#im gonna blame it on dyslexia

[shinyobservationtree]

Fun headcanon based on that first episode!

[thelien-art]

Hiyas maybe you'd consider a request of my wicked royal Princess Luella Tulloran? It won't let me add refs here but if your interested let me know and I'll send her refs along. Thanks for considering.

Hi, I know you probably mean nothing by this but of what I can see you just started following me, a Tolkien blog, with no interest IN Tolkien (judging about what I can see going in on your blog) and just dumps YOUR OC on MY head without even going just a little bit through my blog to see if requests are still open and what the rules are

You might have found me via this year pride art where you problby clicked the link that led you to an information on open requests WHERE I SAY ONLY TOLKIEN REALTED and only for pride aka this month, four days ago I said I´m closing the requests as I have 55 requests left, which is fine you didn´t see as I deleted it a day after, that didn´t mean I opened requests again tho

Sometimes when I open for requests I also open for people´s OCs but I make it clear when I am

I also made a promise in another answer to a similar ask about me taking nonrelated Tolkien requests so I advise you go read that HERE

You know i would really appreciate an answer for you if you could go out of your way to do that, thank you!

[thoutisashark]

Accidental Courtship :3

Accidental courtship

ft: Savanaclaw, Octavinella

cw: possible minor spelling errors (blame the dyslexia), established relationship, swearing, implied fem reader

Penguins have this adorable courtship ritual where the male gives the female a smooth pebble, if the female is impressed by the pebble she accepts the gift and mates with the male

I know that jade, Floyd, and Azul aren't penguins, but i thought it would be so cute if their s/o gave them a pebble and basically proposed but not knowing what it meant.

And for the beast-men (Leona, Jack, Ruggie) i thought it would be cute if there was a special beast-men way of courtship, I couldn't think of anything though, but then i remembered that for a lot of mammals (and animals in general) grooming is a form of bonding, so what if licking was a form of courtship?!?!

ENJOY

Savanaclaw

Leona: he awoke from his nap when he felt a pair of hands running through his hair, he sniffed the air, realizing it was just his s/o he closed his eyes once again, surrendering to the comforting feeling of your hands, he hated to admit it but he loved when you played with his hair, it was something he looked forward to and expected. what he didn't expect however was the sudden wet feeling that graced his cheek his eyes shot open and his head snapped in your direction

"so soon? at least wait till we graduate"

your so confused, he realizes that you probably dont know what you just did

"for beast-men, your lick was you asking me to marry you you dumb herbivore"

he wont admit it but his heart was pounding in his chest

Jack: he had finished his classes for the day and was walking around the campus grounds, when he spotted you his tail started to wag a bit, he attempted to stop, annoyed that he was giving away how he felt. he walked over to you, he wrapped his arm around your waist pulling you closer to him you smiled up at him, kissing his cheek, he smiled at you and walked with you to the ramshackle dorm, you guys sat in the guest room you had been working on you had been pretty bored all day and wanted to do something to make you laugh, why not lick your boyfriend see what his silly reaction would be, little did you know the implications behind this supposedly innocent action. as soon as your tongue brushed his cheek he was off to sofa and staring at you in shock, he moved so fast that your tongue was still hanging out of you mouth

"i-im not ready"

his voice was shaky and his tail was wagging at a super sonic spread

"i mean you need to meet my parents and my siblings, and i dont have any money, i mean were still in high school, marriage is a very large leap"

you were so fucking confused Marriage? when you asked what he was talking about he looked at you confused

"you licked me... you want to marry me...right?"

you blushed and told him that in your world its just a weird thing to do. he sighed in

"so no marriage then, good, i love you but im not ready for that yet... try again in a few years"

he winked, his tail giving away his feelings

Ruggie: you had gotten some powdered donuts from Sam's store earlier and you were super excited to eat them, you rushed to your dorm hoping to avoid the food thief you called a boyfriend but it was useless, he could probly smell them from 3 miles away, he saw you running smelt the sweet scent of donuts and took off after you, he caught up quickly, snatching the box from you hands

"watcha got here shihihi"

he held the box out of your reach and took a donut out, he quickly shoved it into his mouth as you pouted, you loved him to death but god was he annoying sometimes you noticed how he had gotten some of the powdered sugar on his nose and an idea of revenge sprung into your mind, you grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down to you

