#saying that i have autistic traits + symptoms

[midwestgender]

sometimes i feel like when i criticize people on the internet who over generalize autism/adhd symptoms and lead to mass self-dxing among teenagers i look like such a massive hypocrite bc i am a self-dxed autistic and so are all my close friends. but idk i feel like actually the main culprit is the adults who post misinformation and act like very innocuous symptoms are 'red flags' for needing clinical evaluation. understanding myself as autistic is just how i navigate the world and tbh because of the sense of shame over not having a clinical dx i don't tell anyone im autistic besides other autistics that i know well.

[technicolorxsn]

my mom just described something her autistic students do that I used to do all the time and I'm surprised she hasn't realized anything

[t4transsexual]

15 year old google psychologist on tiktok: you HAVE to be PROFESSIONALLY DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM or else youre a FAKER whos STEALING RESOURCES from ACTUAL PEOPLE WITH AUTISM

psychiatrist: you dont act autistic. ok well i guess you acted autistic as a kid but not now so clearly something changed. whats masking?

psychiatrist: you experience a lot of traits of autism but you made eye contact with me for a bit so you cant be autistic

psychiatrist: you cant be autistic because youre too smart

psychiatrist: well you experience profound symptoms of autism but your brothers already diagnosed with autism and thats not possible for you both to be

psychiatrist: ok you seem autistic however youre a teenage girl. have you considered you might have borderline personality disorder/bipolar disorder instead?

*also when you get diagnosed*

psychiatrist: i cant advocate for your disabling ptsd to the government, i can only do autism. yes i know your autism isnt the actual problem here but have you considered that youre just being autistic about it?

psychiatrist: i cant write a letter of recommendation for gender affirming care because youre autistic. yes i know you work a full time job and live independently but youre not capable of making these decisions

psychiatrist: *doesnt try to treat/talk about anything but the autism*

the 15 year old again: i know you SAID youre diagnosed with autism but i dont believe you because anyone can say that, so im going to continue to harrass you about it anyway

[flowersandmiel]

I love Smitten

The popular dislike for Smitten makes me believe I'm right with my take that annoying characters will always be hated more than any actual villains. And it's also probably (unconsciously) because of the fact that he displays so many autistic traits, autistic traits that many people have hated me for in real life. Like:

-Strong sense of justice (believes himself to be the good guy, the narrator the bad guy, and antagonise him so much he calls him villain) And takes those beliefs as justification to kill us in the Damsel.

-Strong positive feelings that are considered inappropriate (and are too, tbh. but he doesn't see that. I'm referring to his exaggerated love for the Princess despite having just met her)(I'd argue it's also projection, while i don't think it's a symptom of autism, I suffered from that a LOT growing up. I would often judge people by what I believed them to be, what I needed them to be, instead of what they were)

-Self-agressive reaction to big emotions (when the Princess rejects us in the damsel, we then get HEA, or when we the decider kill the damsel and Smitten kills us in return)

-Genuinely believing he knows better than others, and it fueling toxic behavior (HEA)

-Might seem like a stretch, but weird speech pattern. He uses many 'old' words, has exaggerated intonation/tone, and talks really loud

-Also I could argue that he's got some cognitive rigidity. Sure he doesn't seem to when he kills us, but that happens out of big emotions, like I said before. But wanting to stay forever in the same place, instead of facing the world, reality, and responsibilities shows some rigidity that Hero doesn't show, for example. Or with The Burned Grey, where despite all clues leading to the conclusion that the Princess is dead, Smitten refuses to consider that it might be true. He believes something, and struggle greatly to change that belief.

Also I'm not saying people aren't allowed to find Smitten annoying, or aren't allowed to dislike him. But I'd advise that you don't judge his character like you'd judge a real life person, he's a character, forced into a specific context, AND, he is the reflection of our actions. I actually think it's also a reason why many people don't like him, I've always taken him as a way to tease the Player for trusting the Princess so easily despite the clues implying there is something wrong with her in chap 1

Not sure what my point really was with all this other than I love Smitten, and I'm always confused to hear he is heavily disliked for HEA, when like. It's my favourite chapter!!! xD Because of the subtext, because of what it represents, because of what it warns you about!!! The whole point is that it's mostly boring, that's the fcking point!! It wasn't an accident, it was clearly what they intended when they wrote that chapter! It's literally telling you: You cannot stay inside forever, you cannot redo the same things over and over, you cannot stall forever, you have to face your responsibilities, you have to open your eyes when you're in the dark, and realise you can leave. You should leave.

Smitten is in denial, that's the point, and that's why I love him

[rambles-of-mental-illness]

May I complain for a moment.

My biggest pet peeve in psychology and the nd community is seeing every thing that falls under being neurodivergent labeled as “this is an autism thing”.

No. It’s not an autism thing. It’s an ADHD/Autism/OCD/C-PTSD/etc thing.

And it’s not like I don’t understand, it’s social signaling to try to find people like you. It’s saying “does anyone else with autism experience this” without saying it in that manner.

However.

It’s very frustrating to see things that are experienced over a wide spectrum of neurodiversity always watered down to “it’s autism”. And some of the things people like to say “this is an autism thing” are just things that are normal human experiences.

What it does is it waters down the meaning of autism until *everything* looks like autism, and perpetuates the idea that any neurodivergent behavior *has* to be autistic behavior. Which leads to people getting misdiagnosed, or self misdiagnosing.

“I struggle with social cues I must be autistic.”

NO. NO. YOU COULD HAVE OCD. YOU COULD HAVE ADHD. YOU COULD BE TRAUMATIZED. YOU COULD HAVE A PD. YOU COULD HAVE A DISSOCIATIVE OR PASSIVELY PSYCHOTIC DISORDER. NOT EVERYTHING IS AUTISM AND IF YOU JUST JUMP TO ITS AUTISM YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND YOURSELF AND YOU WILL GET THE WRONG TREATMENT AND THE WRONG CARE IF YOU TRY TO JUST LABEL EVERYTHING AS AUTISM

And then you will wonder why the symptom management doesn’t work. And you will think there’s something wrong with you when the wrong treatment doesn’t work for you. And all you’re doing is hurting yourself.

Not everything is autistic behavior. Not all neurodivergent behavior is autistic. I get so frustrated seeing normal neurodivergent behavior labeled as purely autistic traits.

And maybe this rubs me even worse because I got misdiagnosed with autism when I needed an adhd and ASPD diagnosis. And I couldn’t get the right care for years because of it. I had to give myself treatment for my ASPD and I’m still fucking struggling to manage it because I have *never* had the resources and I’m doing it from scratch all on my own. And I have NO fucking clue how to manage my ADHD, and I’ve never been able to manage my ADHD, and I can’t get medication to help my ADHD because I still don’t have an official diagnosis nor do I have the means to get one and this would have been solved YEARS AGO if it wasn’t all chalked up to “high functioning autism”.

