and spit. I hate it. I hate them. Leave me alone. I feel so gross about all of it. God I am a wreck. It’s embarrassing.

I joined a kickball team though and I’m working on a tennis league. I want to blow my head off. This is not good. I’m not slicing my flesh though so there’s that. That’s good at least. I do think about it often though. I know it comes from rage. I have a lot of that and I’m not sure what to do with it. I want to disappear. I have to be careful though or people start asking too many questions. I can’t have that. How bad would it be to just be insane? I know I’m there in my mind, but I feel I do a pretty good job on reining it in...maybe. I don’t think others find me normal. This I’m alright with. I know I’m not. I wish I didn’t feel so out of control though. I take my medicine when I am supposed to. I’m working on getting back with my therapist. My sleeping though...oh my sleeping. I don’t do enough of that. I stay awake so long that I start seeing those shadow people. Blurry but bizarre altogether.

I am off putting. I want to escape to somewhere different. I’m not sad, just bored. I feel tied down. The saddest thing is the happiest I’ve felt in a long time was with him. I know that’s another reason I kept going back. I’m so retarded. He legit only used me for sex and attention. He could’ve cared less about Me. Dummy Dummy that I am. My psychiatrist said that’s very common for ADHD as well to seek out dopamine through others. But like I said, towards the end that began to run very short. Not enough anymore, just pain and suffering, therefore no more fun and not worth my time. Fuck I really did love him though. It all fucking sucks. I don’t want to do it again. I want to be in love again, but I don’t want to get emotionally raped again. Nothing about that was ideal. So much pain. He just used me. I am nothing.

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wolfie-411 · 2 years ago

Text

Power set.

(Note: I chose these powers based off of my learning disabilities.)

Matt is a young man who experiences a very complex profile. It is clear that his general

intelligence is in the Average to above Average range. However, his ability to use this

intelligence efficiently for schoolwork (particularly reading and writing) is severely impaired

by poor visual memory, variable visual-spatial skills, ADHD, Inattentive Type, executive

functioning deficits (slow processing speed, reduced processing efficiency with complexity,

poor working memory), and very severe dyslexia (which affects reading, writing and

spelling).

Enhanced Reading

Capabilities

The user can read at unrealistic speeds while still retaining all of the information read. They have intuitive knowledge on how to pronounce any word in any language. User can read any book instantly and completely remember, know and understand everything they read on every page. The user can read and write in any language perfectly and effortlessly in an instant. The user can read an entire library of any size instantly with ease and completely understand, remember, and know what they read on every page.

Enhanced Memory

Capabilities

Users can remember great volumes of information, in greater detail and for much longer than the average human, they can read books, listen to song lyrics, encounter people or experience events and recall a vast deal of the details of their experience. In addition, it takes less effort to recall the information they encounter, and they can remember it for longer without having to strain. Their memory is also more resilient against Memory Manipulation.

Hypercognition

Capabilities

Users can effortlessly perform complex mental operations that are drastically beyond the capability of a normal human mind, making their mental actions/process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience and the senses more powerful than an average person.

Hyper Mind

Capabilities

User can process unlimited amounts of information, without any hindrances or backlashes of information. They have the capability to process an infinite number of simultaneous calculations, allowing them to identify all the variables in any theoretical situation by instantly cross-correlating all information user has on them.

Maximum Brain Capacity

Capabilities

User can use/access 100%/maximum level/s, and potentially beyond, of the mental capacity, gaining extended knowledge and mind usage, allowing them to think in ways that they could never have imagined or understood before.

Maximum Concentration Capacity

Capabilities

User can utilize 100% of their concentration, allowing them to push their physical and/or mental capabilities to their maximum potential, allowing the mind to perceive and respond without any distraction, obstacles become minor problems while objectives grow significantly easier to accomplish.

Since concentration is the learning cornerstone, the user's mind also becomes quicker to assimilate thoughts and information, its user being now able to process information at instant speed. The information becomes instantly recorded on the user's memory, freeing the mind from its boundaries and making the stored knowledge accessible even when the user is without their power. Pattern Sense CapabilitiesUser can perceive, analyze, and comprehend patterns in one's environment.This ability comes in two parts: the analysis and the perception. First, the user looks at a subject, or otherwise, comes into contact with it, which triggers the willful psionic analysis of a subject's properties and features (shape, density, texture, etc.). After the analysis, the user can pick up on any subject of the same molecular/chemical/genetic, or otherwise, structural makeup, and track them accordingly. Hyper Awareness

Capabilities

The user has a much more advanced level of awareness than an ordinary person, and while ordinary people only notice things in general, they notice in detail. For this reason, users can plan and implement strategically and tactically what they should decide and how they should act, without missing anything. Has an increased sense of awareness far above those of the user's species, often to the extent that few, if any, little details miss their notice.

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seven-oomen · 4 years ago

Note

Please talk about Noah! Your takes are super interesting and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!

(hope you're having a nice day!)

Alright then strap in! Because I am about to tell you why I think Noah Stilinski is;

A. Bisexual

B. Has the inattentive type of ADHD

Let’s begin!

First off, I think Noah Stilinksi is a bisexual man who has a preference for feminine presenting people. (As one would typically see women dress/appear in western society.) I don’t particularly have evidence for this, I tried scouring S3 to find clues of it, but honestly, I think this is just one of those, I headcanon it and therefore to me, it is true. If you have a different opinion, then awesome, you do you.

I mean there are some looks between him and Chris Argent that can be interpreted as interested, but you’d have to look very closely. For now, it’s just one of those things, to me it’s like that, and I have fun with it.

Like father, like son right? Except Stiles would be more on the 50/50 scale of bisexuality where I think Noah is more on the 70/30 scale leaning towards feminine people.

As for his ADHD, I did find a lot of clues and tidbits there, so:

Notice how the sheriff is frequently standing with his arms crossed as if he’s either trying to protect himself (trauma-based) or trying to keep himself from moving too much (ADHD based). This would also explain why the sheriff is often seen standing too still. He also tends to talk with his hands, which is another thing a lot of ADHD people have in common. Though to be fair a lot of NT people do this too.

However here in 3x01 we see the sheriff fully focused on this person while they’re trying to work something out.

Then the next second, Melissa enters the hallway and Noah’s undivided attention is suddenly on her, he barely remembers to utter out an excuse me before addressing Melissa. And he does it as if every neuron in his brain is suddenly focused on her. “Oh hey, Melissa!”

*Brain switch. Undivided attention is now on Melissa.*

This is a form of hyper-focusing, and if you’ve been trained from a young age you do this while making it look NT-passing. You mask it. I do this. People with ADHD-C or ADHD-I that have a basis in trauma tend to this in my experience.

Like Stiles tends to do, the sheriff too, is moving around fidgeting in the blurry background. He’s talking faster than he can process which is picked up on by his stutters. While he’s trying to figure out a resolution to this conflict.

You can also tell that there might be some RSD at play here due to the fact that he seems very keen to keep the peace in the scene and wants everyone to get along and let’s keep everyone around me chill. This may not seem like a stereotypical ADHD thing to do, but it’s very common in ADHD-I types.

In the scene with Deaton that he shares in this episode, as well as numerous scenes with Stiles and other characters. You can always see him thinking, you can practically see the wheels turning in his head as he tries to make connections and tries to focus on what lies ahead of him and what people are saying to him.

Sometimes he successfully succeeds in listening and processing. You see this by his frowns, little head movements. But as soon as those arms cross or his frown deepens you can tell someone is trying to flip the switch, but the light’s not turning on. The information isn’t being processed by his brain. He’s trying to defend himself.

Again, this is a typical thing for someone with ADHD-I who’s been trained and has had extensive therapy to cope with his symptoms. For a while and for general conversations/problems, you are capable of holding the thread. When things get complicated, that’s when you start to see the thread unraveling in Noah’s head.

In 3x02 there’s a moment of impatience as he wakes the boys up but also clearly a look on his face that says a few things.

1. Omg Stiles has done it again.

2. Look at the state of this room where do I even begin? I don’t know, so I just won’t bother.

3. Oh no I have absolutely been here and now I have to deal with my son being in this state too.

So he does the most logical thing to him, he doesn’t deal with it. Just his executive dysfunction going off and thinking; nope I’m not dealing with this, I need to get work, I don’t have time to sit down (hence the mug in his hands.) Man is probably running late already and only now waking the boys up because he realizes they’re A. still in his house. And B. not off to school yet and he needs to get going too.

He has a moment like this in multiple episodes where his impatience and incapability of dealing with a situation in front of him causes him to physically drag Stiles away and using too much force to do it. Though judging by Stiles’s reactions, and the way he relaxes after being grabbed, the sheriff seems to realize how hard he is grabbing and eases up every single time.

And that seems like a little detail, but not knowing your own strength is also a thing that can correspond with ADHD. (Though it can occur in NT people and other conditions as well. Or generally, be caused by anger.) But for the sake of this essay or meta, I will attribute it to Noah having ADHD.

In 3x09 Stiles finally clues him in on what’s happening in Beacon Hills and we can clearly see that he’s struggling to process everything. One could attribute that purely to;

1. Noah is trying to come to terms that supernatural creatures are real and this would be a lot for anyone to process. Which is a fair and a totally valid assumption.

2. However, we see signs of Noah already starting to believe something is up from the very beginning. There’s always been a side to the sheriff where he was willing to believe or give people the benefit of the doubt when it came to the supernatural. Like in 3x03 when he tells his deputy: “She saw something.”