"you gonna kiss me~" he teased you, he wrapped an arm around you resting a hand on the small of your back while his other held the donut box.

you licked his nose, he tensed up, his eyes widened and he stumbled back almost falling over

"i-i dont- i mean-" he turned around, he grabbed his ears and pressed them down, trying to calm himself down, he had never felt so flustered before, but could you blame him? his s/o just asked for his hand in marriage "i accept but... so soon?"

you looked at him confused, he took a moment, realizing that what is a marriage proposal for beast-men might not be the same for humans, but everyone was aware of the tradition, then it clicked, you weren't from here, you had no idea what you had just done. his blush was still there, and to be honest he was dissipated, he licked you cheek "that is a proposal for marriage" he admits, looking away embarrassed, he shoved the donut box back into your hands and quickly walked away mumbling a quick "i love you" his tail was small, but it was wagging as he zoomed away from you.

Octavinelle (penguin esc courtship)

Floyd: he hated working at the cafe, it was so boring, why would he work when he could be with his little shrimpy? he found you outside of the ramshackle dorm, you were on your hands and knees digging round a pile of rocks

"shrimpy~" he lifted you up and hugged you from behind "what are you doing?"

he asked, examining the rocks you held in your hands, you didn't answer, instead you picked on of the rocks you had and handed it to him, it was smooth, and had a faint blue undertone to it, he squealed and snatched it out of your hand, he wrapped his arms around you, squeezing you till you felt like you were about to burst, he kissed you passionately before skipping off to tell his brother and Azul, you just stood there, confused as to why your boyfriend was so happy about the rock you gave him, i mean sure it was cool but was it that exciting for him? a couple hours later there was a knock on the door to the ramshackle dorm, you opened the door and say Floyd standing there frowning slightly

"do you know what a rock means"

you shook your head and you swear it looked like he was about to cry

"so you weren't asking me to marry you?"

you shook your head again, now understanding why he was so upset, you hugged him and kissed his cheek promising him to marry him one day, as soon as he heard that he was happy again, hugging and squeezing you all night long.

Jade: he was observing the mushroom he was growing, they had a strange mutation that he hadn't seen before and was eager to study, he was writing down the differences and comparing them to known mutations when suddenly you burst into his room clenching something in your hand, he turned to you smiling at you, he closed his mushroom guide and walked over to you, kissing your forehead and ruffling your hair, you hold out your hand and show a small smooth rock to him, he blushed, hugging you tightly

"are you aware of what your asking me?" he asked, his voice shacking lightly as he hugged you tighter, part of him wished you meant what mer-people mean when they give rocks, but he knows you arent used to the tradtions and culture in this world

he pulled away slightly and when he saw your confused face he smiled sadly "in merfolk culture you asked me to marry you" he chuckled as you blushed "i want to be the one to give you the rock dear" he mumbled into your hair he pulled away caressing your face before picking you up and taking you to the couch to cuddle.

Azul: he was in his office doing paper work and for the cafe, he was stressed, his hand was starting to cramp from the amout of writing he had been doing. the door to his office opened and you entered, his eyes lit up as he say you, your presence always made him feel better.

"hello my love"

he smiled at you softly, he open his arms for a hug and you wasted no time crawling into his lap and hugging him tightly, he kissed your shoulder, you reached into your pocket and handed him a pretty rock you had found earlier, his faced flushed with a blush

"m-my love? i- i mean y-yes ill marry you, but at least meat my family first, do you have a venue in mind? a dress? i can help you look- wait your not proposing? oh... you dont know do you"

as disappointed as he was that he wasn't going to marry you he chuckled and laughed

"my beloved your little rock was a proposal of marriage"

he smirked at you, watching as you face as you realized what you had done, he kissed you shoulder and cheek again

"just know love.... i will say yes, i will always say yes to you"

a couple days later when you walk into his office you she the rock you gave him on the shelf behind his desk, it was in a glass container, when you asked Azul all he said was

"its special to me, i wish to keep it forever"

End notes:

i had no idea what to do for leona and i think its pretty obvious, but i had fun writing this! its my first time writing for twst characters and i think i did ok... i hope

I am accepting requests :)

[batsarebetterthanpeople]

#edward teach#im an adhd ed truther & this is so fucking true.#also shows how you view people w/ adhd if you’re specifically using it as an excuse to do this. (via @ourflagmeanscatboy on this post by @jaskierx)

I don't want to derail a post about racism, but I do feel like this shit needs to get talked about.