There are other forms of neurodiversity than just the autism spectrum. The idea that all neurodivergent behavior is autistic behavior *hurts* people. And it’s so normalized to treat all neurodivergent behavior as purely autistic behavior that people who do not have autism at all or exhibit signs of it will see *one* trait that is a shared neurodivergent trait and seek treatment for autism because there isn’t any *breathing room* for other neurodiversities to exist in the media and in practiced psychology these days.

And it’s getting better. Slowly. But there are things we can change in our day to day speech and the way we talk about neurodivergent behaviors and traits to speed up that progress in recognition and support of neurodivergent disorders outside of just autism (and ADHD has this issue too to an extent but not nearly as severe as autism).

[meepmrop]

Hi guys!! Just a little PSA I feel the need to say, especially given how many people I see self diagnose with autism or ADHD

Please do your research. I'm serious. The media has downplayed both of these disorders to simply autism being passionate about something and ADHD as having a low attention span or being insanely hyper

These are just common traits. You can have traits of a disorder without actually having it. I repeat, you can have traits of something without actually having it.

All forms of neurodivergency (yes, autism/adhd aren't the only ones. Get it through your damn head.) are disabilities. It needs to disable you from being a fully functional human being. I understand there's people with low support needs, but this is directed towards the people who claim to have medium/high support needs.

A special interest isn't just someone you're insanely passionate about, it's a coping mechanism that can take over your life. I hate to admit that I have spent hundreds of dollars on useless things that have made me think of any of my special interests.

Hyperfixations are the same where they take over your entire thought process. For many, their hyperfixes come to mind even in situations it shouldn't. Some people have said that is happens during tests, essays, funerals even.

If you're 16 or older, I highly recommend that you take the RAADS-R test since it's widely accepted by many psychologists world wide. If you're under 16, I recommend you still take it and then take it again when you're 16 to see if you get the same score. I also highly recommend talking to people who are diagnosed and listing to them your symptoms. I have 3 friends who have been diagnosed tell me that I cover more than enough symptoms to qualify for a diagnosis.

Addition to this (because i got a bit of feedback): No online test will be completely reliable. I highly recommend keeping all of your symptoms somewhere to show a psychiatrist. The main reason I recommend the RAADS-R test is because you can download a PDF that shows not only your score but also your answer to all 80 questions. Psychiatrists are a lot more likely to believe you if you can give a list of your symptoms and how long they've been occurring. I keep a notebook for every time I show an autistic trait (since I struggle most with social situations as an autist, many of mine are moments where I can't tell apart the tone in what people say and I take things way too literally...)

Also, if you mask or used to mask, jotting down your experience with masking is important. Keeping a journal of how things affected you when masking, writing down how things affected you when you started to unmask. I started to mask (quite horribly...) when I was 13 and had a bunch of social norms shoved on me. Due to heavy burnout, I'm 17 now and don't mask anymore because I can't take it any longer. Since unmasking, I've noticed how much my autistic traits have hightened. It's like I've been bottling everything up for so long, and the river doesn't stop flowing.

Also, another thing to add on top of all of that, OCD isn't the same as being super neat either. Compulsive disorders like OCD are consuming. As someone with a compulsive disorder, in my experience, basically the thought does not leave your mind until you act out the thought. It's like having a huge pile of intrusive thoughts that only get bigger the longer you hold them back. It causes immense distress that will constantly bother you until something is done about it.

I also feel the need to point out some ableist language that has somehow become normalized.

1) using "narcissist" to describe someone who's egotistical and selfish. Also the term "narc abuse" to describe a pwrson with NPD traits who are abusive. Go talk to people with NPD. Go to blogs that educate on NPD. Seriously. You will find that NPD isn't just appearing selfish and egotistical. NPD (or any disorder for that matter) are inheritly abusive. I had to snap at one of my friends for calling her brother a narcissist when he's just a little asshole.

2) the terms "sociopath" and "psychopath". These terms have typically been used against people with ASPD/ASPD traits. My partner has ASPD and reclaimed the term "sociopath".

3) "yandere". There are many mixed feelings about this term in the BPD community, ranging from people saying they have no issue with it, some considering it a slur (key word: consider. It's not an actual slur, but some people consider it one. I've had some asshole harass me for saying this, and I don't want any more drama about it.) because it romanticizes the trait in BPD and OLD (Obsessive Love Disorder) of having unhealthy relationships, some saying the term gives them comfort because it describes their symptoms as someone with BPD (which would be like reclaiming the term). I personally fall under the group of people who consider it a slur, and I will be blocking people who use the term who aren't reclaiming it for their personal selves. I am heavily uncomfortable with the term and ask that anyone who uses the term on any character or person a big fat serious DNI.

4) "psychotic", "delusional" and "schizo". I hate that I feel the need to say this, but schizophrenia and psychosis are serious mental disorders. Can we stop using fucking mental disorders as insults or as some quirky label. I experience psychosis, and it has ruined my life. As a hellenic polytheist, I often struggle to tell the difference between psychosis or one of my deities talking to me. As a DID system, I sometimes struggle to tell the difference between psychosis and an alter talking to me. As an enjoyer of EPIC: The Musical, psychosis makes it hard to tell if we have a new fictive, if it's psychosis, or a deity.

If anyone would like to pitch in, I highly encourage it. I would also appreciate it if anyone could give us some blogs to tag that help educate people on disorders that are downplayed or aren't talked about enough.

I'm gonna tag my partner's blog @zerasocial if anyone wants to ask them about their experience with ASPD

[lett-them-eatt-cake]

Why I think Elvis may have been autistic

First of all, the reason why I am making this post is because @iloveelvis2 has asked for more insight into why I believe Elvis may have been autistic.

Disclaimer: I just want to start out by saying that I am not a doctor or a psychiatrist or any kind of professional. Nor am I definitively saying that Elvis was autistic. We cannot diagnose someone who is not here and who cannot speak for themselves. This post is purely based off of my own personal opinions, lived experiences, and things that I have read about Elvis' life and personality. I am autistic and I also grew up with an autistic sister and father, thus I am using my own lived experiences as a reference point. Remember that autism is a wide-ranging spectrum and can present itself differently in different people, with different symptoms. There is no one lived experience of autism.

This might be a complete mess, but now I am going to list some of the traits that Elvis displayed that leads me to believe he possibly could have been autistic. So here we go.

Stuttering: It is very common for autistic people to have some sort of speech impediment or stutter. We do know that Elvis suffered from having a stutter, especially when he was younger, but it was something he carried with him throughout his life. Elvis himself said in an interview in 1956 that he stuttered when he got excited and had a hard time saying words that started with the letters "w" and "i."