This leads me to believe that the real matter at hand is that Noah simply can’t process all that information at that time and he needs a few days to think it over in order to do so. Which could be a sign of a processing problem due to ADHD. (Although as I have pointed out, it could also be interpreted as an NT just getting a lot of crazy information at once. Take it as you will.)

In 3x07 Stiles and Scott argue over whether or not to tell Noah what’s going on with the sacrifices. Stiles points out that they shouldn’t because his father is completely overwhelmed.

This can be attributed to several things and interpreted in different ways. Let’s lay down the most obvious one; the sheriff has no idea what’s going on, he has the FBI on his case, and multiple murders on his hands and essentially a serial killer. All of these on their own are enough to be overwhelmed by, yes.

I choose to interpret it as a combination of all of these factors combined with an inability to process this much information or information in general. Which is another symptom of ADHD-I.

We also hear him frequently telling Stiles and the other kids to ‘go home, get to class, go to school.’ Basically what he’s doing in moments like this is 1. looking out for them. 2. Unable to cope and process with all the information he’s been giving during that time and instead of lashing out at the kids, he tries a coping mechanism that’s called divert or redirect. Where you try to redirect people/thoughts/object into a direction or thought process that’s far more manageable to you.

Which is something that I’ve been taught to do myself in therapy. And that is why I think it’s something Noah has been taught to do as well. Either in the Army/Police Academy. or during therapy sessions.

Now, this is what I like to call Noah’s; I’m trying to process what you’re trying to tell me face. And so far, I’m keeping up. You see the pursed lips, the frown on his face, the slightly squinted eyes. He’s focusing on what Stiles is trying to tell him.

Here he is looking away for a second, processing, trying to manage information. We see him frown further, his lip tensing further, he has to try harder.

He’s processing, processing, he blinks. And then this is the face he pulls right after the blink.

The frown has deepened, he's still following Stiles for now but you can see he’s starting to lose the train of thought here.

Stiles keeps explaining, pulls out the chessboard to explain what is going on.

And Noah has completely lost his train of thought. He has no idea what Stiles is saying to him anymore and no way to process all of the information that Stiles is giving him after this moment. He gets impatient, is annoyed at the things Stiles is telling him. That is because he’s emotionally, and physically overwhelmed.

He deals with a lot of things in his job and he always seems utterly exhausted because of it. I think that is because his job is exhausting. But I also think it has to do with Noah not being able to filter sounds, stimuli, the inability to process things like an NT. I think Noah suffers from a high level of empathy, this combined with sensory processing issues results in someone who’s constantly trying to filter them out and failing. Resulting in chronic fatigue, turning to other means of dealing (Alcoholism), impatience, etc.

He also seems to have trouble regulating his emotions, as we see with his frequent snaps and jabs at Stiles but he also seems to try and be better about it and regret it when he does snap. We also know that in order to numb his pain and his emotions Noah turned to Alcohol to cope, as sad as it is, this is common in people with ADHD. Who often turn to substances to cope with their symptoms and their inability to regulate themselves, anything to numb all the feelings and their own shortcomings. Noah seems to have fallen into that trap too.

I think my favorite moment in this scene comes right after with this face:

And the question of; “Why is Jackson the Kanima?”

Which tells me a few things.

1. After everything, that’s the first question he truly asks as he leans back and tries to process things.

2. This may point to an inability to prioritize tasks/thoughts, which is another symptom of ADHD-I. Which for Noah seems to occur when he’s not on the job or with people he trusts and doesn’t have to mask for. (He does this too when he asks Derek at the station; “But if he doesn’t have a mouth, how does he eat?”) Suggesting that this is a more regular occurrence than we see on the show.

And at this point, I can no longer concentrate on this since I’ve lost my hyper-focus. But I think I managed to compile a pretty decent list.

And that is why I think Noah Stilinski is Bisexual and has ADHD.

Tagging: @mostly-vo1d and @artemisa97 since they are usually involved in these things too. You don’t have to respond of course, but if you feel up to it, join in.

#noah stilinski #sheriff stilinski #teen wolf #teen wolf meta #headcanon #adhd #bisexual #ben says stuff #long post #answered #Anonymous #creativity he wrote

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sweetsmellosuccess · 5 years ago

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Sundance 2020: Day 4

Number of Films: 5 Best Film of the Day: Bloody Noses, Empty Pockets

Promising Young Woman: It would certainly make sense that the world would be ready (and awaiting) a revenge thriller in the #metoo era. Unfortunately, this peculiar mish-mash of a film has far too many abrupt tonal shifts — more like a fly zipping around an outdoor picnic — to keep itself together. Carey Mulligan plays Cassandra, a young woman with a traumatic past, who seeks revenge against piggish men by posing as black-out drunk at clubs, going home with one hoping to score, only to turn the tables on them when given the chance. What she actually does to them is strangely vague (in the film’s opening sequence she dispatches Adam Brody’s character in a way that leaves blood spatters on her blouse — but we find out later he’s apparently fine), as is her exact motive, for a time. More confusingly, writer/director Emerald Finnel veers wildly in tone from one moment to the next: One minute, it’s a sweet romantic comedy; the next, a dramatic revenge thriller; before shifting to an archly satiric social commentary, all jumbled up into an unwieldy collage. In one crucial, dramatic scene, a character admits to her wrongdoing, but does so in a living room so notably gouache, with pink carpeting and frilly furniture, the characters actually acknowledge the weirdness of the setting to one another. The plot, which involves several unlikely convolutions, too often works against itself, all the way to a supremely unbelievable (if satisfying) ending. Milligan is strong, and the chemistry she shares with Bo Burnham, as a potential real love interest, is sparkly, but its tonal ambiguity eventually does it in.

Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets: Filming the last day and night of a dingy, hole-in-the-wall bar in Las Vegas, the Brothers Moss imbibe their neo-doc appropriately enough with a distinct ‘70s vibe, in keeping with both many of the clientele themselves, some of whom display a post-hippie vibe, and the concept itself, which plays like something out of Cassavettes joint. We start at the beginning of the day, as Michael, the bar’s chief barfly, is woken up from the counter, goes to shave in the bathroom, and again takes his customary seat at the bar. For the day shift, he’s being served by the genial bear of a bartender, who has a surprisingly good singing voice on those occasions where he is inspired to pick up his guitar and croon. Shortly thereafter, Michael is joined by a bevy of the other regulars, including Pete, a sweet-faced man with a long pony-tail and many stories of past relationships; John, a large Aussie, who bring a heavy, mysterious paper bag with him and tells the bartender to hide it for him. There’s also a former military grunt who gets mildly belligerent, a smattering of younger people who saunter in, and a host of others, at various levels of decay. As the day progresses, and the sweetly fierce Shay comes in to tend bar on the last night, the clients get more and more soused, and things turn drunkenly chaotic. Amidst numerous confessions, admissions, and exhortations off the clientele being “family,” a claim the saucy Michael instantly refutes (“we’re bar friends,” he says sternly, “not family”), the cameras capture the anarchic spirit of the place, even as it exposes the fissures in the nature of their relationships. Michael, the bar’s patron saint and conscience, seems to best crystallize this dichotomy: When he finally does shuffle off the next morning he does it with zero fanfare, as if no longer having to maintain the illusion that the place is anything other than a sad, dilapidated wreck, where patrons get to shut off their minds from whatever pains have driven them there.

The Nowhere Inn: Carrie Brownstein, of both Sleater-Kinney, and “Portlandia” fame, has a penchant for slightly oddball riffs; Anne Clarke, aka St. Vincent, is known for many things, none of them personal, details she protects vigorously. The “documentary” they have made together, along with director Bill Benz, then, is somewhat predictably a mash-up of concert footage (albeit limited), set-up scenes with Brownstein attempting and failing to make a doc of her own, and creative flights of fancy that half play like sketch comedy bits. It’s certainly interesting, concerning itself with issues of performative identity and audience expectation — including, naturally, the film audience — but I found myself less than enthralled with these various manipulations. I understand all documentaries, even ones that purport to be straightforward, are still formulations, but by the end of this one, not only have we not learned much new about the pair, it’s possible we know even less.

The Nest: It has been 12 long years since Sean Durkin has made a feature film. His debut, the brilliant Martha Marcy May Marlene, earned him richly deserved praise, so this was one of the films most anticipated by critics at the festival. He does not disappoint. The film is an exceedingly slow burn concerning wealthy commodities trader, Rory (Jude Law), his wife, Allison (Carrie Coon), a horse trainer, and their two children, as he moves them from a comfortable life in New York, to a huge English mansion outside London. Shrewd and successful, Rory is still moving too fast for his own good, a fact that puts tremendous strain on his familial relationships. Played as it is, a bit like a monsterless horror film — the actual horror being our own alienation from ourselves, as well as the people we love most — Durkin’s careful, precise filmmaking, and attention to character detail, really pays off in the later scenes. Law is brilliant, as per usual, and Coon is a bloody revelation. Ironically, it’s a film that the hyper, inattentive Rory wouldn’t have been able to sit through.

Downhill: Well, we knew this was coming the second this film, an American remake of the remarkable Ruben Ostlund helmed Force Majeure, was announced. Ostlund’s film, about a family on a ski trip in the Alps, where the hapless husband flees for his life when a controlled avalanche seems to head straight for them, deserting his wife and children in the process, is all about the subtle mechanics of interpersonal relationships, and the lies we are forced into believing about ourselves. This film, from comic team Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, eschews many of these delicate details to focus on a more broad comic premise. True to form, Farrell plays his character without genuine delusion — unlike the original, it’s clear to him from the start that he ran from his family, and doesn’t really try to believe otherwise — which makes his denial far less palpable. Meanwhile, they have added in various bits to generate enough plot momentum to carry through to the finish, some of which seem to counter the film’s very premise. There are some funny bits, and enough of the original is kept in place to keep it at least mildly provocative, but everyone is still vastly better off watching the original instead.

