#trying to remember to post whatever doodles I've done lol

[wonderful-bellies]

Lil v/orey doodle dump for ya!

[bun-z-bakery]

A/N: HI! Just in case you're wondering, I moved to a new account so if you've seen this before it's because you have lol also if you're reading this as I'm posting, don't worry I'm going to post all the current chapters I've finished (I apologize for the spam) if you're reading this after the au fic is done I still welcome you!

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The factory was cold, dark, and terrifying. You've already made it this far, and by the looks of it, you're already far too deep to turn back now. This factory... No, this hell was something you weren't expecting once you stepped foot into this seemingly endless maze. 

 

Growing up, you we're close with your family. You loved your parents and your brother, however your grandfather was the one who you're closest with. Back then he was an employee at a toy factory that used to be all the rage, he wasnt just any employee, but one of the inventors. As a kid, he used to tell you stories about the factory, the toys, the workers, and the children. In your eyes, it was a wonderland. What child wouldn't see it as such when the way he spoke of it sounded so magical? 

He used to make drawings and doodles of the cute creatures, which you kept in a safe place. Those memories will always be cherished in your mind. Though as you got older, there was one question that lingered in the back of your mind, what retired employee has nothing but good things to say about their job? Surely there was something there. One thing your family was good at was keep secrets. Maybe there was a reason; why your parents always monitored you and kept your grandparents at a distance.

 

This nightmare started the day you were looking through the mail. Boredom had struck you. Sneaking into your father's office, you noticed the small pile of unopened letters.

probably business stuff.

You thought to yourself. Your grandfather had a side business creating and selling car parts which took of quickly. He was a genius of his time. Upon his passing your father was the next to take over. It wasn't usual for him to have a desk full of papers, folders and letters.

You would have left it at that, but an envelope with a familiar name, just peeking out from the small pile, caught your eye. By pulling it out, you examine it. Just as you had suspected, it was addressed to Lance L/N, your grandfather. Looking at the sender, it seems to have been sent from the factory he worked at all those years ago.

"A reunion, possibly?" You mumbled to yourself as the memories came flowing back about his whimsical stories that made you feel like a kid again. A slight frown creeps up as you remember those times, sighing sadly as you open the envelope; surely there's a reason why they sent him a letter. But even so, that factory was shut down years ago, way before you were even thought of. Why now? 

 

The letter was strange; Maybe it was an inside joke between the workers? Maybe my grandfather kept it to himself because I was too young to understand?

Sadly, those questions will never be answered now. 

"Everyone thinks the staff disappeared 10 years ago. We're still here. Find the flower."

You reread the letter a few times, attempting to decipher what it could mean.

What if the letter was misplaced. Got lost in the mail? Maybe one of the old guys got the years wrong?

You sigh in frustration as you try to wrap your brain around this. Whatever the case may be, you can't just return it to a sender that probably isn't even alive anymore. But something feels off; there's a reason why they say curiosity killed the cat. You take the letter and put it back into the envelope as you swiftly walk out of your father's office. Surely he won't notice one missing letter, but he will definitely notice the silence that will be brought upon the house by your disappearance.

[brehaaorgana]

Okay so when I say "write things down" or "use a planner," and I specify "it can be post it notes, paper planners, white boards, apps, alarm reminders, notes, etc etc," I am saying the way this tool looks isn't one size fits all. And I'm also saying it's not necessarily effortless, and it may not involve physically writing something on paper. I've also made it a point to say I'm various reblogs that a tool and strategy isn't a cure. We're human!

I admit I was being flippant but if you CAN intermittently hire an ADHD coach or organization/life coach and that helps? You should do that! I'm planning on hiring someone at some point to help me with my room organization, I just want to save the money for it. If you build up a habit with a friend who IS neurotypical and will help prompt reminders to look at the day and any possible events, that works too!

Those are both suggestions in one of the ADHD books I have for management strategies. It's literally like "ask a professional. Ask a loved one. Get help from a friend or mentor."

If you set daily reminder prompts via your work email, or create a discord to generate those reminders, or you make voice notes and then make them the alarm ringtones or literally whatever else, those all work!

I keep having people say "well I record the information but then forget to check it." And it's baffling because...do y'all think I don't also do that?? I DO. It sucks. It still happens to me. But then I practice different ways and use tools to remind myself of the other steps. I will still sometimes forget things. But remembering more often is GREAT. I have to work at this. But there is no other solution other than trying. I'm not a Jedi, trying and sometimes not doing is actually still better for me than never trying. It certainly ups my chances of success.

If one variant of the organization/planner tool doesn't work at all for me, I then need to recalibrate and try new versions of this tool. I can ask for help! I can hire someone to guide me. I can sign up for one of those side by side check in buddies for working on projects (I know a lot of freelancers do this via like, discord and stuff!) And that's okay! And maybe I need to cycle through things sometimes! I do that too, depending on my needs and life.

If I ignore deadlines, I can come up with ways to make deadlines harder to ignore. I can trick my brain. I experiment and fail and try new things because I am an adult who has to manage my life somehow. I have no alternative, and I won't be perfect, but nevertheless I have to have to work on it, make adjustments, and understand failing is a part of life. I don't think it's healthy to act like there is simply nothing to be done and we shouldn't bother if we're not 100% perfect with an aid or accomodations.

side note: I also did the writing on my hand/arm thing for many years in Jr high and high school. I agree, it doesn't work for me! It's too easy to wash or sweat off, and irony of ironies, we're MORE likely sometimes to overlook our own skin. Especially when you consider what I personally also did, which was draw fake tattoos and doodles and then stopped looking at my arms because it registered as visual noise. It might work for some folks, but it quickly failed for me because lol. I didn't actually notice the stuff on my hand! It was like the opposite of what I thought it would do. Turns out I don't pay attention to things under my own nose sometimes!

One thing I will never understand as someone who is very ADHD is how many other people with ADHD are like "I could never use a planner, planners don't work for me. I hate when neurotypicals say "just get a planner!"*

* [planners can be notebooks, calendars, apps, to do lists, post-it notes, etc etc etc]

Like we have the "easily forget things" disorder and you don't wanna write things down??? Idk how you think you're going to cope with that but I, personally, must have a list of some kind. If it's not written out it doesn't exist to me. Why is there some community driven idea that we cannot use planners/to-do lists because of our ADHD? A planner is like, literally the most basic coping mechanism for the disorder.

I genuinely don't know what else you can do to remember a list of tasks other than write them down somehow. Are you guys just like, trying to convince your brains to be better at memory or something?