Maintaining a sense of safety, familiarity, and security: Autistic people usually don't like change. We tend to like familiarity and have repetitive behaviors. We don't like outside forces disrupting or coming into our little bubbles. Elvis was the same way. It is well known that Elvis was extremely shy growing up and had trouble making friends. When he got older and as he became famous, he made sure to surround himself with his own group of loyal friends, and quite literally created his own little world and bubble with the famous "Memphis Mafia." These guys gave Elvis a sense of security, safety, and familiarity amid the chaos of his fame. While they were very much needed to help Elvis and provide him with protection for obvious reasons, they also became his entire world. So much so that I have heard countless actors and actresses who worked on Elvis' movies say that it was hard to get to Elvis because his guys were always around him. It was clearly very hard for E to let new people into his life at times, just as it was hard for him to let go of some of the people in his circle who were using him. Autistic people tend to be manipulated easily and taken advantage of by others who see them as an easy target and in spite of it we still keep these people around because we don't like confrontation and don't want to mess with the bubbles we have created. And I think that is exactly what Elvis did in some ways with the Memphis Mafia and the Colonel. Even if he was being taken advantage of, he not only wanted to remain loyal to them, but I think he felt he also would have been lost without them and the transition would have been highly difficult for him.

Repetitive behaviors: This sort of falls hand in hand with number 2. Autistic people usually do not like change and will often develop repetitive behaviors as a way of comforting themselves. One way I can see Elvis having repetitive behaviors is in his eating habits. I have heard countless friends of Elvis talk about how he was not adventurous with his taste (which is common in a lot of autistic people) and that he mainly stuck to the same southern foods he always ate. Yes, this is in part because of how he was raised but he also appeared to have eating cycles. I believe it was Sonny West who talked about a certain food combination Elvis ate repeatedly while he was touring in 1956, and during the last couple years of his life, he claimed that Elvis started "eating like 56' again." Showing that Elvis clearly went through repetitive food cycles. Not only to mention those peanut butter and banana sandwiches he loved to eat that seemed to provide him with so much comfort. Elvis was also known to rewatch movies over and over again. So much so that he would memorize the script and could repeat the dialogue over. It was claimed that he watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail around 35 times and knew every line! He also repeatedly listened to the speeches of MLK Jr. and could recite them back.

Regulating emotions: Most autistic people have problems regulating their emotions and Elvis was clearly the same way. He was highly impulsive and all over the place. His friends and family have talked about how his emotions would swing up and down and if he was upset or mad, they would make sure to stay away from him. Elvis was also known to get upset and fire people, only to rehire them after he cooled back down again.

Sensory issues: A lot of autistic people have sensory issues (including myself, it is an absolute hell). Elvis clearly showed signs of having sensory issues. For example, we know that he hated the smell of fish so bad that he banned fish from Graceland. He also had to have his room and hotel rooms at a certain temperature, usually very cold. There are several instances of him leaving and changing hotels because his room was not as cold as he wanted it to be. He also had a sensitivity to light. But that one is probably due more to his glaucoma in his eyes. But he also had problems with certain textures in food and had to have his meals prepared a specific way in order for him to eat it. For example, he only wanted to eat bacon and eggs if they were practically burned to a crisp. He also ate other specific combinations of food that many people would normally find repulsive.

Sleeping: Like many autistic people, throughout his life, Elvis had problems sleeping. He used to take sleeping pills in order to sleep, and his sleep patterns were not normal, as he was very nocturnal. now this in part was due to his lifestyle, but a lot of autistic people are naturally very nocturnal.

Stimming: Autistic people usually need to stim or fidget to help calm their nerves. Elvis was the same way. He was always moving and fidgeting, and he even said that he took up smoking because it was something he could do with his hands because he couldn't keep still.

Anxiety and digestion: A lot of autistic people have really bad anxiety and thus many autistic people suffer with massive digestion issues. While there are a lot of various medical reasons that could be at play, it is well known that Elvis had problems with his digestion throughout his entire life.

Special interests: Autistic people are well known for having special interests. Things we are interested in that we tend to become obsessive over. We love to immerse ourselves in these special interests and Elvis was no different. Elvis had many different special interests. He loved reading, religion/the Bible, spirituality, karate, football, Captain Marvel Jr., and he even immersed himself in those worlds. He incorporated his love of karate into his performances, had some of his jumpsuits designed after his favorite comic superhero, Captain Marvel Jr., even used Captain Marvel Jr.'s lightning symbol as the symbol for his TCB logo. His friends also said that he always watched football on TV wearing a football helmet because he wanted an immersive experience.

Attention to detail and hyper focus: A lot of autistic people are known for their attention to detail and hyperfocus. Their ability to tune into something, especially if it's something they love. I think we can apply this to Elvis and his music. Yes, Elvis was passionate about music, but he also had an uncanny ability to be able to listen to music and know precisely just how to arrange it. I have heard several members of his friends and band mates talk about how, despite the fact that Elvis never learned how to read music, he had an ear for arranging the music and was so hyper focused that he could come up with amazing music arrangements on the spot. He was also known for learning entire songs after hearing them only once.

Final thoughts:

Wow that was way longer than I intended it to be! I hope it's not too much of a rambling mess. Anyway, those are just some of the reasons why I believe Elvis could have been autistic. There are more reasons I could list but this post would turn into a book, and I would need to do more research for that. I just want to close by restating that all of this is just my own personal opinion and that we cannot and should not diagnose people we don't personally know, especially famous people who are no longer alive. Whether or not Elvis was on the spectrum, we will never know for sure. But I hope this post gets you thinking about the ways we view autism in our society today and how our expectations of what autism looks and acts like has changed as time has gone on. The possibility of Elvis Presley, the "king of rock n roll" being autistic does a wonderful job of challenging societies definition of what it means to be autistic. There has been such a stigma around autism, but the thought that Elvis himself could have possibly been a member of our community brings me a sense of comfort.

[happyplapy]

What i'm about say is probably gonna be quite controversial to some, but i really want you to keep in mind that this is based on my own experience and belief only!! I am very well aware that Neurodivergency is very stigmatized and dehumanized, and in no way do i wanna feed into that for others! Again, just my experience

I'm gonna write a lot, just kinda to get my own thoughts and theories together, feel free to just scroll down to SHORT VERSION down below, basically a summary of some thing xd

I saw a lot of posts in the community, talking about the relation to being Neurodivergent and being Alterhuman. A lot of users replied that they are aware or at least believe that their nonhumanity is caused by experiences they've had due to being autistic and getting dehumanized or never feeling fully human because of it in the first place, as an example

But for me personally i actually believe it's the opposite

Let me elaborate as good as i can!

Since i've been diagnosed as autistic, and honestly even before that, i never really felt like i was autistic in the first place (I also mentioned this quite often in therapy and i still do, but every professional has tried to make me understand that i AM autistic)

And i kinda just accepted it for a lot of years, because yeah, nothing speaks against me being autistic. In all those years i've also been diagnosed with ADHD (In my country they still call it ADD i think, but i'm pretty sure it got proven to be the same thing?) Please correct me on that!