Tomorrow: A little bit of a mix-n-match type thing: We will likely begin with the comedy Palm Springs; then switch to horror for Amulet; and take in Assassins for a lighter day.

Into the frigid climes and rarefied thin air of the spectacular Utah Mountains, I've arrived in order to document some of the sense and senselessness of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Over the next week, armed with little more than a heavy parka and a bevy of blank reporter's notebooks, I'll endeavor to watch as many movies as I can and report my findings.

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theheartofpenelope · 5 years ago

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Simple Things : Chapter twelve

Excerpt - “I demand an appeal,” he muttered as he turned a corner. “You what?!” “Well, isn’t that what they do in your job?” Charlotte snapped her head back. Oh really? Trapped in a car. In traffic. No way for an escape. And he wants to plead his case. Fucking perfect. Tag list: @winterisakiller, @devikafernando, @scorpionchild81, @messy-insomniac-bookgirl, @smutsausage, @hiddlesbitch1 @noplacelikehome77 @wolfsmom1 @meh1217 @dina-bln @lilaeye39 @tinchentitri @fairlightswiftly @nonsensicalobsessions @wolfsmom1 @stmeiou @ink-and-starlight @givemecocoaa @profkmoriarty13 @nikkalia @massivelemon @lotus-eyedindiangoddess @argo-shila @emoietmoi @redfoxwritesstuff @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog @raining-litter @theoneanna @coppercorn-and-cauldron @turniptitaness @shadyskit @memoriesat30 @antyc67 @just-the-hiddles @sheris532 @marggot4 Author’s Notes/Warnings: tags will follow later on Anyway thank you in advance for feedback - would love to know what you think…Also on AO3 through this link Masterlist available through here Bonus: click here for the pinterest moodboard (always updated)

Chapter twelve Wednessday - A chance encounter in London

1. See

Charlotte politely followed the HR consultant as he escorted her into the sleek elevator. He was a middle-aged man who oozed self-confidence, he knew very well what he wanted and what he was looking for. He’d been quite rigid and resolute all throughout the meeting.

She had been a little surprised an HR manager was attending said lengthy meeting, but then again this wàs the Royal London Hospital and this might be a very strict protocol they had to live up to. Breaking it was no doubt sacrilegious in these parts of the country.

The executive directors of the Royal London Hospital had very clearly outlined their ‘vision’ for the hospital to Charlotte, requesting her take on things and requesting a well-documented legal counsel. Truth-be-told Charlotte had expected she was called in for this kind of professional advice. However she was not expecting that her response would be met the way it was…

As she politely but determinedly rejected some of their desiderata, some glances were exchanged on the other side of the table, a few nods and gestures went back and forth which Charlotte found utterly distracting. Where was their protocol now, she mused.

But all became clear when the meeting somehow, very openly, turned into a job-offer towards her. A very generous offer was instantly extended to her; and a temporary assignment to work out a new policy on end-of-life decisions in the Royal London Hospital. The fucking Royal Hospital, her mind has yelled out, the state-of-the-art hospital, globally recognized as a leader in pre-hospital and trauma care. Home to London's Air Ambulance and one of the capital's leading trauma and emergency care centres and hyper-acute stroke centres. And they wanted her…

Charlotte would be allowed to compile a multidisciplinary corps and an assistant would be appointed to her. The extent of the offer dizzied her, yet thrilled her at the same time. It was a dream come true. Well, more than that really…

Things were moving fast for her now. At least that’s how it felt for her. She started with only a handful seminars, but was now well-booked for the rest of the summer, with the occasional interview here and there. And now there was this offer on the table she could not quite wrap her mind around yet.

As she stepped into the elevator the HR manager kindly exchanged some more small talk with her. He seemed like an amiable man. With a smile he tapped the elevator buttons and started their descent down to the lobby.

No, never in her wildest dreams had Charlotte expected her road to lead her where it had so far. And this at only 36 years of age. This was wild. This went beyond her imagination. And Charlotte half expected to be woken up by the shrill tone of her alarm clock. She discreetly pinched her nails into her arm - just in case - but this was no dream apparently. The shrill alarm clock didn't sound, but the elevator did chyme and a monotone female voice announced the occupants they had reached the fourth floor, then the second floor and so on.

People trickled in and out the elevator and before she was good and well aware Charlotte had reached the ground floor. She smiled in agreement with the HR consultant as he thanked her for her time, which she countered with a thank you for having me. Ping-pong, as you go...

"And we'll be looking forward to hearing your decision," the HR consultant concluded their conversation, "and maybe I shouldn't say this, but we àre passionately hoping you'll be willing to work with us."

In her head Charlotte positively screamed fucking Royal London!, but in reality she smiled her best diplomatic smile. And while she shook his hand - firmly -, she politely answered she was absolutely honoured and would think the offer through.

Upon exiting the elevator on a pure adrenaline high, Charlotte inattentively bumped against a hurried nearby stranger who jogged out of an opposing elevator. Shaking the momentary lapse of concentration out of her head, she turned to the other party with a slightly surprised frown which swiftly morphed into a recognition, and then an awkward yet lukewarm smile.

"Charlotte?"

"Tom?"

2. See closer

3 days after Fringe. 3 nights after that night. 3 days and 3 nights without a single word. In either direction.

Charlotte’s heart thudded loudly and nervously in her chest. She was however oblivious whether this nervous spell was a good or a bad thing. Should she crawl under a rock and make herself scarce after exchanging the necessary small talk or should she act unaffected, like he was? Or should she take a breath, straighten her shoulders and ask for an answer in the hopes it could heal that awful gnawing feeling the aftermath of Edinburgh had left her with...

As she came round to a mute double (or was it triple?) take, she noted Tom seemed just as much out of his comfort zone as she was. And in a weird way it thrilled her. Karma. Suits him well. She could see him running his tongue over his lips before gently biting them shut. His hands fidgeted with the paperwork he held in his hand while he repeatedly re-adjusting his glasses.

Charlotte’s heartbeat however dropped some when she detected the variety of papers Tom had now safely tucked under his arm. So much papers after a doctor’s appointment, and that did not look good. At all. He didn’t look hurt. Was he sick? He seemed nervous, sweaty. He was silent, not at all like the Tom she’d come to know….

Her gaze got caught on the documents, but this point she couldn’t care less about that.

“Are - Are you alright?” Charlotte immediately questioned; she was worried. No point in denying this.

Her wall of defence had slipped and Tom could hear the concern in her voice inkling through. A small little frown came across her features. Only instantly, but he noticed nonetheless. And he thankfully concluded that perhaps she wasn’t yet hating him with the fire of a thousand suns…

"Yeah, no, I erm,” he stuttered, “I just had the obligatory medical check-up for a next project. But you?"

He was astounded though, for a woman who was most definitely not an actress she slid back into her defensive pose oh-so easily. A tall blank wall arose, that gave way to nothing or nobody. He swore he had caught a glimmer of relief into her eyes before though, but all sympathy had fled from her now.

“Good-good,” she replied with formal nod, “just - work.”

Tom took notice of how curt she suddenly acted. How could he not. But to Charlotte it was simply her only means as she desperately did not want to feel a single thing. Not those stupid-ass fireflies, not the inexplicable angry hurt, not the stomach drop. None of it. She wanted nothing more than to be cool and step over all of this matter-of-factly. Her gut swirled with bottled up questions and insecurities, but she would have none of that. Water under the bridge.

Get over it Daniëls. He sure has.

3. Believe

Charlotte slid into the leather seats of his fancy car. A fresh cool bottle of water clasped in her hands. He’d paid for it despite her vehement veto. He wouldn’t listen though. And now she was here, in his car, because he offered to drive her to the St. Pancras Station. She’d refused, replying she was taking the underground so he really shouldn’t bother. It was noon. Traffic would be a mess, etc. However she ended up giving in to this request - albeit reluctantly - because he was right on one thing; they needed to talk. Privately if possible and the hospital lobby was just no place to do just that.

But in spite of that, they did not exchange one word once inside the car. Tom pulled out of the underground parking with a silent ease. And emerging in the London streets and into the full sunlight, he reached out for his trusted sunglasses. Meanwhile the familiar scent of leather and some citrussy car perfume tempted Charlotte’s mind into a trip down memory lane, back to another night several weeks back in time. A night with equally nervous heart flutters, but for entirely different reasons.

He queued down the main road, while desperately trying to sort his thoughts before settling on a

“You’ve never answered me…”

Charlotte remained at a loss for words for a couple of seconds before huffing a vexed “honestly?!” and shaking her head in disbelief.

He could hear her as she exhaled loudly, seemingly trying to get her mind pulled back together again,

“With quite a delay I got your texts and,” a pause, “your voicemail.”

His eyes urged her on.

"You said - if memory serves me well, and it usually does - that you wished you'd said ‘goodbye’.” Charlotte paused, “forgive me but I thought that was how this worked for you."

"How what worked?"

"You didn't show up!!" She didn’t mean for her voice to go up in pitch and she furiously furrowed her brows to compensate for it, "I mean, it's all right, I was ….. naive I guess? Somewhere I knew I wouldn't see you again that night, but yet hoped for it. Against better judgement."

"Wha, wh- why would you expect I wouldn't show up?"

Charlotte lifted her chin and rested her head against the headrest while releasing a cold and hollow laugh, which he didn’t particularly cared for, "To-om!"