Because people will say literally the most deranged shit about Ed. I've heard the idea that he's gonna lose interest in Stede because he views people as hyperfixations floated. He's volitile and unstable (citation needed) he's messy (but he thinks pets befoul the ship and he couldn't believe he was living like this after letting Stede's cabin get covered in maybe a weeks worth of depression clutter) he needs a minder (despite constantly minding other characters). And all of that shit when pointed out as racist invariably gets explained away with "but I think he has ADHD"

And it's like, first of all that's a headcannon you have, where as his race is very much cannon. so I think even if you have the adhd headcannon, which to be clear, I do, you still need to lend more credence to the marginalized identities that are in fact cannon about him. That's not to say that these two things are contradictory it's just to say that you need to treat your headcannons about a character of color with awareness for how their race overlaps with other identities they might have and how their race might be impacting their behavior, and how projecting issues onto them, even if those issues are things you yourself struggle with, might be perceived by fans of color who are already constantly fielding racism both in fandom and in their every day lives.

but second of all, and I cannot stress this enough, yall are ableist as fuck.

Like, I simply do not know how to explain to you people that Ed losing Interest in Stede like that would not be a symptom of ADHD because treating PEOPLE like HYPERFIXATIONS is not a symptom of ADHD. If someone loses interest in you because they have adhd, and I feel like I've said this before, one of three things happened. A. they did not lose interest in you they are just forgetful and do not experience friendship decay so they think you are still friends, B. You were never a friend to begin with you were someone they exclusively did their hyperfixations with, or C. you are blaming the ADHD for something completely unrelated friendships fall apart all the time.

And it's like that example is just the most egregious. half the time when I see ADHD headcannons nobody's talking about like... Ed picking up a brand new activity on a whim, or him tattooing himself because he's experiencing the evil boredom. It's all gotta be traits contradicted by canon. And often it has to be about pain and suffering, and often it really just feels like an excuse to make up bullshit about Ed while beating the racism allegations.

and there's two enormous issues with this. The first one is that if you're gonna have a headcannon about a character you have to figure out how to apply the headcanon to that character without making up a brand new guy. Ed is in the 99th percentile in terms of executive function. His executive functioning skills are genuinely a strength for him. He can't stand mess and he keeps a clean ship, he doesn't get angry unless directly provoked. He also has a large number of shitty tattoos on his person, he stims, he's probably got some hyperactivity going on, and some emotional dis-regulation in terms of managing his disappointment and catastrophising. You have to actually look at the character and figure out what cannon things translate into ADHD and what adhd traits are contradicted by cannon and if you're just hollowing him out and putting an ablist idea of ADHD in as a stand in for a personality.

Like.. ok. My favoriate cannon ADHD rep in the world is the Percy Jackson series. Every one of those kids has adhd and dyslexia. This does not stop Annabeth from being a very functional character with a million irons in the fire who's an avid reader and a Smart Girl TM. Percy by contrast cannot focus for five seconds especially when you put a book in front of him, but he can think on his feet really well. Both of these characters are fairly realistic representations of ADHD because sometimes ADHD is severe executive dysfunction and mess and emotional dis-regulation, sometimes ADHD is having a million projects going at once in a desperate attempt to beat the evil boredom and sometimes it's being able to pick up new things with relative ease. Different people have different levels of these things, which is why in my favoriate childhood book series Rick Riordan was able to have so many different diverse characters with distinct personalities and have them all believably have ADHD.

But a lot of people who headcannon Ed as ADHD don't seem to be interested in figuring out how Ed's personality is compatible with that headcannon, they just want to hollow him out and give him every symptom ever and it's just like... oh, so that's what you think of us then. got it cool.