Maybe it's the ADHD diagnosis too that made be doubt everything even more, but here's the thing, everyone around me who knows about Neurodivergency in any way has seemed just as confused as i am. Because i don't even "fit in" with other neurodivergend folks.

NOW, i understand absolutely that Autism and ADHD are a HUGE spectrum! Like i said before, this is just my personal experience. But for me, i was never able to relate to anyone else who is in the spectrum.

My official Autism diagnosis is literally "Atypical Autism" and i don't even know if that is still an official term. It's obvious that even my Psychiatrists aren't sure what is really going on here

Anyway, after all of this being said, where does Alterhumanity fit in all of this??

And here comes my personal believe, as absolutely odd or far fetched it may sound, i'm pretty sure that the thing that Neurotypical folks believe is me being autistic is actually just me being Not or not fully human

Even if my psychiatrists and doctors would'nt have been irritated and i would VERY obviously be autistic in their eyes, i would still be convinced that i'm just not human

Humans try to find reasons and causes for why something is the way it is, what if they really didn't understand me being Alterhuman and just assumed it was something they already know? It makes sense

Short version:

Despite what others might think or say, i am convinced, that i am just Alterhuman

Basically what would be considered a "symptom" for ADHD or Autism, are just my animalistic traits

While others believe their animalistic experiences are caused by autism, i believe my supposed autism is me being animal and creature

Once again (even if it probably gets annyoing by now lol) MY belief!! My experience! In no way do i mean that being autistic is a nonhuman thing!! The opposite actually, like i said, i'm sure i'm not Neurodivergent to begin with.

Please share your own thoughts if you want to! I can really use some more perspectives anyway! Maybe i said something wrong or hurtful, let me know and educate me! I really did not mean to harm anyone

Thank you for reading all of this (:

[canisalbus]

I've been curious about this for a while, and after finding your Tumblr and reading up on Machete lore I'd love to know; Is Machete autistic? I myself am autistic and I see myself in him quite a lot at times while reading your posts... If not, are there anything other disabilities or ailments he has? What about Vasco?

I'm hesitant to assign either them a lot of labels, but I think it's justified to say he has enough autistic traits to place him somewhere on the spectrum. Of course they hadn't figured out neurodiversity in the 1500's, if you knew him well enough you might call him a little eccentric. Even then he's reasonably proficient at masking and trying to appear normal to others. Having impressive self-restraint and an unhealthy degree of self-awareness helps with that. His surroundings are formal, rigid and impersonal and he has learned to navigate that specific social climate reasonably well. In addition to difficulty in socializing his main issues are sensory related, he's sensitive to textures, loud sounds and environmental overstimulation and has a low pain threshold, but can tolerate a surprising amount of discomfort in order to keep his face and not appear weak or unprofessional.

I'd say most of his physical health issues are related to anemia in a way or another, a condition that hasn't been discovered yet and thus can't be treated effectively. In their terms he simply has a weak constitution and is susceptible to mystery pains and illnesses. Unfortunately the catch-all medical care at the time is bloodletting, which, as you can imagine, only worsens his symptoms. Albinism affects the development of your eyes so his sight isn't the best and he's very sensitive to bright lights, to the point he prefers to stay indoors on sunny days.

Vasco, in comparison, has always been healthy as a horse, apart from recurring childhood ear infections. He exhibits some traits that could align with inattentive adhd, but probably not enough to justify a diagnosis. He can be a little disorganized, forgetful and has trouble starting and completing tasks, and has hard time forcing himself to stay invested in things he doesn't care about all that much.

[halcantdothat]

THE THREAD I HAVE BEEN PROCRASTINATING ON FOR A WHILE!!!

murderface’s autistic traits

because i see a lot of people talking about toki, skwisgaar, and nate’s autistic traits but never murderface.,,,

under the cut

one of the more obvious traits is his interest in war history and macabre things, which definitely seems like a special interest. it takes up his WHOLE ROOM, and the only time we see him taking a vacation is for a war reinactment. it is basically the only thing we see him have any interest in outside of dethklok and other music endeavors (which he does not seem to be that interested in even) he is genuinely PASSIONATE for history.

his gullibility is definitely overplayed for jokes but to me it reads as an extremely obvious autistic trait. for example , the firecracker scene. that scene just screams autistic to me. the way he just never realizes that he should STOP trusting them and keeps on bending down? yeah.

one of the less obvious things that I notice is his pickiness with foods. also a joke and definitely tied to extreme internalized homophobia, but it just seems like something that most neurotypical people would not go to the lengths to defend. yes I know that he does eat a hot dog in doublebookedklok but who says autism people cannot be hypocrites, I know I am lol. also just a headcanon of mine that he is sensitive to foods and sticks to foods he is comfortable with + knows well, seems to be pretty canon compliant too.

something i notice is how he does seem to understand some social norms, but not fully. and even the ones he does understand, he does not care to follow. for me as an autistic person that is something I heavily relate to. It is hard to follow the social norms you do understand when you have no reason to, and you have never had them explained to you. murderface was just treated as a problem kid his entire life so of course he just sticks with it instead of trying to work on his attitude.

kind of reaching but autistic people are more likely to experience depression and other mental illnesses, something that murderface definitely deals with. he also shows symptoms in less typical was, tied in with his anger issues. i think his anger issues could also be compared to how he was never taught to deal with his emotions, and also combine with autistic meltdowns of the sort. basically all of his issues just are worsened by his autistic traits.

SPELLING!!! i know this is just something that shows he is uneducated, which makes sense as he (in the shoe, NOT the comics) grew up in the south (probably in poverty) and never cared for school, but it also could have been heightened by his trouble learning new concepts. he very easily could have been pushed away by the fact that no one understood how to be patient with him and teach him in a way he understood, an experience lots of autistic people face.

the way murderface talks to people, he rarely knows how to act when he is not complaining or insulting people, which definitely ties into the lack of social skills. he also seems to not be able to tell when people are joking, or read emotional subtleties.

with how he tries to be a “gentleman” around ladies, it definitely shows how he does not know how to act outside of stereotypes and what he has been taught, almost like he is following a script.

HYGIENE. a big thing for autistic people. i know some people who are extreme near freaks and very very cautious with hygiene, as for me and others,,, not caring at all. i think it is obvious murderface falls into the second category, he does not CARE about hygiene and frankly, does not want to. we seen him showering in one scene so I think he is capable of doing self-care oriented things, but maybe it is hard for him to start, or he is uncomfortable with it in most occasions.

we???? Have never seen him wear pants? Like never. Even when wearing suits he has never worn pants. Definitely a sensory thing and NOT NORMAL?? just something subtle but texture in clothing is definitely a big thing with sensory issues.

headcanons

ahem ahem,,, we never see him in any shoes with shoelaces so I like to headcanon that he either never learned how to tie his shoes, or if he did, he is very bad at it and it takes him a while, so he is embarrassed to tie his shoes in front of anyone.

i also like to think he makes a lot of references to old TV shows (see my murderface agere post) and got a lot of his ideas of what “masculinity” is from those. i assume he shaped his worldview around fiction and what he learned from history, which resulted in a really warped perspective.

that is all for now!! i will probably add onto this later!! ^_^ byebye!