But he remained silent, a bit dumbfounded and clueless for what to say next. A car behind them honked, frustrated Tom had failed to acknowledge the light turning green and was still at a halt.

"You don't want to let anybody down, I understand," Charlotte muttered, "no need to..."

"Only I did," he interrupted, "I let you down, I let myself down. I’m just…”

“Just stop it,” Charlotte interjected as she shook her head in seeming defeat and looked at him wearily.

“You know, I hate it how you are making all of this around you?”

“I’m sorry,” he blinked twice, “come again?”

"Like it’s all your hurt feelings in the scale here. It drives me mad….” she huffed, “You know, I think or at least I hope we've established in the past that I'm not really the type of girl that just goes crawling into bed with someone on a whim?”

Charlotte gestured aggravatedly, “so excuse me if I'm a bit rough around the edges here, but I clearly heard you say ‘goodbye’ to me. So, what else would there be left for me to say? It didn't really feel like a message that allowed any type of answer…"

“So just,” she sighed, “let’s just call this for what this is or was. And move on?”

A pang went straight through his heart. He saw her turning away and looking through the window from the passenger seat at the building that passed her by. Good. He desperately needed a minute to himself to let her words sink in. He couldn’t quite grasp the fact that she would see him as this promiscuous playboy who just went sleeping around with whomever struck his fancy...

“I demand an appeal,” he muttered as he turned a corner.

“You what?!”

“Well, isn’t that what they do in your job?”

Charlotte snapped her head back. Oh really?

Trapped in a car. In traffic. No way for an escape. And he wants to plead his case. Fucking perfect.

“You know,” he argued more determined now, “you keep saying, ‘let’s call it what it is’. And then you do just that. And proceed to you turn your back on me. And it’s settled?” he questioned.

“But what about me? Do I at least get the chance to call it what it was for me?” he pressed on, “I do feel like you owe it to me to let me explain..."

"Owe it to you?" she frowned with a huff, hovering clearly unsettled.

"Yes, Charlotte,” he replied. Curt. To the point.

“And if you truly feel the way you say you do - I promise, I will not push this matter further. However I will not let you silence me before I have spoken my part.”

"I wanted to see you that night. But the crowd, .... and then some fans walked up and then there was this critic," he sighed in utter frustration and banged the steering wheel in sheer annoyance, "I am an idiot! I know I am. And I should have been more firm. I went about it all wrong. And for that I will be forever angry with myself."

“But,” he sighed, “I did want to see you and ... verify that the other night was not just a dream. I longed to see you. To hear you. To hold you and to kiss you goodnight. Not goodbye.” he shook his head in disbelief.

“And if I said that wrong on your voicemail then I apologize for it. All of it. I was tired. Impatient.”

Heartbroken

He held her gaze, “I am not thàt type of man you seem to want to take me for, I am not the type to sleep around. You must believe me on this one. I might not have the best track-record with you so far; I admit,” he added a bitter laugh, “but this is true. I promise you that."

She kept silent. This seemed like a good sign…

"But Charlotte, I called you and went straight to voicemail. To me, that was quite a clear message as well... No response is still a response, Charlotte,” he concluded.

"Have you spoken your peace, Tom?"

He replied to her with a silent surprised nod.

“Apparently,” she mumbled, “when you attach a cell-phone to a power bank it shuts off everything so it loads faster…”

“Of course,” he wrinkled his nose as he shrug his shoulders as if to convey her he did not see the point of this lesson, “that’s the way they work.”

Charlotte raised an eyebrow ironically, “well congrats to you but I didn’t know that.”

“What on earth?”

“In Edinburgh, a colleague of mine lent one to me… my battery was running low and … I didn’t want to miss any….” She furrowed her brows and looked down at the drink in between her hands. “I didn’t have a watch. My cell is … my clock, my calendar. It erm - it automatically put me in flight mode. I didn’t realize. And I’m sorry about that.”

He looked back at her with sympathy and nodded, “ok.”

She nodded with a kindhearted smile, “so, appeal granted. It’s good we talked. But, you don’t want this."

"Ouch," he chuckled and clutched his heart. "Well that stung. For a minute there I thought he came to an understanding here?"

"Don't miss my point," Charlotte slanted her head and looked at him with sympathy.

"And don't you miss mine,” he interrupted her, “because even though you believe you speak the truth, you are wrong."

"Am I?"

"So very wrong! Because, as it turns out, I do wànt this,” he gestured between them, “or at least a fair chance at this.”

But Charlotte only rolled her eyes and turned her gaze outwards again.

“My god! I swear there are pitbulls that are less tenacious than you!”

Charlotte grunted and looked down at the bottle in between her hands, before a stupid grin fell from her lips.

“I swear,” he shook his head, “so help me god.”

“And now she’s laughing… You’re putting me through hell here darling...”

“I’ve missed not talking to you,” he finally dared to confess, “And I so desperately wanted to reach out to you, only I … don’t know where you live, I didn’t know where you’d be? So,” he lingered, “I sent flowers to your firm.”

“Well congratulations to Luke,” Charlotte rolled her eyes.

“I tend to pick and send my own flowers, darling. I’m very precise about those things.”

She kept silent. Good.

Tom stared at the steering wheel before him,“Gladiolus, for strength of character, honor and conviction. And they needed to be white; the color of perfection, safety, purity and faith. Writing the accompanying card was an outright hell though because the odds were your colleagues might get it before you did.”

“That was you?” Charlotte reminisced a WhatsApp from her office depicting a gorgeous bouquet and demanding what she had said or done to deserve the honour of such a wonderful bouquet. They couldn’t make out the card though. It only mentioned one word, but the meaning of it was lost on everyone.

Until now.

“Maktub,” Charlotte whispered, to which he nodded.

‘Maktub.’ ‘It is written’.

A deep belief about destiny Paulo Coelho writes about in ‘the Alchemist’ where he captured it in just one word. Maktub. Everything is destined and written. How when and where has already been planned and we shall not get anxious about it. Just little patience and it will just come with time provided and the efforts needed.

She glanced up in his eyes that convey nothing but a clear bluegreen sincerity. She wanted to ask him to say that again, for good understanding. But he gladly repeated it on his own accord.

And there went her heart. In one thousand pieces, scattered all over the ground.

4. Achieve

He officially declared traffic was an absolute mess. It was barely noon and within 20 minutes he had barely made any significant progress towards Saint Pancras Station. Worriedly he inquired with Charlotte when her train was departing and when she quietly confessed “16:03” he dropped his chin to his chest and bit his lip trying to suppress a laugh.

“Can I propose lunch now?” he chuckled, to which she pleasantly nodded. That would be alright.

They agreed they would start over at lunch, wipe the slate clean. Talk. And reset.

Tom made a swift U-turn, sneaking into smaller streets. Homeward. He wanted to let out Bobby first, drop of his paperwork, leave his car. Charlotte wordlessly followed his path.

The chocolate brown Cocker Spaniël happily greeted his master as Tom set foot into his house. Charlotte followed quietly, awkwardly. Bobby sniffed her legs both suspiciously and curiously. When she crouched down and offered him the palms of her hands, he studied and snuffed them gratefully, ultimately giving them a little lick before ignoring her completely and favouring Tom over her.

Tom chuckled, “well, you’re accepted it seems.”

He clicked his tongue, guiding Bobby out into his backyard while Charlotte nervously waited around the living room. She wanted to go explore his bookshelf across the room. As she progressed down the room she admired the stupendously comfy-looking lounge chair and fought the urge to try it out herself. As she ran her fingertips over the fragments of paper that lay scattered around a reading table, her eyes fell upon an article with her name on it, post-its with scribblings on it. An email address, a phone number, some doodling, scratched out words. City names. As she picked up the interview curiously, a second one featuring her appeared underneath. Charlotte chuckled, had he really been trying to track her down?

A soft chuckle brought her back to reality. Tom stood against the door frame, smiling bashfully.

“Caught me red handed.”

But Charlotte could only look at him, rendered speechless.

“Wasn’t lying,” he reminded her, “wanted you. Want you. If you’ll have me.”

It turned out to be the most difficult question anybody had ever asked her.

Do I want this - Do I want to invest in this, whatever it is, potentially discovering it would be only a waste of her time.

Charlotte stood by her belief that notwithstanding their shared morals or values, their common interest or visions, they did remain so different on countless other things. Things that mattered just as much. And you did need some common ground to form a solid basis on which you can build your relationship. Without a solid base everything goes to waste. Hell, even with a solid base things could very well still go to waste. Her marriage was a perfect example of the latter.

On the other hand though... this was him. The man that slowly but surely had crawled under her skin. Attentive, interested, good hearted. And when she’d crumbled down in Germany he was there, while he didn’t really need to be there. Yet there he was, offering support when she had needed it most. He unknowingly found the smallest of cracks in the seemingly airtight seal around her heart and nestled himself inside. Gentleman-like, well dressed and with a good book. Ever patient. Trustworthy. Present. Shit.

Her stomach was in knots when she came to realise, that day, what her heart had known deep down a few days earlier; she could not walk away. Not from this man. But the future scared her nonetheless.

"But - we're as different as chalk and cheese,"

"Are we?"

She smiled, "we live out of our respective suitcases."

"For now," he corrected her.

"Yes, for now. But when I touch down after all this...."

"You'll still only be 2 hours away,"

"But..."

"I dare you," he grinned, feeling he was winning this battle.

"Brexit," Charlotte tried.

"Honestly, Brexit? Of all excuses you come up with, Brexit?"

"Well,..."

"I will gladly add some more pages to my passport. For you," he paused. “Come on darling, don’t hold back now,” he teased, “any objection you have, give it to me. I will gladly deny or overcome every single one.”