[toddstool]

going to bed mad because I don't understand how to read graphs sometimes. gonna blame this on my dyslexia and not the fact that im stupid 👍

[ask-bigsistermoon]

Ok moon i told him the lettuce deal and he called me NSH and told me to stop joking around . he also in kinda rude way corrected my grammar mistakes ... I have dyslexia i cant help it...

And i might have gotten a little bit angry... And offended ...moon i think i cussed him out a little bit. Im gonna go throw myself at a leviathan dont mind me, gonna go die in a hole from embarrassmen.anywhay like 2 of my main avatars will arrive in a coupe of cycles when they do i will inform you

(After the slugcat leaves the chamber a sentence can be heard "CURSE YOU MY POLISH GENES I CANT EVEN HAVE A PROPER CONVERSATION WITHOUT CURSING BECAUSE OF YOU ")

Oh, I see. FP seems to constantly blame weird asks on NSH, I feel kind of bad for him. Oh well, don't blame yourself for it, FP is FP.

(creators note: Another Polish person, welcome comrade)

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

That match thing looks interesting so I decided to participate

So to start im 4’11 and afab, I enjoy anything artsy and im also really into psychology (brains are really weird), I have adhd and dyslexia (so im sorry if I misspell anything im just gonna blame it on that) also I am not a sports person. Like no, I will gladly watch sport if it makes you happy but I will have nothing to do with sports other than that.

I am usually very hyper unless you catch me in the morning or on a bad day, and I am puny weakling, I am the opposite of touch.

I have a horrible sense of humor (by taht I mena my jokes consist of deez nuts jokes, inappropriate jokes, and dad jokes) and I tend to wear baggy cloths but I love to dress up all pretty! I don’t mind revealing cloths but I a touch insecure so I tend to avoid it

I can be a bit of a flirt, but I’m not good at it, I’m the master of cheesy pickup lines but I will turn into a cheesy tomato if the pickup lines are returned, and I’m not too big on touchy feelsy but cuddles are fun sometimes, a big thing for me tho is I don’t like to be touched without warning, like I instinctively elbow anything that touches me from behind, so don’t, cause for most people I am the perfect height to elbow you in the stomach.

As for cat tendencies, I don’t understand what that’s referring to so I’m going to skip it. I am a huge introvert, I’d say I’m pretty good at peopleing but I tend to keep a small group of friends and anyone else can screw off. I am not confident, I pretend to be confident I enjoy responding to compliments with something like “yes I know I mena have you met me?” But I am not actually confident.

Like I said I enjoy anything artsy, I can’t animate at all tho, and I am not good at anything artsy.

I’d say I’m not too sensitive, but I do infact have a very bad temper, especially when it comes to things like ignoring me, I am the definition of clingy I will not leave you alone for five seconds but like if you wnat me to leave you alone just say and I’m out but if you just ignore me I will be unbelievably pissed, yeah I have a bad temper.

I am a huge procrastinator, I procrastinate like it’s an Olympic sport, at the same time tho I am a bit of a perfectionist especially when it comes to art, I will easily pass of an important essay saying “eh good enough” but when I drawing, no I could never I will redraw this one thing 500 times until it is PERFECT

I love black cats, i am a sucker for the underdog, so I love animals with bad reputations like sharks, or pitbulls, or black cats, they aren’t bad animals you just don’t know anything about them!

I love Ramen and lasagna, noodles at all are a huge comfort food for me and if it has noodles and it’s not spicy it is my favorite food.

And i can hardly think into next week how am I supposed to know if I’m gonna have a project in the next ten years!?

Let’s see a huge dealbreaker for me would be if someone couldn’t get along with my dogs, I have a pitbull so this isn’t exactly unheard of for me but I will gladly pick my puppers over your BS

Um let’s see some other things that might be useful for me are I am a chronic potty mouth, I am either unbearably clingy or I’ve left you on read for three days straight, and I have a tendency to go on huge long rants for hours at a time. I can be very annoying.

Also please don’t pair me up with Toriel or asgore, they are goat mom and goat dad and that’s it

Um sorry for the wall of text I hope you have a wonderful day!

Hello, hello!

You had lots of people that could have chosen! You could have had : UT Alphys, HF Sans, MT Sans and even Dustale Sans! But surprisingly, one wins over all of them, and it's...

SWAPFELL PAPYRUS (Rus) !