[amilostinyoureyes]

Here's the diagnostic criteria for NPD, or "Narcissistic Personality Disorder":

Having a grandiose sense of self-importance.

Preoccupations with fantasies of success

Belief in being "special", and believing they can only be understood by other "special" people.

Demanding excess admiration.

Exploitation behaviors (this can look like making other people's pain about themselves, but this can also look like them dramatizing actual events they went through to garner more attention.)

Lack of empathy (which does not indicate a lack of caring. Some people do not natively have empathy for others, and this is not indicative of being more likely to cause harm.)

Envy towards others/Believing others are envious of them

Arrogant behaviors.

Source: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Notice how none of these say anywhere "abuses people"? Notice how none of these says "gaslights people"? Notice how even the more negative traits are more nebulous?

See, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. Personality Disorders are hell, there's a reason they're called a disorder! But when you label someone as a narcissist because they were simply cruel to you, or when you mislabel the abuse you endured as "narc abuse", you're furthering the misunderstanding and demonization of NPD.

Are some people with NPD abusers? Yeah. But some people with depression are abusive, and we don't call enduring that "depression abuse". Some people who wouldn't be diagnosed with anything other than a bad attitude abuse people. And even if the person that abused you WAS diagnosed with NPD, it dehumanizes and demonizes other people with NPD to label what you went through as "narc abuse".

Autism notably has a "lack of empathy" as one of its most common symptoms, yet we don't label all autistic people as inherently abusive. Anxiety and depression can lead to behaviors that seem similar to weaponized incompetence, yet we don't accuse them of being inherently abusive.

"But Silver, I don't mean NPD when I call people narcissists-" except that you're not the only person that uses that word. The amount of people I've seen use that word and then admit they don't believe people with NPD should get help because they see them as "inherently bad" is disgusting. And when someone goes "oh my friend is a narcissist", you're immediately going to think negatively about that friend. The fact of the matter is that NPD is "Narcissistic Personality Disorder", and the name isn't getting changed any time soon. A lot of people that weaponize and degrade the meaning of valuable mental health terms simply, ironically enough, display a lack of empathy towards those that get hurt by their behavior.

What words can you use instead? Here's a few:

Self-centered

Egotistical

Selfish

Abusive

Verbal/Mental/Emotional/Psychological Abuse

Just try to have empathy for others. Life is hard enough, and there's no disorder or illness out there that magically turns you into an asshole or a "bad person". :/

[foureyedfella]

☆ It was ages since I made the headcanon poll but like I was still shaking in my boots about it but you know what I'll just post it and like close my eyes...

☆ Also incoming looooong yap.

Here's my Don Flamenco HC'S! (Well, generally how I draw about him anyways)

❗❗ CW: ableism, general distress, homophobia, ED ❗❗

☆ Because I cant physically shake away "Don" meaning literally Señor or Sir, his name is Santiago Alvarez. Why he chose to use a surname that's used for like older people? Idk he is just that sure of himself 💀 he commands respect people!

☆Already rewriting the canon and we literally have so little of that 😭

☆He's Spanish and Mexican 🇪🇸🇲🇽! Being Spanish from his mothers side and being Mexican from his fathers side

☆ He is an affair baby 💔 his father, Lorenzo Alvarez, was considered a good enough father, but not exactly a good husband. Camila Alvarez ended up having an affair with Lorenzo due to the troubles arising in their marriage, and she had it with Mateo Flores.

☆ While Camila did end up confessing the affair to Lorenzo, and they were able to make amends and seek counseling, the affair did result in Camila getting pregnant.

☆ This did not waver Lorenzo's dedication to the child though, as he would raise the kid as his regardless of not being his child by blood.

☆ Mateo was not even aware of Camila's marital status, and while he respects that Camila and Lorenzo worked it out, he was still completely dedicated and ready to raise the child as his and he was not willing to give that up.

☆ So Don has 2 dads, and while he lived with Lorenzo and Camila, he visited Mexico often in order to be with Mateo. (Every summer guaranteed, sometimes Mateo would gather enough money to bring him for some holidays ^_^)

☆ He also has 2 sisters:

Esperanza Alvarez, who is 4 years older than Don- and Paloma Alvarez, who is 6 years older than Don.

☆ Currently (Don being 23, Esperanza being 27, Paloma being 29), Paloma is a civil lawyer and Esperanza is a freelance artist

☆ As far as childhood goes, it was messy for Don to say the least

☆ He has audhd which wasn't diagnosed until his adulthood, since his family isn't one to believe in mental health topics or neurodivergency, all they know is that depression does exist but can only be diagnosed to people who went through tragedies and stuff like that.

☆ On top of that it became harder to accept that he had autism due to not showing "common traits" for autistic people, seeing as he was extroverted, loved engaging in conversations and was not like shy or put off by eye contact, so on and so forth.

☆ In reality he often masked to put on a persona, as a lot of interests that he would grow attached to made him look weird and pushed people off and he would rather have people like him than put them off, even if it made him really upset that he didn't feel understood

☆ with adhd he was just told that children are "always hyper" and impulsive and that behavior goes away over time (which of course it didnt). Most of his symptoms were often just oversimplified and not made to be seen as a big deal or signs of neurodivergency

☆ His behavior and visible symptoms just landed him into trouble with his parents, more specifically Lorenzo, who opted that you can discipline those actions out of a child. This left Don constantly masking and leaving him overstimulated often (which makes him physically ill, giving him a pins and needles feeling all over his body and an upset stomach), needing to decompress in silence in his room until he was no longer in pain

☆ His family, more of the side in Spain like Lorenzo and Camila, were pretty closed minded in general. While Lorenzo was the type of father to be encouraging of Don and what he persues, he would make it very clear as to what things would be okay for Don to do. He's very emotionally receptive when it came to sports and more masculine hobbies, giving praises to his son for tackling sports. But if Don showed any interests in the arts, fashion, or dance it was immediately flagged as an issue. Any of these expressed interests would have Lorenzo not outright deny him of doing those things, but shame him for doing so, calling him maricón, fino, partido, and pato as means to embarrass him from participating in hobbies that could make him "look gay" or less masculine.

☆ This was different in Mexico however, as Mateo was more open minded and he always made sure to reassure Don in whatever he does. While he did not understand why Don would express his interests in "weird ways" he would try to sit with him and understand what he was interested about (Don spoke like a jet engine as a kid when he wasnt masking lol)

☆ from a general standpoint, the back and forth between family members would leave him disoriented. The trip from Oaxaca, Mexico to Madrid, Spain and vise versa would be around 12 hours on plane, in which by 14 years old he would take alone for the family to save costs, and they were often overstimulating and overwhelming, with no one there to help him through his nerves.