“To-om,” she slanted her head. He liked this ‘To-om’ better, when her voice was full of loving emotion again.

“Either you go at it with passion, or not at all,” he added.

“Permission to engage the enemy sir?” he chuckled.

Charlotte rewarded him with a lopsided smile. Momentarily banning all scary thoughts out of her head she gladly but carefully opted to open her heart and take the leap of faith. As petrifying as it felt. Her smile was all the persuasion Tom needed to walk the short distance between them. He stroked her dark brown tresses, admiring her soft feminine features and seeing if he’d remembered them correctly.

She closed her eyes when he slid his hand into her hair and slowly he leant in for a soft kiss. And another one. And another. Sweet and innocent, little testaments of adoration and longing. She ran a hand up from the nape of his neck and through his curls. She’d missed this, that much was true already. And she allowed herself to revell in this sudden rush of enamourment.

She felt his lips curve into a smile in between pecks.

“‘m getting better at this,” he whispered

“Hmm?”

“Third time's a charm. No interruptions here, only Bobby.”

“Nu-uh,” Charlotte breathed, “you’re still buying me lunch Hiddleston.”

Later that afternoon Charlotte lovingly petted Bobby's head before making her leave. Tom had signed up for ComiCon in Vienna, which coincided with her seminar. Only two more days and they would be together again. After sharing a loving last kiss, Charlotte stepped outside into an unsure yet thrilling future.

Tom had asked her to call him when she'd arrived home, claiming he'd only worry until he'd heard from her. He was so easy to love.

Two more days….

#tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston x ofc #simple-things

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smollandtoll · 6 years ago

Text

HC: Science TA Geno History Student Sid

The second these photos came out we were like IT’S TIME. So HERE. WE. GO:

Imagine a universe in which Sid and Geno are separated by a few more years but not enough for it to be weird and Sid is a history major/gym addict (we just can’t picture him without the lower body) who has put off his science requirements for his degree until the very last possible time to do them. So there he is, 21/22 with a bunch of 18y/o freshmen in first year chem, looking mildly confused three times a week in lecture with his biceps threatening to burst through his intramural hockey tees, carefully seated 2/3 of the way up the lecture hall for maximum anonymity.

Sid does not like science very much. At least, not advanced science; he has no need for it beyond understanding the theory and the basics. He has no burning need to know the world’s innermost workings, and he thinks stoichiometry should go die in a fire.

But he’s also not going to let his GPA suffer because of this stupid class. He has a hard time focusing because he has so many other MORE IMPORTANT things he could be doing with his time so he gets lost easily and feels like he’s floundering and it’s ridiculous and embarrassing.

So, like a good and diligent student he goes to the TA office hours with his last quiz, bracing himself for an hour with some bored grad-school chem major to try and get a handle on the last module before it’s too far into the semester to catch up, and immediately has to squint at the name Evgeni Malkin on the door. He’s not even sure how to pronounce that. Eff-Jenny? Eve Genie? Veg-inni? He knows enough to parse out that it’s Russian and he immediately flashes to a nerdy Russian stereotype playing chess in his office behind thick glasses and a really tragic knit sweater. Sid is prepared to have the WORST time with a hardcore nerd who probably thinks a BA jock like Sid shouldn’t even be in his class - LET ALONE the fact Sid doesn’t want to be there and doesn’t get it and really doesn’t care.

Geno doesn’t make much better of a first impression. BUT to be fair:

The smell in his shared office is vinegary from the eco-friendly cleaning solution that he used to clean up an unfortunate sour cream incident in his small ancient TA office microwave. And it’s also a little like BO because...well because he smells like BO because he hasn’t been home for more than 20 minutes in weeks working on a breakthrough in his thesis. And let’s be fair, all the tiny shitty basements TAs get shoved into smell a little funky. He can’t be blamed!

Re: the point of hasn’t been home in weeks, his clothes are thoroughly dirty, we’re talking food stains, ink stains, lab stains of who knows what that soaked through his labcoat and smeared on his shirt cuffs. Also the clothes he’s wearing are his warmest and most comfortable. Oversized university sweatshirt (he’s so cold always), beanie (covering up greasy hair), his glasses because he hasn’t had time to order new contacts, extra cardigan over the back of his chair for when it gets particularly drafty after dark.

There are a LOT of mugs, and cups, and takeout containers where there aren’t stacks of papers upon papers upon textbooks. Listen, office hours are boring and any time he can get for his thesis is welcome. Cleaning isn’t high on his list of things to do currently.

So anyway, imagine Geno highly sleep deprived (who needs sleep when you have CHEMISTRY), and probably lacking a nutritionally balanced meal and hopped up on caffeine looking up at the knock to his door and seeing the most beautiful man possibly EVER standing in the doorway. He looks wary and faintly disgusted, but he also looks like he smells good, and his hair is a little damp, like he’d just come from the gym or something.

Geno legitimately thinks he's starting to hallucinate beautiful men. But then Sid opens his mouth and Geno recoils because no cute angels actually sound like that, so he must be a student.

And then Sid's asking about his quiz and he's so DETERMINED AND BRIGHT but clearly hating chem and just trying to like STRONG-ARM IT INTO OBEYING HIM. And you know what, this Geno legitimately loves chemistry; the way it underpins all of nature and all of biology, the way you can add one thing to another and get something totally surprising seemingly out of nowhere, the way equations balance out so beautifully when you get them right - the way it’s a whole language that makes perfect and total sense, unlike the confusing jumble of English he’s been putting up with since he moved here for school. He DOES want to help students learn to understand it - to love it like he does, ideally.

Geno probably pulls the test closer for a look and faintly remembers Sid seeing him up close. In class he’d never looked like much, usually wearing a ball cap that kept his beautiful face in shadow and from 40ft away in an auditorium he looked like every other university freshman, not this stacked slice of yum (on second thought, judging by the quality of his internal monologue, Geno is starting to think maybe he really does need to get some sleep).

Looking at the quiz is a little painful in some places though. Geno points out that Sid’s not dumb, but he’s careless with his work.

"This inattentiveness kill you in lab."

"I don't like science, I don't particularly want to be here, but I need this requirement and I'm not going to fly by with a C and let it tank my GPA. SO. we're going over every single one of these quiz questions."

"...You got most right though."

"Still, I could hear a repeat of the concepts, cramming doesn’t help anyone.”

So Sid sits gingerly in the moth-eaten chair in the cramped office while Geno (greasy, owlish with lack of sleep, a little too enthusiastic) tries to impress upon him the BEAUTY of Chemistry and Sid tries to dedicate himself to remembering anything at all while his brain keeps reflexively blanking out every time Geno mentions equilibriums. He’s doing better one on one, but he knew that, he always did better with a focused point for his attention.

Anyway so Sid walks out thinking the TA is like kind of a Russian Science Gremlin Nerd who chats on forums and has never eaten anything other than cheetos (judging by the contents of the wastebasket by the door). And Geno watches the door close probably thinking someone who wears as much athleisure wear and is as jacked as Sid, not to mention was only 70% successful in hiding his general disdain for THE GLORY OF STOICH, is kind of a meathead.

But Sid learned some things and Geno’s a patient if slightly judgy teacher, and Geno knows not everyone can truly understand his love of chem, so they both come out with not...100% accurate impressions of each other, but with a kind of alliance? An understanding? The usual academic relationship you might have with a TA. They're both students, the difference being one gives a shit about the topic and grades the other one’s work. Sid checks in a couple more times with questions and Geno clears up some desk space to help out if he can.

SO THEN. The semester ends, Sid passes chem, Geno gives him a high five when he hands back his final exam, which has a sticker of a cat with pom-poms saying PURR-FECT on it. Geno loves weird animal stickers (Geno is the weirdest person Sid has ever met maybe).

The next time Geno sees Sid is in the library of all places. Geno would have never thought Sid would be caught dead in a uni library. Like that doesn’t actually make sense the more he thinks about it, but it’s true, he thought maybe Sid’s intensity about his GPA was sport-team related. But here he is stationed at a carrel that is just covered in organized stacks of books, meticulous notes, colour coded even! Sid is hyper-focused on what he’s doing, flipping through a book with one hand and jotting down notes with the other.

Geno: Oh shit I'm getting a competence boner, SID IS REALLY SMART OH NO, HE’S SO ORGANIZED AND DEDICATED. LOOK AT ALL THE TABS IN THAT TEXTBOOK.

He’s beautiful and brilliant RIP G. So then Geno kind of low-key follows Sid's academic career - sees/stalks/stares in the library if he has occasion to be there (SID IS THERE SO OFTEN OH NO), immediately ducking between a couple of shelves whenever Sid looks up or stretches. He finds too many reasons to hang out in the Russian history section, probably bothering Ovi who is actually taking history courses and has a reason to be there and actually knows Sid, much to his disgust with Zhenya when he finds out what’s happening (why not a good Russian history undergrad Zhenya??). Geno has studying to do too! The library is an ideal place to study! What’s that you say, the whole catalogue is even easier to navigate digitally? Shush, you.

The next time Sid sees Geno after the semester ends is in the biggest campus gym. One time he was running on the track for a cool-down and saw Geno swimming in the lane pool below through the windows.

Initially Sid was like "good for him, he doesn't go outside enough, lil russian potted plant/cheeto gremlin."

