#ND representation

[idiosyncraticrednebula]

The Little Mermaid has better ND representation than actual ND representation lmao

[midnottart]

I adore this awkward big boy ;-; #Ragnarok #MagneSeier

[suzypfonne]

And you'll recall Gus sought out that chaos while they were apart. He married Mira on a whim because she brought that unpredictability he'd come to depend on from Shawn.

I could write a dissertation about this and instead only have time for a few paragraphs but. Looking back on Psych with more knowledge about neurodiversity and how people feel about actually being around folks with neurodiversity-related traits…

I have a LOT of feelings about how Gus has so many of the autistic (and some ADHD) traits that people find annoying and grating and get pissed off about (correcting people, infodumping, dropping special interests into unrelated conversations, rigidity in folllowing rules, etc) and Shawn has so many of the ADHD (and some autistic) traits that people find annoying etc (physical and verbal hyperactivity, jumping between tasks and jobs and so forth, habitual lying, interrupting in conversation, etc), BUT

With each other they sort of… build their relationship around those things, instead of treating them as Problems. Gus corrects incorrect things and Shawn forgets correct things (or habitually lies or etc) so they build an entire recurring bit around the situation where those traits intersect (“I’ve heard it both ways”) that turns it from a source of conflict into a shared in-joke ritual. When Shawn starts up one of his elaborate lies Gus immediately swings into commit to the bit back-up mode. Shawn treats Gus’s infodumping as a social strategy.

They balance each others’ extremes without genuinely resenting each other for needing that. Gus is overly rigid about rule-following, Shawn is overly impulsive about rule-breaking, and they pull each other towards a more sustainable middle ground. Gus is overly fond of routine and risks stagnation, Shawn is overly prone to starting and then abandoning things, between them they’re able to form a life that’s interesting and includes novelty but isn’t unlivably chaotic. (We see what happens with that one when they’re not together to balance each other out! During the time they were apart, Shawn had a jillion jobs and quit all of them, while Gus became a dead-eyed pharmaceutical salesman with zero, like, Upward Mobility.)

And then of course there are the traits they share! They both clearly have echolalia and a drive to stim, for instance, and instead of policing each other they just periodically break into random dances and vocal exercises and “singing” and general sensory-seeking nonsense together, matched to each other.

I just??? The fact that they visibly display all those autistic and ADHD traits that drive other people crazy but instead of being a wedge between them that’s exactly why they’re perfect for each other… and how it’s not that it doesn’t ever cause them annoyance because they’re just like naturally soulmates who never get annoyed by anything about each other, but that they’ve worked out rituals and strategies so that what maybe bothered them in the past now instead is a shared bonding activity, or acts to balance their weaknesses against each other…

Just. Got Dam, that’s the dream

[bennetsbonnet]

Much has been made of Mr Darcy's "confession" to Elizabeth that he does not converse easily with strangers. It is repeatedly used to support neurodivergent interpretations of his character. And I suppose that when taken at face value, a character confessing that they do not easily converse with strangers and struggle to catch their tone or appear interested in conversation can absolutely scream AUTISM! (I say as an autistic person myself)

But this line is often taken in isolation. When considered in terms of the passage in which it appears in Chapter 31, it appears far less of a smoking gun than may initially be suspected. After some discussion about Elizabeth and Darcy's prior acquaintance in Hertfordshire, Colonel Fitzwilliam asks Elizabeth for information about Darcy's behaviour there. She readily supplies it:

'Pray let me hear what you have to accuse him of,' cried Colonel Fitzwilliam. 'I should like to know how he behaves among strangers.' 'You shall hear then—but prepare yourself for something very dreadful. The first time of my ever seeing him in Hertfordshire, you must know, was at a ball—and at this ball, what do you think he did? He danced only four dances, though gentlemen were scarce; and, to my certain knowledge, more than one young lady was sitting down in want of a partner. Mr Darcy, you cannot deny the fact.' 'I had not at that time the honour of knowing any lady in the assembly beyond my own party.'

What Darcy leaves out here is that it was he himself who chose not to be introduced to anybody. As we learn from the description of his behaviour at the Meryton assembly in Chapter 3:

Mr Darcy danced only once with Mrs Hurst and once with Miss Bingley, declined being introduced to any other lady, and spent the rest of the evening in walking about the room, speaking occasionally to one of his own party.