☆ Despite his struggles with travel, he loved going to Mexico to spend the summer with Mateo! Mateo would listen to him the most and wasn't as judgemental towards things he didnt understand.

☆ Don had his problems when living in both countries though. When he was in Mexico, he was often pushed aside because people looked at him as believing that Don thought he was "too good for them" because of being Spaniard. Meanwhile in Spain, he felt an isolation in the back of his mind, knowing he technically was not his fathers son. He also felt anxiety from trying to make his dad happy, seeing as he felt he would need to work harder to make up for not being blood related.

☆ Most of the things that Don did was in order to make his dads happy. Ironically, Don got into bullfighting to make Mateo happy. Due to the more lenient laws for minors to bullfight in Mexico (as compared to Spain where adults can only partake in), he would start bullfighting in Mexico during those summers he was there, and eventually when he was 18, he could transfer his skills to bullfighting in Spain.

☆ He at least felt some comfort in knowing that whatever he would pursue, Mateo would show him very clear visual and audible positive feedback. This was a lot more difficult for Lorenzo though, as his positive feedback was not clear to Don and he had a hard time reading what emotion Lorenzo would show towards him.

☆ Don does boxing for Lorenzo, if that in your face Spain attire wasn't enough to convince you on that matter 😭 while Don does really enjoy boxing and bullfighting, there is still that lingering thought of "doing it for them" which strains him to be his absolute best.

☆ Another problem he faced growing up was the perception of himself by others, which seemed to constantly see-saw depending on where he was. In Spain, his family, specifically Lorenzo, would call attention to him being chunky or "fuller" (which mainly was concentrated on his face, baby fat face 🥺). He would spend his time in Spain trying to lose that weight in order to not get comments about it. In Mexico, it's quite literally the opposite, they call him incredibly skinny, saying he needs to put meat on his bones. This back and forth that he was stuck in would lead him to have an extremely warped image of himself, which he still continues to have.

☆ This would also lead to Don developing abnormal anorexia nervosa, building habits that would make sure he is directly "in the middle" so both families will not have anything negative to say about his body, and he continues to suffer from it. A lot of his perception on his body depends entirely on how others view him and he heavily relies on the input on others about how he physically presents himself. This carries into friendships, relationships and pretty much any circle that would have a need to speak on his body, like sports as well

☆Don did/does love his family a lot even despite the flaws that are present from both sides. While Lorenzo is a tough guy to try and please, when Don does please him, it's a very gratifying feeling to know he made his dad proud. His mom also tends to spoil him. When Lorenzo scolds him,  hes running to mama he don't care 💀 even now, if anything is happening in Don's life, his mom is the first to know the chisme. His sisters are also incredibly clingy and super sugary and corny when it comes to Don, constantly smothering him in hugs and kisses when he is around, even now, they do not care he is grown that is their baby brother! 

☆ His love for his family is so strong that he tends to turn a blind eye at the genuine problems and trauma that he faced as a kid, since they're all so nice to him theres no way they are to blame for the mental and physical struggles he still deals with. He often gets defensive about it too, and genuine constructive opinions expressed about them causes him to lash out. While he comes off as extremely harsh and bratty for doing so, it's his only defense and what makes him feel okay about still having a connection with his family even after all his struggles, you have to always depend on your family after all.

☆ There is also a balance when it comes to the two dads, and Mateo isnt some total pushover 💀 Machismo is pretty prominent for Don's family in Spain, so by the time Don started getting around with girls, Lorenzo was literally encouraging of it- he could see a different girl in his house the following week and be like "haha that's my son". This does NOT slide with Mateo, if Don isn't home before sundown and he spots him with a girl just to spend the night, he is absolutely scolding him 💀 pulled by the ear in front of his girl type stuff 😭

☆ Seeing as Don lived prominently in Spain, he pretty much leaned into being a womanizer there, but a total saint in Mexico 🙏🏼

Just some hcs to throw in that dont have a placement really:

☆ Growing up, he liked the nickname Tiago because it made him feel so epic and cool, but like people did not call him that 😭 his sisters called him Titi, Lorenzo called him Cacheton (chubby cheeks), and anyone who spoke to him in Mexico called him Huecitos (Bones)

☆ He is hypoglycemic (got it from Mateo) and also has hypoglycemia unawareness, so while his symptoms are visible to others he will not initially react to them.

☆ He is a scream laugh guy, you said something funny? Every circuit just heard this mans scream of a laugh

☆ his special interest is perfumes/colognes and beanie boos and beanie babies that he thinks "match" that perfume/cologne

☆ ASMR, specifically food centered ones, make him physically gag/ sick until the sounds can leave his head

☆ Trust that Don loves Mateo with all his heart, but the male pattern baldness came from him 💀 hes like how can you do this to me. Added stress also did not help his hair thinning 😭

☆ he is pretty bratty and stuck up, he believes he is allowed to be after letting himself be put so low as a kid so now he will be rude and act like a brat as a treat 💀

☆ He is a big sensory person, he could be walking down a busy street and could catch a whiff of an extremely specific smell and suddenly have an overwhelming memory from it

☆ Also very particular about food in general, he cooks because he feels reassured and confident knowing that he knows everything that is in the dish since he made it.

☆ Health and beauty nut, hes got that 15 step skin care routine before bed on LOCK do not play with him about that. (But he smokes so like 🤩 that's not counterintuitive at all what do you mean /sar)

Here are some drawings I have about him + the fam that I was holding off on posting until now

☆ Parenting style is a little- different to say the least

The fam!!!

Teen Flamenco bullfighting 😁

☆ That's the long yap whoops.. thanks for sticking around and reading! :,)

[luceafarul-de-dimineata]

Adendum to my last post

The angels (Lucifer as well tbh) are neurotypical caricatures as well. The more I think about it, this game seems to be about autistic people versus the powers that oppress us… neurotypicals.

Think about it, the angels are always aggressive, mean, vindictive, abusive, uncaring, prideful etc.

The reason behind the demon genocide is because angels think they are better as a species than devils and they had camps where they abused young demons and their main weapon is turning the devils into angels… like, they abuse kids that are different and they force neurodivergent people to act and look neurotypical.

The three main angels we see (the –el trio) are constantly bickering and complaining about eachother. They are all fighting on the same side for the same cause but none of them talk with eachoter about it and they thing that their ways is the best. It really seems that other than all their infatuation with Lucifer, none of them actually cares about the other or the people around them. This is in stark contrast to the devils which all care for, at the very least, the people inside their country. Even Leviathan who loves to talk about how high and mighty he is will protect the people he simingly loathes. Gabriel leaves one of his soldiers on enemy territory just to psychologicly torture him.