Rus is not really a gift every day, and you'll need strong nervers to bear him 24 hours a day. But thank god, pairing with him means his brother is here to assist you if he becomes too much.

Rus doesn't really have the artistic flair, but he is supportive. He's really ok with the idea of posing for you though, especially in terrible and awkward positions. He's a bit of a troll sometimes, so he might also leaves you small gifts of drawings of you he made, except your nose is an actual potato.

He's fine with your hyperactive part, he can be like that too when he's really exciting over something (or when he's working on a really good prank). He has a terrible sense of humor too, and he is more than fine with the fact you don't like sports. Him neither. You're having duels of cheesy flirt picklines that are making his brother lose his mind. He's mostly an introvert and a false confident too. He relies a lot on his S/O, and he will be more than fine to struggle with you. He loves your bad temper, and he won't stop to find new ways to annoy you just to hear you grumble.

He's more sensitive with you guessing his state of mind. Rus doesn't really like when people see behind the clown mask he gave himself through the years. As long as you're not pushing too much, he won't mind and just gently deviate the talk.

He's really fine with the clingy part, he is like that too, but Nox will gently remind you to be careful, since Rus is sometimes acting like that in a defensive way. He can sometimes be too protective, and use affection by fear of losing you.

He's not a big hugger, so he's fine with asking before touching you. He will also gladly shares his sweatshirts with you. He will not really help you with procrastination, and sometimes be the cause of it if he really want to do something else instead ahah.

He's fine with cats, he's facinated with sharks and he loves dogs. Be careful, Nox and his weird fetisch of collar will manipulate him to manipulate you to put a fricking spiky collar on your dog. He loves ramens, noodles, lasagnas, and, of course, CHICKEN MC NUGGETS. You can't say no to him. He will sulk.

Rus is a bit of a challenge, but he might be a good match if you take time to accept he had a very difficult past and needs time to adapt. He's not always a good boyfriend, but he's learning over time.

[daisydaisybilly]

one normal day

Pairing: Adam x sister!Reader (with a little cas x reader but you can read it whatever way you like) Summary: Adam wants y/n to have one normal day. not trusting Adam Cas tags along Warnings: swearing, fluff, and not much else Word Count: 1.4k A/N: first i hope you like this and im sorry it took me a while to post. started it right away but something came up and i've only recent got back to my writing, and the new episodes really didn’t help 😅 been edited twice but might of missed something, thank you dyslexia 

requested by @ivyyie​: ok, I always thought of something like that, Sam and Dean have a little sister, and when Adam shows up, he wants to take the reader out for a walk so she can be a normal teenager for at least a day, Sam and Dean allow, but Cas asks to go along, since he doesn't trust Adam and wants to protect Reader.

                           MAIN MASTERLIST | REQUEST OPEN

“no. no way. Not gonna happen” Cas huffed with his chest out, with his hands on his hips.

“I don’t need your permission to spend time with my sister” Adam tried to argue back.

“No” Cas stopped speaking when you walked into the hotel room.

You looked up  from the lore book in your hands and over to Adam and Cas who were both red in the face then to Sam and Dean in the middle trying  their best to calm them down. You raised an eyebrow at them, “What you guys fighting about?”, you put the book down on the table. “well?” you asked again when no one spoke.

“ehhh, Adam wanted to take your out for the day” Sam said awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

“like a hunt” you tilted your head to the side, “don’t think that’s a good idea”.

Adam pushed away from Cas giving him the side eye, Dean and Sam stayed where they were but Cas stepped closer too, “No like a normal day. We can do anything you want”. You mouth formed an o space as you understood what he meant. You turned to Sam and Dean for guidance.

“no issues here go have some fun, you deserve some” Dean smiled sitting down.

“really?” Cas said loudly, you looked at him shocked not used to hearing him yell. “I know he’s your brother but we can’t trust him” he said in a hush tone, “I’m just looking out for you” he put his hand on your arm.

“Cas” you sight blushing his hand away, “look I love you for looking out for me but I can look after myself and anyway have you seen him? I could floor him in a second” you heard Dean and sam snigger from across the room. “no offence” you nodded to Adam.

“is that a yes?” he asked looking at Cas.