Anyway, Elizabeth correctly does not buy his excuses. Not only does she respond with a cutting sarcastic remark, but she tries to bring the discussion with an end by speaking to Colonel Fitzwilliam:

'True; and nobody can ever be introduced in a ball-room. Well, Colonel Fitzwilliam, what do I play next? My fingers wait your orders.'

But Darcy does not get the hint and continues conversing with Elizabeth rather than quitting while he's ahead. However, I don't believe him to be missing a social cue here. Rather, this is an exceedingly conceited man who cannot conceive that anyone would not want to speak to such a Superior Being as he and more-so, is determined to defend himself from a perceived slight against his impeccable character.

Then we come to the passage containing the oft-cited line which allegedly contains proof of his neurodivergency:

'Perhaps,' said Darcy, 'I should have judged better, had I sought an introduction; but I am ill-qualified to recommend myself to strangers.' 'Shall we ask your cousin the reason of this?' said Elizabeth, still addressing Colonel Fitzwilliam. 'Shall we ask him why a man of sense and education, and who has lived in the world, is ill-qualified to recommend himself to strangers?' 'I can answer your question,' said Fitzwilliam, 'without applying to him. It is because he will not give himself the trouble.'

Once again, Elizabeth does not buy his excuse for even a single second. She's fully aware of all the advantages a man such as he will have received in society (opportunities not open to women, might I add!) and draws attention to that fact. It's a brilliant, cutting line from her and she really set that one up for Colonel Fitzwilliam to deliver the knockout blow.

Not only do we have the testimony of Mr Darcy's cousin, that 'he will not give himself the trouble,' to appear cordial to strangers, but we have evidence from Wickham too. Although after this statement, Wickham quickly goes onto misrepresent Darcy's kindness to the poor, which contradicts Mrs Reynold's later testimony, I do believe Wickham to be telling the truth (for once!) here, when he tells Elizabeth in Chapter 16:

'Mr Darcy can please where he chooses. He does not want abilities. He can be a conversible companion if he thinks it worth his while.'

Which, again, demonstrates that Darcy is capable when he wants to be. That is the crucial point. Autistic people fundamentally lack the ability to understand social cues, they cannot turn it on and off as they please because they are snobs.

So, now we come to the infamous line about Darcy's supposed social struggles, and I hope that I've provided enough context to the line to make you see that it should not be taken at face value:

'I certainly have not the talent which some people possess,' said Darcy, 'of conversing easily with those I have never seen before. I cannot catch their tone of conversation, or appear interested in their concerns, as I often see done.' 'My fingers,' said Elizabeth, 'do not move over this instrument in the masterly manner which I see so many women’s do. They have not the same force or rapidity, and do not produce the same expression. But then I have always supposed it to be my own fault—because I will not take the trouble of practising. It is not that I do not believe my fingers as capable as any other woman’s of superior execution.'

Again, Elizabeth is not buying his excuses for even a single second and tells him if he feels like that, maybe he should put the effort in. She has seen him in numerous social settings and been thoroughly unimpressed with his behaviour which, when you consider his rudeness to her at the Meryton assembly, she has every right to be.

So, what do I make of the line?

Well, I think it's abundantly clear that Darcy absolutely can speak to people when he wants to. Perhaps, in his mind, he struggles to make that deeper connection and make friends easily. But making friends is not always easy, it's a process you must invest time and effort into. If you do not do that, it stands to reason that you will struggle. Plus, if you hold others to ridiculous standards (as Darcy does) without recognising and fixing the flaws within yourself, you're not going to have deep, lasting friendships.

While this quote may appear to be a moment of vulnerability where he does confess a fault of his, which is astounding given his pride, personally I do not think it was not a soul-searching exercise. It was to make Elizabeth stop grilling him. It was self-serving. Although, I don't think he's entirely lying. Darcy is veeeery careful with his words and though this statement is not considered and perhaps comes out rather abruptly, it doesn't necessarily follow that it isn't true. I can imagine that it is probably something he's felt for a while, yet it is a rather desperate attempt to defend himself from a woman who sees right through him.

I think perhaps Darcy does realise that he isn't as naturally gifted as other men he knows (such as Wickham, Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr Bingley) when it comes to forming acquaintances. However, he looks outwards and turns that bitterness against the world rather than looking inwards, reflecting upon himself and improving his manners which would be the correct thing to do. Thankfully, he later does this, but it took him twenty eight years...