You can’t even say that “oh, it’s just sibling stuff” because the Paradise Lost characters are put in direct comperison with the angel brothers. “Playful teasing” in Paradise Lost is calling Gamigin a little baby boy. “Playful teasing” in Heaven is ripping out your brother’s eye because you got rejected.

This extands even to Lucifer which serves as one of the most interesting characters when we apply this reading to his story. I think Lucifer is a low support needs autistic person. He also has a lot of autistic traits, mostly his sensitivity to any stimuli (light, touch, sound etc), lack of empathy, disinterest in social rules, flat tone of voice, lack of outword emotions. BUT he’s also one of the two kings that doesn’t instantly pounce on MC, his kingdom has the most rules, he views everyone else as dumb and beneath him.

I think Lucifer is supposed to represent the type of autistic person whose symptoms aren’t instantly apperant and most people just call a lonely genius. Everyone admires him because he’s perfect, that’s bound to give anyone a complex, and he cannot find the type of pure love he desires because his whole family is neurotypical and he isn’t. When he finds himself being taken care of by Gamigin (another very interesting character in this narative) he’s annoyed. He was supposed to be doing a sacrifice for his Father, and now this… thing believes it deserves his presence. Lucifer acts mean towards Gamigin because he sees Gamigin as lesser, because he is more open with his feelings and affection, because he doesn’t have stupid social rules that nobody wants to follow, because he doesn’t sulk at Lucifer’s mean words. Because Gamigin respect for Lucifer is born out of admiration not fear.

This sort of simple life is refreshing and relaxing for Lucifer and at the end of the backstory we see that he chooses to remain with Gamigin and the devils. He says that he is not a devil nor is he an angel and makes Paradise Lost as a safe space for the people that don’t fit into either catagories.

Lucifer’s story reads as someone who has “normal” autism, the sort where they can pass well enough into neurotypical society, realising and accepting their neurodivergence with the help of a “weirder” autistic person, someone who you see and know. He might have very low empathy, but he can love and care about others even if he doesn’t fully see them as equal to him.

Gamigin is a high support autistic person that got throw out by other autistic people for being too “weird” and “demanding” and through being his authentic autistic self bagged himself the prince of the universe.

On another note...

Leviathan and Orias went to special ed classes where they got abused. Both of them age regress, are hypersexual (especially during their age regressed state), have fantasies about gruesomly replicating their abuse onto their abusers, have a hard time expressing emotions, distrust everyone, have states where they just become violent for simingly no reason, have flashbacks.

I think in this context Orias’ autopedophilia makes a lot of sense. He was never a kid, forced to grow up and mature when he was young and then abused by all the adults in his life. And now he just wants to be a little lad but also do the freaky. He has sexual feeling but desprately wants to cling to the idea that he is still a kid.

The story constantly gets better if you read it as neurotypicals vs neurodivergents.

[antisocialsharky]

Hi! My therapist and I were talking today, and we ended up on the subject of ASPD. I mentioned the two different accepted 'types' of it (the version caused by trauma and the version people are born with), and she brought up a theory she had for why that happens. She said she suspects people who are supposedly born with ASPD are actually autistic, and then the unique symptoms and experiences of growing up autistic creates its own trauma that can lead to ASPD later.

I was kinda curious on your thoughts on that, because I've always heard about people who were supposedly 'born sociopaths', but I've also thought it was strange that out of all the personality disorders in all the clusters, ASPD seems to be the only one that some people can really truly be considered born with, rather than being caused primarily through trauma. I won't say that isn't the case and people can't be born with ASPD ofc. I mostly just thought it was an interesting theory.

Hi ^^ I personally think thats mostly "bullshit" pretty much 👍🏻 I mean in the end we do not know for sure, science hasnt reeeeally unraveled all that shit yet, but I like the theory more, where the genetic aspect of ASPD refers to being born with certain traits that simply make it more likely for you to develop it after trauma exposure! Such as having a brain that is more likely to react aggressively, maybe having a lower amount of a certain hormone or neurotransmitter released, having areas of your brain work slower/less extensively than they should, etc. That, coupled with trauma and a low resilience against such events, makes more sense to me in terms of ending up as ASPD rly?

I don't believe in a "born type" where you can have all the ASPD characteristics without trauma/some type of fucked up socialization. I can believe the emotional aspect being influenced by genetics and that in turn influencing behaviors, but the thought aspect of ASPD and the correlated behaviors are sorta more rooted in socialization imo! Thats just what makes the most sense to me tho, as I said, we absolutely do not know! (this genetic aspect theory exists for all PDs! and tbh I also sorta think that the pure genetic ASPD type being a thing may have potentially been creates to justify not helping them, or demonizing and killing them, cus "if they're born this way, they wont change so lets get rid of them, no one needs them" is an argument that should be familiar to people...again just my theory tho and doesn't necessarily need to be true for all cases/occurences of this idea)

I would agree on the fact, that being autistic and then traumatized can very much end up in ASPD, since the two already share some characteristics and the jump from "I dont understand social rules" to "I dont care about social rules" isn't particulary big! It does however also make sense for autistics to develop any of the other PDs due to their challenges & the way those are met by society? Like...AVPD due to anxiety surrounding fucking up in social situations, DPD due to anxiety surrounding being left alone with your challenges, BPD/NPD/HPD due to having had your self esteem fucked with and you are more the type to be emotionally erractic, etc.

Plus I mean stuff like ADHD or childhood onset schizophrenia could cause you to go trough very similar challenges as a child and that with added trauma, has just as much of a potential to end up in ASPD or any of the other PDs. So I think using only autism as a possibility for that theory is a little shortsighted! Its for sure an interesting thing to think about tho!

[lady-ashfade]

Hi! I've taken a gander at your writing and I LOVE it! If possible, I'd like to make a request of some hcs (or a short drabble, either is fine) of Astarion x a gender neutral, autistic!Tav? Perhaps they've spent a long time masking and have been terrified of telling him about their neurodivergence, but eventually (very nervously) tell him after some time into their relationship? I'm curious to know how he might react. I've fallen head over heels for this man and it would mean a lot to me as someone who's still working to fully embrace their autism. Thank you for your time 💜 ♾🌈

Hidden Truth

This is very short so I apologize! It’s also kinda shitty because I’ve never done much about this before

Astarion x Autistic!Reader HC’s

I do not have autism, and don’t know much about it. But how ever I have seen a lot about it because I have a lot of symptoms so I looked it up to be more in depth with this. I’m so sorry if I get things wrong💓

Warnings: Poorly written autistic people, mention of people leaving for this, short explanation, over all kinds fluffy and a bit sad. Idk.

Astarion noticed that you weren’t like the others, there was just something about you. It wasn’t anything bad you just…Are very unique. And he loved it that.

The way you looked around each cave or place you visited and found something cool. Your little face lights up and starts to squeal and shake your hands around.

He loved how you got so excited over things.

Then when you looked around for a clue of what to say, you tensed up when people cried around you. Or, saying the wrong thing at the wrong time because you didn’t read the room. But, he loved to laugh about it.