Cas rolled his eyes in your direction and nodded his head. You sent him a smile and went to grab your coat. “one condition” you stopped to look at him. “I join you two”.

You stared at him and scoffed, “Fine if I helps you sleep at night”.

“I don’t sleep”

“I know, I know. Its just a saying” you shook your head, “Come on then, I hear the fair is in town”.

You had to practical beg Cas to watch you from a distance when you got to the fair, he wasn’t happy about it but did it in the end to make you happy.

At the fair you felt a little overwhelmed, sure you’d heard about fairs and what happened at them but actually being dead in the centre of one was strange. You looked around at all the other people having fun who knew what to do, you looked at Adam who looked in place too.

“so?” you strung out getting Adam’s attention, “what should we do first?”.

“Well which booth is your favourite?” Adam asked. Your face heated up at his question so you looked away embarrassed. “oh. You haven’t been to one before” he realised.

“well never really had the chance” you muttered, “its always the end of the world for us” you waved your hand in the air. You huffed “I mean look I have an angel following me around. I’m not normal” you pointed back to where Cas was intensely watching.

He cleared his throat and nodded to a booth, “well dad and my mom used to take me every year and we always did the gun one”.

Adam lend the way over to the stall where the back wall was covered in little red boxes with small metal people inside. “okay so you get bb bullets and you need to shoot 5 ‘people’ to win a prize”.

“sounds simple” you nodded.

“I’ll show you then you try” Adam smiled.

When Adam shoot his first shot you felt Cas behind you, “do you think he knows I can shot a gun better than him?” you questioned over your shoulder. Cas snicked when Adam nearly hit the man behind the booth. “hey, give me a go”.

Adam handed you the ‘gun’, you shifted the gun from one hand to the other getting used to the weight. The real gun in your jeans pocket was heavier by far and could shot better. But you relaxed your shoulders and got into the right prostitution, you lined the gun up and fired 5 perfect shots.  

You beamed over to Adam and Cas. Adam looked a little shocked while Cas just grinned at you. When the man at the stall handed you the biggest prize, he had you skipped over to the boys. “Now that was fun”.

“Maybe we should give the booths a break” Adam suggested after you handed him a 2nd teddy.

You turned to face him holding another teddy and over to Cas who held 2 other prizes of his own, “yeah probably” you shrugged, “getting boring winning anyway”.

Adam smiled looking down.

“What else should we do?” you asked biting your lip.

“well since you cleared out all the booths, we could try some rides” he pointed to the big wheel, the best he could with his arms full.

You nodded excited, you let Adam walked ahead so you could talk with Cas. “You think you could cut him some slack, please for me” you pleaded.

Cas studied you not saying anything at first, he squinted his eyes at you. “I suppose I can leave you alone for 15 minutes”, you wrapped your arms around him but the teddies in his and your own arms got in the way. You settled with a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks Cas, I can always count on you” you grinned. Cas watched you go with smile on his face.

“is he not following along” Adam asked.

You shook your head at him and laughed, “He just worries” you jumped up and down on the heels of your feet next to him, “and he promised he’d give us some alone time”.

He looked unsure and glanced back over to Cas who was still stood where you had left him, “That easy?”.

You smiled and laughed, “He means well Adam, he been through a lot with us. I don’t blame him for worrying”.

Adam looked sad for a moment, you looked at him confused. “You shouldn’t have gone through anything that involves angels and god knows what else, Sam and Dean neither”.

You laughed dryly, “it wasn’t so bad” you shrugged. He face stayed serious, you started to feel uncomfortable, you laughed again and elbowed him, “Stop, we’re here to have fun, right?”.

He nodded and did his best to laughed making you smile. “you right and look its our turn next” he pointed to the line at had gotten shorter.

Near the end of the evening Cas either trusted Adam or knew you would be okay enough to keep at a further distance.  You had to admit it was nice to be ‘normal’ for one day, no looking over your shoulder, no hunting down whatever monster was terrorising people and having fun for what felt like the first time in years. You felt bad when you thought of it that way, you thought that if Dean or Sam heard you they’d be hurt but you knew they just wanted what’s best for you, like you did for them.

You lent against the motel door with a grin across your face, clutching all your prizes and the cotton candy you brought for the guys. “Thanks for today Adam”.