And then Geno grabs hold of the side of the pool and lifts himself out and Sid almost runs off the track, stumbling hard. Geno doesn't have the soft and furry pale body that Sid was expecting - he's all clean angles with an even tan and the shoulder-to-waist ratio OF A DORITO. He looks insanely long and lean, just legs for days. Sid tries to recollect if he’d ever seen Geno standing before and honestly can’t remember. But watching him wiping the water out of his eyes and walk over to joke and laugh with the lifeguard on her stand, he has to be over six feet, EASILY. He just looked so small hunched in his little office in his sweaters! His face is so angular without the glasses!

So then Sid kind of gets just as creepy as G is in the library and figures out when Geno frequents the gym and starts attending at the same time to creep. The track is raised! It overlooks the pool and he’s a frequent runner! It goes on like that for some time, some mutual creeping in the way you do when you’re on a campus with 20,000 (or w/e) people and you see a familiar face but it would be weird to say hi and so you just keep going about your day/occasionally creeping as one does.

It all comes to a head fortunately one Friday night in late January. Sid gets knocked on his ass yet again at the campus pub one night when he finds out that G doesn't always dress like a soviet grandpa or a mostly-nude glistening adonis. He’s all legs a mile long in jeans laughing with his Russian TA bros, gold chains and a bright graphic tee. He looks so at ease in his clothing the way that Sid never does, because Sid is so sold, blocky, muscular - he always looks like he's 5 seconds from hulking out in his clothing or like he's swimming in his dad's suit, there's no medium. The best he can usually manage is looking like he works in a sporting goods store with an unflattering polo shirt and some track pants. And here’s Geno all handsome and tall and easy confidence with his friends, and Sid KNOWS he’s brilliant too, like this is a disaster.

Meanwhile Geno is IN LOVE with how Sid always looks like he’s going to bust out of whatever he’s wearing but this is just because Sid is still young and hasn't grown into his face/lost some childhood fat and like learned how sleek he can look in well-tailored clothing.

(Brief moment of silent thanks for his current tailor)

G probably sees Sid at the bar as well, looking flushed pink from his drink and giggling atrociously/attractively with his friends. His lips are bright pink and the flush looks so good on those cheekbones and someone’s obviously convinced him to ditch the athleisure and dress like a normal guy for the night. And if Sid is old enough to get into the bar that's not creepy right? They're no longer teacher/student and Sid looks so so so pretty. Geno might be a little drunk and narrating all of this to a very unimpressed Gonch.

(Gonch is a PHD student who is like taking 800 years to do his work because like he's also working a day job because he has a wife and kids)

There are some glances back and forth for a bit, and eventually they can both tell the other is looking looking. Geno is just tipsy enough he plucks up the courage to go over to Sid. And Sid, seeing him approaching, catching his eye, distances himself from his history nerd friends (WE’RE LOOKING AT YOU JACK JOHNSON).

So they meet up in a little nook along the bar, and exchange smiles/greetings (Sid looking up, up, up at him and feeling his flush getting DEEPER). And then the awkwardness sets in HARD. The problem being it's kind of loud in the bar, because they always are, and Sid has trouble with accents most of the time and so does Geno, plus they've both had a few beers.

They end up 100% not understanding anything the other is saying and doing that weird smile-and-nod but not-knowing-what-to-say thing that keeps your convos stilted and awkward with a few “SORRY?”s thrown in for good measure.

They’re still both a little blushy and a little mortified about not understanding. Geno feels like he understood more the first day he came to America he's like "How have I regressed to literally zero English. I don’t remember ANY ENGLISH WORDS."

Meanwhile Sid has realized they can’t really understand each other and the beer has loosened his lips enough that he’s taking advantage of the situation and blurting a lot of awkward stuff he’s way too embarrassed to actually say.

Unfortunately there’s one of those LULLS in the bar where everyone stops talking and the music is between songs and Sid just yells "I DIDN'T REALIZE YOU WERE HOT AT FIRST."

Cue an few cackles from the wings and Sid’s instant mortification. Geno’s face is doing something between fighting a smirk of amusement and being confused/concerned.

Mostly Geno realizes that this is going to spiral out of control very quickly and tugs Sid’s elbow until they’re stepping outside together in the freezing night where their shouts will actually reach each other’s ears.

Basically they end up in a Denny’s at 2 am blushing at each other. Geno getting his flirt on, because once he feels like Sid’s into him he is all confident body language and jokes, getting into Sid’s personal space with his impossibly long limbs. Sid relaxes into being kinda snarky and snide, but so quick-witted and kind, the side of him that Geno had only briefly glimpsed during their office hour conversations. And that’s all it really takes, because they both are the type to go for what they want, and the interest is clearly mutual, and it turns out they already know a bit too much about each other’s schedules and they just make it work in the best ways.

They quickly turn into THAT COUPLE that makes all their friends roll their eyes, and Geno never stops chirping Sid for “I didn’t think you were hot at first.” both in front of other people and while Sid is trying desperately to wrestle G’s jeans off (“oh, I’m hot enough now, Sid?” “shut UP Geno and lift up your hips!!”).

Of course being the academic doorknobs they are, neither of them realize that this is an everlasting permanent kind of love, a LEGIT COLLEGE SWEETHEART KIND OF LOVE until like Sid meal preps Geno's entire week without asking whenever he knows that there's a big assignment coming up and he's never gonna get out of the lab, so he like keeps eating vegetables and not just cheetos and potato-based dishes.

Geno adopts all Sid's weird little rituals in his spaces because he respects that Sid has a system and is serious about his studies and has witnessed the meltdowns that can occur when too big a wrench gets thrown into Sid’s day. He never bothers Sid while he’s studying, but working out a system to ask unobtrusively if he wants a snack.

Geno willingly gets pranked by Flower because there’s HAZING when it comes to roommate’s significant others showering in their bathroom.

Sid has an intimidating family dinner with the Gonchars he was in no way prepared for, but gamely shows up with a bottle of wine and a button down shirt that is still creased from the packaging.

By the time Geno is cheering in the crowd at Sid’s graduation they’re maybe getting an inkling what their future looks like, full of too many bookshelves, messy stacks of papers and notebooks, missed anniversaries for papers and research but made up with good sex and take out, lumpy knit sweaters over the backs of chairs and ugly but charming antique furniture. Full of each other.

#sid/geno #sidgeno #hockey RPF #headcanons from the icy void #disclaimer: smollandtoll are unaware of the status of geno's relationship to cheetos

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issa-anderson-blog · 6 years ago

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Have you met [ ISSA ANDERSON ]? [ SHE ] is a [ 25 ] year old [ AUTHOR ] who resides in [ PARK SLOPE ]. I’ve heard that they are said to be [ SPONTANEOUS & CREATIVE ], but can also be [ IRRATIONAL & FLIGHTY ]. [ emma, 25, she/her, est ]

BASIC INFORMATION

FULL NAME: Issa Carter Anderson

DATE OF BIRTH: June 17th, 1993

AGE: 25

ZODIAC SIGN: Gemini

OCCUPATION: Author

HOMETOWN: Boston, MA

CURRENT RESIDENCE: Brooklyn, NY

PERSONALITY

MBTI TYPE: ENFP

LABEL: The Author

POSITIVE TRAITS: Friendly, Spontaneous, Genuine, Creative, Exuberant

NEGATIVE TRAITS: Flighty, Irresponsible, Hyper Self-Critical, Irrational, Petty

GOALS/DESIRES: Be a successful author. That’s the end-all be-all for her.

FEARS: Failure, Rejection

HOBBIES: Reading, Writing, Broadway Shows, Napping, Mild Breaking and Entering

HABITS: Buys every edition of The Great Gatbsy she can find, constantly snacking, bites her nails, mid-day naptime

SMOKES?: Never

DRINKS?: Occasionally

DRUGS?: Occasionally

EDUCATION

BASIC EDUCATION: Secondary/High School was in the best private school her mother’s name could get her, both in Boston and then several boarding schools

COLLEGE EDUCATION: Majored in Creative Writing and minored in Comparative Literature at NYU, class of 2015

DEGREE(S): BA in Creative Writing

FAMILY

SOCIAL CLASS: Upper-class

FATHER: Jimmy Anderson (birth father) - Left when she was 4 years old.Anthony Grimes (stepfather) - 54 years old. General Surgeon at MassGen

MOTHER: Laura Anderson Grimes (birth mother) - 50 years old. Cardio-thoracic Surgeon at MassGen

SIBLING(S):None that she knows of, 1 half-sister from her MIA father that she has never met and has no idea that she even exists

CHILDREN: None

PET(S): Two dogs, named Holly and Gatbsy

Issa Anderson, wanting to be an author for as long as she could remember, had always taken the saying ‘do it for the story’ a bit too seriously. The girl had grown up a daredevil, doing anything just to try it, to take in the experience and file it in her mind for later use. That is, when she wasn’t burying her nose in books. Issa grew up in Boston with her mother, in a decidedly upper middle-class lifestyle. Her father ran off when she was 3 years old, and that had been one of the defining factor in her life pretty much since. Her mother was inattentive, not wanting to be reminded of the man who left her, and as such, Issa had the ability to do whatever she liked, which wasn’t always a good thing. Issa didn’t have a father, even though her mother quickly remarried and got on with her life. She often felt like she was growing up alone, and her independence grew stronger and stronger from that feeling. She didn’t need anyone.

Spontaneity and adventure might as well have been Issa’s middle names. Growing up burying her nose in books and getting adventure that way, as she got older, she decided to start making her own stories. She had run off, she had gotten hurt, she had been brought home by the cops. It was lucky she was so charming, or else Issa would’ve gotten in serious trouble. But a quick flash of her smile could let her get away with pretty much anything, as she had learned right around the age of 12 or 13, when her mischievous nature started coming out in full effect. At her core, Issa was a kind, loving person. She was constantly happy, bubbly, and was a bright spot in many people’s days. Her sass was admirable and she could flirt a brick wall into buying her a drink. It was a facade in many ways though. Not that she’d ever admit that. While those qualities were all very much a part of her, they also helped her hide the part of her that constantly felt unwanted - that felt unlovable.