In addition, Darcy appeared to have been under the illusion that he could coast by on Pemberley's reputation... which has always worked... until he met Elizabeth. For perhaps the first time, he encounters a woman who is not awestruck by him and his reputation and delivers the rebuke that he always needed.

So, while personally I'm inclined to believe there is some truth to his statement, as Mr Darcy is many things but he isn't a liar, I think it is said in desperation. His feeling stems from him knowing what he should do, but he can't be bothered to enact it... rather than any inherent social deficiency stemming from being neurodivergent.

Although, even if he does struggle socially, it's still no excuse for the rudeness he displayed to Elizabeth! My main issue with neurodivergent readings of Darcy is when they are deployed to defend his behaviour, when they attribute his rudeness to any potential neurodivergency and when they excuse his laziness. That is an awful message! Autistic people who struggle with social cues often do not, nor should they, go around insulting others. They should and often do put plenty of effort into being considerate and polite. In fact, I think, if anything, a love of rules makes us more likely to have good manners, rather than the reverse.

Ultimately, I'm not sure this line makes Mr Darcy the sympathetic-poor-sweet-innocent-shy-boy-autistic-representation that people want him to be. In fact it makes him look even worse, if anything. On matters such as these, he is every inch the conceited proud man he was widely believed to be at the Meryton assembly. Luckily, Elizabeth is an incredibly smart woman, who doesn't fall for it and immediately calls him out on his behaviour in a way that he has never experienced before. As she should!

[elysiarte]

something, something, something, we win!🤘🏻

[killurtimidnotion]

langdon literally admitting to having adhd in combo with him being impressed by mel’s bedside manner with their autistic patient… and mel and langdon getting on so easily and so quickly�� he has a hard time understanding his wife’s needs/what is expected of him… struggles with being present… tone issues… highly defensive… pitt writers… im watching u…

[sjbattleangel]

Once more, for the people in the back:

CATRA AND ADORA ARE NOT SISTERS.

Not "Adopted" or "related by blood", they were NEVER sisters, Period. They grew-up together as best friends in a military-school/orphanage. Plus, Shadow Weaver was their mentor, NOT their "mother".

"Oh but that page from the show bible-"

-Was made before the show ever went into production and was written either by Dreamworks or Netflix higher-ups, without ND Stevenson's consent. So it makes perfect sense that Stevenson fought long and hard, with all of his strength, against these ideas being forced upon the story so that Catra and Adora could fully consummate their love for each other and make cartoon history. Sadly, these bad-faith actors are so desperate to turn Stevenson into this disgusting "incest-abuse fetishist", not because they care about "wanting good writing" or "better representation" but because they want less competition. It's what they tried to do with Rebecca Sugar and others, lie about a genuine, honest-to-goodness LGBTQ+ creator fighting for diversity being the most depraved, most vile monster imaginable just so they can chase them out of the industry and take their place as "the better creator".

Because they believe the animation industry works like some high-school popularity contest where the only way upwards is to tear others down.

[girl4music]

I’ve watched the first 3 episodes of ‘She-Ra and the Princesses of Power’ and I’m quite surprised by what I saw for a children’s show. I didn’t realize the main protagonists were the villains and that one of them turned against her own force - the Horde - and best friend to ally with the opposition - the Princesses Rebellion - because she didn’t realize she was being conditioned and fighting on the wrong side. That’s actually quite an elaborate story for a show meant for children. The theme is radicalization. From what I’ve seen so far, it seems to be a show that’s teaching children to think for themselves and develop on their capacity for compassion over blind devotion just in case they’re ever in that unfortunate situation because that happens in real life more often than you would think. Childhood grooming and brainwashing. It’s a big deal and definitely something that should be taught early.

I didn’t expect it to be addressed in a children’s show though. That’s very ambitious and daring. I really like it. TV art/entertainment that takes risks and challenges the status quo is always worth watching and engaging in. Worth my time and attention. That’s a bold move by creator, showrunner and lead writer ND Stevenson. I commend the effort on dealing with important subject matter lightly but honestly. I hope that it can continue.

And even though they’re at odds at the moment, I can definitely see the similarities between Adora and Catra to Xena and Gabrielle. It’s the same level of intimacy. And like Gabrielle with Xena,… hopefully Adora has enough pull and power over Catra to bring her out of her own conditioning and help her realize the same. I reckon that’s going to be the first season’s main story.

How to get her best friend to see the error of her ways and enlist her on the side of the Princesses Rebellion.