Fighting was hard when there was loud sounds and he could see you flinch each time even though you had done this many times before.

At camp he noticed how you played with your hands or things in your hands. But he hated when he’d find you in a panic and never told him what was going on.

These are some of the things he noticed even if you tried so hard to hide it.

You had visited him outside of his tent with a plan to come clean, or to tell him. You loved him and wanted him to know about you, but it was so hard. You often dreamed about him calling you a “freak” and leaving you. It always made you sick to your stomach.

“Why the look? You’d think my presence would make you smile.” He’s tease and inch closer, swaying his body.

“I um- I have something I’d like to talk to you about.” The tone in your voice made him slightly worried but he didn’t show it. Only smirking and showing you to the log in front of the fire. “Anything you’d like, darling.”

You sat down next to him and began to pour your hear out to him. Explaining that you had autism and what the entailed, his confused face made it almost laughable. But he listened to your words like you have always done with him.

Each detail he could see exactly what you were taking about having witnessed you doing so.

“And, pray tell. Have you decided to tell me now?” He saw how you panicked and his eyes went slightly wide at the wrong tone he used. “I only mean..What took you so long?”

You looked away from him and avoided eye contact as it became hard. “I was afraid you’d hate me.” Hugging yourself at the memories of many doing so. “I didn’t want you to leave me.”

His heart broke and his chest felt heavy at the thought you- His darling. Were scared to tell him. So he laughed a bit.

“Oh, how cute. There isn’t much you could do for me to leave you and especially over something you can’t control.” His hand rested onto of your thigh and he scooted closer to you. “I find your traits endearing.”

His other hands reached to cup your cheek and turn your head, he was so soft. Softer then he’d ever been before. “I- I appreciate you telling me. You’d never have to worry about telling me anything,” he leaned forward and leaned his head on yours. “It’s clear to see that you have me wrapped around your finger, and my amazing self has you around mine.” His lips turned to kiss your cheek. 

Astarion doesn’t really care about it much. He learns how to make you feel better and help when you get overstimulated easy.

But he’s very protective when you get stares for a tic or anything. Pulls out his weapon and threats them, glares or just straight up yells at them.

He’s with you when you need him. Over all astarion is supportive over it.

But he was confused for a period of time and acts differently until you tell him not to. He just wants to make his baby feel safe and understood.

[thunderstomm]

I was originally not going to make a post about this, but after seeing a few other posts about it, I wanted to make my own. I have a LOT to talk about.

TW: Transphobia, Homophobia, Ableism

If you don’t know what I’m taking about- there was a post made by a user, who’s name I will not disclose or share, who discussed how they would rewrite the new Monster High G3 Cartoon. While some of the points were mundane, or points of preference, others made me very uncomfortable, as they got rid of much of the diversity that G3 has brought into the Monster High Universe. I want to quickly go through three of the points that I felt were erasing these steps in diversity, and my thoughts on each one, and why I think that it’s iffy, to say the least.

First is the statement “all of the couples from G1 will stay together”. While this may read to some as a preference for the old couples, in the context of rewriting G3- it comes across as the erasure of both couples involving a neurodivergent character being the subject of a crush, and being seen as desirable and loved (Manny x Twyla), and what probably was the intended couples they wanted to seperate, the canonically queer ships. In particular, this is most likely against Clankie (and POSSIBLY an s2 ship which I won’t say by name because some people want to go in blind. Instead I will refer to it as 🧡💚.). In this rewrite context, wanting to take away queer relationships which many writers and designers for Monster High have fought for in many shapes and forms. G1 never had explicit queer characters, the closest things being a scrapped SDCC diary entry (Valentine x Spelldon), Post-Ending 3rd party statements (Clawdeen is a Lesbian, Rebecca x Venus, etc.) and implied characters (Kiyomi). While these are okay, they are NOT the same as explicit queer couples, which are arguably more important to push forward in the talk and scope of present and future representation.

While it is okay to prefer the G1 ships, in the context of bringing them back for G3, it erases these queer couples, and ignores the lore and universe of G3. In G3, Cleo and Deuce are exes. And if you don’t like that, you can still watch G1!! It’s not magically disappeared, the movies and shows and music is all still out there, and most of it is free! But, erasing Clankie, 🧡💚, and other potential queer ships in G3, for the preservation of a m/f ship isn’t okay.

On the subject of erasure, there is the statement “Frankie is still non-binary, but now uses she/they pronouns”. A character canonically using they/them in cartoons, especially ones made for kids, are uncommon. Honestly, I don’t even know if I could name 10, and that says more about the state of non-binary representation than it does about me. While changing the pronouns of a cisgender character to gender neutral ones is often done in fandom, and often not a point of issue, taking a character who is canonically non-binary and solely uses they/them and giving them typically gendered pronouns erases that under represented group, and allows for transphobes to ignore the “they” in “she/they”, and only use “she” for the character. This is an issue in real life too, for many who use multiple sets of pronouns, including myself (they (preferred) / he) ! We deserve both of their sets of pronouns to be used, and people who only use they/them deserve to be referred to by and as they/them. These changes hurt everyone.

Then, we come to the one I see the most talk about, and the one that made me audibly yell “what the f-?!”- taking away Twyla’s canon autism diagnosis, and symptoms & traits, and replacing it with autism coding, so that she is easier to identify with. First of all- easier for who??? Neurotypicals ?? It is incredibly rare to see a character on kids TV outright say “I am autistic”, and Twyla is wonderful as representation. Twyla will not resonate or be relatable to every person- but that is true for all characters, not just autistic ones. Autistic people are not a monolith, it is a spectrum, with many different ways to present itself. Also… taking away all of her traits and symptoms to make her more relatable? These traits and symptoms are what would have made her “autistic coded”, and without them, you have a character who is NT.

Autism isn’t a quirky word you can use to describe anyone, it is a disability, that myself and many others have, and see misrepresented time and time again. And to say that a good example of it is not good, and would be better off to be erased and replaced with coding is insane. Coding is okay, but that’s all it is. Real spoken representation matters so much to me, and so many other people, even if the characters we see are not identical to us in those symptoms and traits they exhibit. These characters should not be changed, but rather, more autistic characters, with different presenting symptoms and traits, should be introduced !

You can like G1, you can prefer G1, but that does not mean that you have to make a sanitised version of G3, that makes it identical to G1. In terms of representation, there is no arguing that G3 has G1 beat. The poster said on their post that “any new characters would be made more relatable”, but… to who? Because I relate to a lot of the G3 characters more than the G1 ones, and I grew up loving G1! It’s not been wiped, all of the media still exists for you to watch, and make headcanons for ! If you like G1- good for you! But please, stop trying to make G3 exactly like it. Because change is inevitable in these kinds of reboots, and it allows for the representation some want to take away.

Thank-You for those who read all the way!