There was little in life Issa wanted to do besides write. She wanted nothing more than to write something that would mean something to someone. Make them feel loved, comforted, happy, whatever emotion they needed when it wasn’t quite provided in real life. Do what books had done for her when she was younger and desperately wondering why she didn’t have a real father, why her mother didn’t seem to want her. At the end of the day, she had found her happiness in books. She had lived a thousand lives through writing and gone on every adventure in the world. When her own life had gotten to be too much, or she just couldn’t quite come up with a plan, a book would take her away. And Issa wanted to be able to do that for someone else. In fact, it was all she wanted.

After deciding to attend college in New York, and spending four years there, Issa decided to stay. After all, there was Noah - her boyfriend of almost three years. She graduated with, astonishingly, great grades, and started working at a coffee shop while working on her writing. She had always been talented, and she already had so much from her years in high school and college, that a few months after she graduated, her debut novel was published, to her surprise. Sure, it was all she had ever wanted, but the big things, the important things, she wanted going her way actually going her way was still a shock to her. It seemed like a trick. The press, the interviews, and the pressure to right a successful follow up were all weighing on her. Not to mention, her mother was less than thrilled that she actually wanted to pursue this writing thing. All in all, since graduating, the pressure on her had only grown, and Issa was doing everything she could to keep it at bay.

#brooklyn.intro #about

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ofjaim · 3 years ago

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Name: Jai Reginald Mitchell Age: 27 Birthday: August 3rd Zodiac: Leo Gender/Pronouns: genderfluid / he & they Hometown: Quebec, CA Length of time in Seattle: 14 years Occupation: Street Musician / Bartender @ The Penthouse

(+) cunning, hard working, charismatic

(-) hyper-sensitive, pessimistic, inattentive

A B O U T [ drug/alcohol use tw, dead tw ]

His father insisted on calling him like his own father, his mother simply wanted something culturally relevant to their own roots. Jai has to be grateful for that one, or he would be Reginald Mitchell, with no option to hide behind Jai, which means victory... or victorious, like his mother was when it came to the battle for the first name. But Jai likes to say it's just like the Pussycat Dolls song.

He was born in Quebec, Canada to an Indian immigrant mother, and a very English father, who happened to be... his mother's boss. Her pregnancy was a surprise, but one that was seemingly happily welcomed by the two of them, who quickly tied the knot before her belly would even show. When Jai was born, he was a very well loved child, who got lots of care and attention- at least from his mother. His father was a very busy man who more often than not didn't even come home at nights, went on long trips and barely answered the phone. It made Jai very upset, which is why, when he was about nine, he decided to jump on his bike and sneakily follow his father to work. Except he didn't go to work. He drove to another neighborhood, to a different house, and when he knocked at the door, another woman kissed him in the mouth after she opened. Jai was not sure if he understood what was happening, but it pained him the most to see another child about his age calling him dad, receiving hugs he never got, and terms of endearment he only heard in movies.

Jai didn't say anything, but everything changed for him starting there. His attitude became more reckless, school didn't matter anymore, and even the way he talked to others shifted entirely. And either way, it was not long before the truth came out and his mother found out. They took a week to pack up all their stuff and leave the home they shared with his father. Jai couldn't say he was unhappy to be moving- he wanted to be as far away from his father and this other family he loved the most. But when the road trip went from a couple hours, to an overnight and even longer trip, Jai started to get concerned. The border with the United States had been left behind a while back- he had thought New York would be their new home- he had always dreamed of it, but when he read a sign that said Welcome to Seattle- well... his dreams of the big apple had been left miles and miles back.

His father had forced his mother to sign some sort of prenup agreement before they got married, where she agreed to leave with nothing of his property, only what she had made, so it was not like they had it easy when they first got to Seattle. Sure, he sent a check for Jai every couple months, but it was barely enough for food, rent and living expenses. Still, she did her best to give her son the best life she could give him, but by the age of thirteen, Jai knew he had to work his little butt off to help in the house as much as he could. Even if it was just to get his own stuff without having to see his mother spending endless nights counting money and hoping it would be enough.

Jai had always been a cunning little boy, smart as he could be- though school was not his forte. Street life came easy for him, so it didn't take long before he started getting money in illicit ways. He knew how to get money with a little smile, he was a talented actor, and a brilliant pick-pocketer. Soon enough he escalated to valuable objects like necklaces or bracelets that he would later pawn or sell just to get the money. Of course the street life came with other consequences- he had been barely fourteen the first time he smoke weed, and by then, he had been drunk at least a couple times. And Jai had liked it too much. He liked the freedom, the lightness of not being sober, so harder drugs started to pass through his fingers, and it was not long before those became a part of the business too.

His mother never found out. Or so Jai thought. She never said anything, even less when things got even more complicated when she fell ill. It started with blurry vision, and after what seemed a regular doctor check up, he was diagnosed with some weird disease that would slowly shut her body down, organ by organ. Her eyes were the first important issue, but after going blind, it only took a months before the illness took her away. they did not even have a name for it. It broke Jai down, of course. His mother was his entire life, he had taken care of her, and did everything for her for years, and now he was alone without a college career, or an occupation, or a complete education to fend for himself.

Music became his one and only love from then on, which is what leads him to be a street musician in the busy and touristic streets of the city. It's definitely not enough, but Jai is no stranger to all kinds of odd jobs around town. He's been a mailman, he's been a barista, he's been a merchant, he's worked retail, and has a couple credits in porn, if he gets a chance to show off. He's done it all, and he has to say he has become

It's been about six years since his mother passed away and Jai is still struggling to get by. He gets as many jobs as he can, works in every corner with a position available, which led him to work as a bar tender in a high end strip club... it's a weird job, but he can't complain about being surrounded by beautiful naked people all the time. The drug business is... still going, although he tries to keep it to party drugs and weed- he's scared of selling the real hard things, but it feels like they control his life more than he can control it himself.

Despite being a mess of a human, Jai can say for himself that he was taught well. He's charming, kind, agreeable and says what he's thinking. He's a hard worker, and a very driven one that doesn't stop until he reaches a goal. He is highly sensitive, and will not stop himself from crying or yelling at people, sober or drunk. He's honest, and loyal as a man can be.

P E R S O N A L I T Y

He’s got a very extra personality and he’s not afraid to show it in his clothes, which not always he’s gotten the conventional way. He loves thrift shops, but he’s quite the cunning man and knows how to get around.

He’s a very, VERY, physical person. Very very sexual, truest pansexual character I’ve had. If he could have an orgy, he’d be like… this is the best day of my life. I’m sorry. That’s just facts.

He’s also very respectful though, and very into consent and being very attentive to the other person. It all stems from him having literally the best mom in the world who taught him well (for the most part).

Very sensitive too. He will cry with a song, a good book, any movie, specially cartoons. He’s not exactly afraid of that either, but opening up and trusting someone is definitely hard for him.

He’s too flirty, he’s never serious, but he’ll take your word for it if you offer something.

#about #intro #seattleintro

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thehavenmh · 6 years ago

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Diagnosed at 40 with ADHD

Disco D(x) M40 with BPD & ADHD

I’ve been going on a three month journey to confirm my Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. I’ve been actively trying to figure out why my mind is so chaotic, beyond some of the BPD behaviors. After months of scheduling a series of sessions to determine diagnostically that in addition to the big bad Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), I also had ADHD. I finally was diagnosed. I was validated. My brain was different. I had ADHD. That’s is the reason that for the past 20 years, I’ve failed to get a degree, throwing myself at college math, art, theatre, film, graphic design, art history, literature and writing courses. I’m often unable to even start work and often I drop the class after realizing I can’t perform up to my own exacting standards. This week my DBT team has prescribed me Adderall for the first time. I was born in 1977, and this is the first time I’ve ever been medicated for ADHD and thought some observations could be valuable.

My mind has always been pretty disorganized. It always seems like I need to spend way more energy than others to keep my mind on one task without spiraling into rumination. I’ve learned to compensate for my mind leaving at awkward times in a variety of ways. The most detrimental, and what I expect is the root cause of my BPD is that I use shame to try and regulate and control ADHD. I shame myself into some action or inaction or berate myself for my own inattentiveness. Feeding the voices of worthlessness to try to compensate for an erratic and unregulated mind. I’ve used a variety of self harm methods to try to control the ADHD, or more precise, the shame I felt from feeling broken and inadequate. I am hyper observant, extremely critical and am painfully aware of my own condition.

I like to visualize ADHD as a multiplying of thought. Like every sound in my mind can bounce against a wall and change losing or gaining in energy. My attention will wonder to people or interests rather than my job, school, family whatever. I was desperate to feel some relief. I have always covered up my dysregulation from ADHD, and later BPD, by trying to sound as knowledgeable as I can or if that’s not the right track to try to cover up my inattention and odd behavior through some kind of humor, or through painfully shy silence. I forget when I stopped being able to read for hours at a time but it was a huge loss. But even when I devoured books I would often skip paragraphs becoming board by too much description and not enough movement in the story or dialogue from the characters.

On Saturday I took Adderall for the first time. After taking the adderall I noticed a slight headache and some nausea that quickly passed. A difference started happening. I was anxious. I’m so hopeful for Adderall to be some sort of silver bullet. Slaying my mental health problems like the end of a werewolf movie. In this analogy like a film, after a couple of pills I could attempt to move on and process the horror that my mind experiences.