As for Catradora…

Can I say they’re enemies-to-lovers?

Or is it more like lovers-to-enemies?

I really don’t know yet. I know they end up together eventually. I just don’t know when. No spoilers please.

[rambles-of-mental-illness]

A flag for fragile X syndrome (requested/suggested) with assistance from @dragoncxv360. Information under cut

What is Fragile X Syndrome?

Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is a genetic disorder that affects how the brain develops. It can make learning, talking, and socializing harder for some people. It's the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability and happens because of a change (mutation) in the FMR1 gene on the X chromosome.

Why is it called Fragile X?

Under a microscope, the X chromosome in people with this condition looks "fragile" or broken, which is where the name comes from!

What does FXS do?

People with Fragile X might have: - Trouble learning (some have mild difficulties, others need more help) - Speech delays (talking later than other kids) - Anxiety & shyness (especially in social situations) - Sensory issues (loud sounds, bright lights, certain textures might feel overwhelming) - Hyperactivity or impulsiveness (kind of like ADHD) - Autism-like traits (repetitive behaviors, avoiding eye contact, social struggles)

What causes it?

A section of the FMR1 gene (which helps brain cells work properly) repeats too many times and turns off. This stops the body from making a protein called FMRP, which is important for brain development.

A parent can be a carrier (having a smaller mutation) and not show symptoms but still pass it on to their kids.

Is there a cure?

Nope, but there are ways to help! - Speech & behavioral therapy can improve communication. - Special education support helps with learning. - Medications can help with anxiety, hyperactivity, or mood regulation.

How do you know if someone has it?

Doctors can do a genetic test to check for the Fragile X mutation.

Fragile X Syndrome is a neurodivergent disability.

[syppys-den]

the main reason I've been gushing over The Wild Robot

it hit hard because... well... it's honestly a good portrayal of raising an Neurodivergent and/or disabled kid... and the fact it was told from the parent perspective kind of made it better for me, as with me and my mom seeing it... I dunno it was like looking in a mirror I guess... and honestly not just with me, it could also apply to my brother, I even asked her about it and she said she kind of saw both me and him in Brightbill... and the film doesn't treat it like Roz is having to "put up" with him or anything, it treats it like what it is... her raising her son...

[green5quirrel]

He is absolutely neurodivergent coded to ME.

I would never go so far as to diagnose a real person/stranger but Silas shares some qualities in interviews that reminds me of my ADHD traits as well. But pulling apart personality and medical diagnosis is not only not my job but an inconsiderate assumption, in my opinion.

Regardless, there are a lot of ways I identity with Monroe in that ND sort of flavor. Whether it was intentional or whether there was awareness in the writers' room or simply an acting choice in the actor's performance is up for debate.

But I'd rather just say that I relate a lot to Monroe and how he seems to respond to stimuli and present himself in to the outside world. The older words before autism and ND were "quirky," "awkward," "endearing," "weird," or "a little off". I related to all of these things.

I'm glad he gives representation to others who experience ND. It's important to see someone who shares these traits also have deep and meaningful relationships.

Is anyone going to acknowledge how autistic Monroe is?

This man proposed with a clock. I don’t think I need to say anything else.

[johndoriansdom]

[elrondsscribe]

Autistic Lan Wangji x ADHD Wei Wuxian

that’s it, that’s the post

[shiraishi--kanade]

A little bit concerning now autism-coding evolved from originally meaning "this character is said or implied to be inspired by a real person from the writer's life who later ended up discovering they're autistic or were actually always autistic, or that we can arguably assume were autistic; while this is almost never a conscious writing decision it is a representation of autistic people always being around and someone caring and loving them enough to make them into a story, and are therefore relatable to other autistic people in a unique way because they were never intended to be written as Token Autistic but instead as a full person and avoided the harmful tropes connected to autism" to now "actually this character is autistic and the writers Always Wanted to State That they just couldn't because #evilcensorship. Source trust me bro"

[lunarsanctuary]

PLAY CLINICAL TRIAL PLAY CLINICAL TRIAL PLA

[soullessjack]

idk i just think it’s a little weird that almost every character who gets the “innocent baby” / “little ray of sunshine” treatment usually ends up just having neurodivergent traits and actual negative traits in the show that nobody pays attention to. like idk man it just feels like diet infantilization to me and it’s a teeny weeny bit uncomfortable to see all the time