After a half hour I wondered if the 5 mg was enough or if my body wouldn’t tolerate the medication. I always have a bit of the imposter syndrome running through my head. What if I’m just lazy? What if they are wrong? Did I present myself accurately. I took my daughter to the park, after dropping of my son for a playdate and I noticed a difference. I started to feel calm. All the out of focus, kaleidoscopic of thoughts of my head decided to sharpen and line up and wait their turn.

The biggest change was the absence of restlessness. I could sit and observe my daughter playing and not feel the need to do anything or rush on to the next task. I was able, without effort to relax and watch my daughter play in the creek. We played their for about a half hour. Her rushing to one side of the bridge, washing her hands and then getting up and walking over to the other side. I was pretty content to observe and to feel the weather. I was still waiting for that mental health switch to flip to normal. I envisioned an anime montage, rigid carapace forms around me and I would turn into EFFECTIVE MAN master of my own ADHD brain.

I observed the little calm that haven’t been in my life. I found something I needed through the drugs something I was missing. But it wasn’t super powers, it was silencing the chaos, muting the troubled thoughts. Being able to stay on task for longer. In short, it was more sublime than overt. There wasn’t a big hit for me. I was a little nervous, felt panic and then calm.

The oddest point was in the evening saying goodnight to my brain. After 4 pm I’m not to have any pills to avoid sleeping problem. At about 8pm or 9pm I started to notice the calm leaving. The peace I had felt for hours was starting to leave. The thoughts in my head started bouncing around and confusing me again. I was witnessing a return to a tragic baseline. It felt sad to feel that calm and confidence leave me. I missed it. I was able to meet up with some friends and play games online later. Distraction and attention can get me through anything, and it was comforting to be around safe people online while my brain slowly started to split and fracture and become confused. I found it helpful for processing to share the experience, and resist the temptation to isolate and hide myself in shame and unworthiness. I’m done with those behaviors. They are not effective.

I have a lot of hope with this diagnosis. I’m hoping to become more dedicated to writing. Using some of the strange ways I’ve adapted to share how I see things. There is a power to being able to focus. It’s not a superpower, but it makes a significant difference.

ADHDisco

#adhd #diagnosed #40

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thehaggardlawfirm · 7 years ago

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The Nuts and Bolts of Negligent Security Cases

By: Michael Haggard (Bio) and Christopher Marlowe (Bio), The Haggard Law Firm

Negligent security cases are time consuming, very costly, require a hyper attention to detail, a team effort and knowledge of foreseeability, and in many cases criminal law and a ‘typical’ negligent security case does not and will not ever exist. Our firm has handled hundreds of these cases over the years and have obtained more than $400 million in results for our clients. We can most affirmatively say the immense challenges of these cases are outweighed by the results that can help bring justice to a victim or family that the criminal justice system may never be able to provide, while also changing the way a business or entire industry operates.

In a wrongful death car accident case, we all know to preserve evidence, request the relevant reports, statements and traffic homicide reports. We contact the witnesses tied to this particular moment in time, hound law enforcement and medical examiners to make sure we have all evidence tied to the incident, and begin working these pieces into the theory we hope will increase the probability of success at the end of the case. While this basic and incomplete framework is an important part of a negligent security case as well, it does not account for the historical analysis necessary to place the subject incident in the perspective necessary to appreciate which theory is best, and why.

Power of Foreseeability: $100 million verdict

Like any of the most complicated areas of practice there are multiple layers to consider when litigating a negligent security case. Foreseeability of the act in question, most often a crime, is the first element of the case to consider. For example, it is good to know whether a particular shooting or sexual assault occurred in the common area of an apartment complex, over which the owner or manager had exclusive control. It is important to know whether there is a history of any such activity upon the Premises, and in the areas adjacent or related thereto. There is a history of cases where the Plaintiff counsel assumes that because the crime does not appear to be a “hit” and because the crime on the property is “bad” that their case is a winner. Some of the most common arguments by defense council are tied to the character of the victim or because the area may have a high crime rate there isn’t much the property owner could have done to stop the incident that caused the death or harm of your client. In most states, neither argument has much merit because of the statutes that lay out the responsibility of the property owner to take reasonable measures to protect all guests, residents or customers on a commercial property from harm. In November 2007, we successfully obtained a $102.7 million verdict in a negligent security shooting case thought to be the largest verdict of its kind in the country. We represented a patron of an exotic dance club. Our client sat waiting in his car for his friend to return from retrieving his wallet when he was approached by an unknown person who attempted to rob him at gunpoint. The assailant shot our young client. The bullets rendered him a ventilator-dependent quadriplegic. The jury found that the strip mall where the club was located did not have sufficient security, as there was only one guard on duty. The strip mall’s ownership admitted they had never spent one dollar on security or safety despite the fact there were 26 violent crimes on the same property during the seven years prior to the shooting of our client. Video on Case

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Full Speed Investigation

Just as the homicide detective should be doing, the negligent security practitioner is on the scene canvassing for witnesses as soon as possible. These are not simply witnesses to the crime itself. The residents or employees at an apartment complex, the customers at a local mall, or motel guests or employees can speak to the history of the particular business in the days, months and years leading up to your client’s incident. While an easily accessible crime grid can help establish foreseeability, it is these witnesses that can bring the argument to life. One must be comfortable with the fact that even as you near trial, many questions surrounding the crime may never be known which makes these witnesses that are best cultivated in the early part of your investigation key elements to your case. Your investigation may also include research and prying into every resource at your disposal and available to you through both formal discovery and independent background research. There is no rest when examining the migration of tenants, guests and other visitors to the property, and searches for all relevant historical ties to the property, and to those who have worked at, lived, or visited it. A systematic inquiry, regardless of what the police reports for the property show (or don’t), will place the incident itself within a broader framework.

(Click to review Notable Negligent Security Cases)

Negligent Security and Crimes of Opportunity

But what about so many of those cases where you lack the luxury of relying upon a ream of police reports, disgruntled former employees, and former tenants who diligently memorialized their grievances in tidy emails ready for an exhibit sticker at a deposition? What happens, for example, when your examination of the facts does not fairly call for an increase in security patrols or heightened police presence? Too many practitioners fall into the trap that negligent security tragedies were caused, in whole or part, by an absence of sufficient security.

We recently obtained a $12 million verdict in a wrongful death case (Machado v. The Waves of Hialeah) against the owner/operator of a rent-by-the-hour motel in Hialeah, Florida. By all accounts, there had been no history of homicide or rape at the motel. The subject and the victim were strangers to each other, and at the time of her attack, the victim had a blood alcohol reading well above the legal limit for driving. The Defendant relied heavily on the absence of prior sexual batteries and murders or attempted murders, and argued that surveillance video showed a consensual sexual encounter gone tragically wrong. They further argued that even though they had no “real” prior crime, they did the responsible thing and provided a dedicated security guard to patrol the property. (News Coverage of Case)

Through discovery, and until the last day of trial, the defendant maintained laser focus on a paint-by- numbers defense to negligent security lawsuits. First, low crime. Second, a drunk victim. Third, a video arguably showing initial consent to sexual activity. Fourth, they had a security guard. Finally, the criminal who committed the act was so outrageously violent and demented, that no reasonable owner/manager should have foreseen that a person walking calmly around the premises would turn into a madman in the blink of an eye.

In preparation for trial, we closely examined all of the surveillance footage produced by the Defendant’s own CCTV systems. While there were several excerpts both sides used extensively, there were also very long, boring, and seemingly uneventful times where nothing appears to be happening. Staring at a tv screen watching a hallway, where the most interesting thing shows a man pushing a cart down a hallway, getting out a mop, and loading bath towels onto a cart is not exciting stuff – unless that man is actually the claimed security guard.

On cross examination at trial, the owner of the motel admitted he had never seen his security officer doing the kind of housekeeping shown in the video, which was taken at the same time our client was being beaten to death on the edge of the parking lot. After the 5-day trial, the jury returned its $12,000,000 verdict, and found no comparative fault upon the victim or anyone else, a point which meant far more to our clients than the financial result. Sometimes, a negligent security case can be as much about negligent management and inattention to critical details. Mismanagement can indeed create an inadequately secured environment, as was the case at The Waves. In other instances, as with the broad daylight murder of a Marine Corp veteran at an otherwise completely safe complex in Plantation whose widow we proudly represented, the failure can be on the defendant’s failure to actually read the background checks of one of its tenants, who harbored a dangerous relative. Nelson v. Greystar Management (Broward County). Just a few lines from a third party subpoena to the tenant screening provider in Texas took that case in a whole new direction, and saved a very difficult case from otherwise problematic foreseeability and preventability problems.

Many Paths to Justice

With negligent security cases, the avenues to a successful outcome are as varied as the clients and circumstances themselves. The path to ruin is equally diverse, and usually follows an evaluation and case strategy that presumes from the beginning that there is a simple formula to follow. The moving parts in any negligent security are so varied, so inherently human, and traditionally develop over such a protracted period of time, that treating the case as a simple snapshot in time will invariably either devalue the case or cause critical evidence to be either minimized or overlooked entirely.

Remember, negligent security cases are never just about “more security.”

Common Theme Among Negligent Security Cases - Christopher Marlowe, Trial Lawyer

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#law #negligentsecuritylawsuits #lawfirm #security #security expert #personal injury lawyer #personal injury lawyers #security lawyers #Florida #Florida Lawyer #Trial Lawyer #attorney #trial attorney #Florida Trial lawyer #advocate

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