He stood a little away from you with his hands in his pockets. “you know I thought you would say no at first”.

You laughed cocking your head to the side, “Why?”.

“I don’t know, thought you’d think it was a stupid idea”.

“well I had a great day and you were right, it was nice being normal for once”, you put your things on the floor and walked over to Adam. He watched you move looking unsure the whole time, you pulled him into a hug before he could talk. He stayed still in shock, it took me a few seconds before he responded with back.

“when you’re in town, we should do it again” he suggested when you pulled away.

you smiled and nodded, “maybe the others could tag along too”.

“yeah! Maybe Castiel will be more relaxed then” he laughed.

You laughed too while you gathered your things from the floor and turned back to Adam, “I mean it, thank you”.

[sosa-sketch]

Fright or Flight: Chapter 2

Parings: Prinxiety // Logicality // Platonic LAMP

Story Summary: Virgil and Patton investigate the New Prince Castle, when a brutal accident kills Patton. Patton wakes as a ghost and meets friendly ghoul Roman, who has been haunting the castle for 20 years. Virgil is determined to bring Patton back to life and brings Logan, the ghost expert, to help him out. Time is quickly running out, and the four must work together to undo death. If only it was as simple as Logan made it sound.

Unknown to them, a secret entity in the castle does not plan on letting them succeed.

Previous Chapter   Next Chapter 

When Patton first met Virgil, his last intention was to become friends with him. Virgil had built up a notorious reputation over the first few months of school, and his grades did nothing to disprove his status. Patton wasn’t the type to judge a person’s character based on rumors nor looks. No one was a higher believer in the benefit of doubt than Patton! However, Virgil’s first impression did not help his case.

Virgil transferred into Patton’s English class the second semester due to a schedule change. When the teacher stated a new team project was to be completed, Patton did not shy away from offering to be Virgil’s partner. He understood how difficult it could be being the new kid in a class full of friends and cliques.

The project was hefty, an collection of novel analyzing, essays, vocabulary, and journal entries. Patton was not looking forward to the Shakespearean project-Shakespeare’s language was alien to him. It occurred to Patton that pairing up with the soon-to-be-dropout may not have been his best idea. Nonetheless, Patton refused to be jaded.

The first day of the project, Virgil refused to touch the work.

“There’s no way I’m touching this project.” Virgil sneered. “Especially about Shakespeare.”

“Huh?” Patton had not fully processed Virgil’s words. “Is it because you don’t understand it?”

“Sure.”

“Neither can I! I guess Shakespeare really has our brains shaken up! Maybe we can ask the teacher to go over it for us?”

The teen huffed and shook his head. Virgil laid his head on the wooden desk and his eyes slipped closed. He napped for the rest of the period.

His behavior continued for weeks. Patton had tried everything in his power to get Virgil to help him out. Patton’s seemingly endless supply of compliments and encouraging gestures served no help.

Patton’s mind had conjured countless excuses for Virgil since Virgil himself refused to give one. At the beginning the excuses had seemed feasible. Lack of sleep? Family issues? However, by week three, Patton was already scraping the bottom of the barrel, trying to justify Virgil’s dismissive attitude with clones and possible mind control. Virgil was no closer to lifting up a pencil, there were ten days left of the project, and Patton still understood little to nothing about Shakespeare. Patton was flying solo and time was ticking.

The final week before the project was due, Patton caught the flu.

Patton would chalk up the flu to the top three sucky sicknesses of his lifetime. His fever was raging, his skin drowning in sweat while the insides of him iced over. Patton couldn’t tell when being awake ended and when sleep began. The only alarm in Patton’s body was the churning in his gut that rushed him to the toilet.

Understandably, the project was the last thing on his mind.

Patton would not remember his Shakespeare mission until the Sunday before it was due, when he was shaking off the final remnants of the flu. The realization hit him like a train, but by the time he went flying off his bed and hurriedly logging on to his computer to check the time, Patton knew it was hopeless. There was no way he could get the project done in a few hours and counting. Not when all his energy was going into fighting of sneezes and headaches.

Patton was dejectedly scrolling through his email filled with newsletters from adoption sites and animal protection agencies when a subject line caught his eye: “English Project.” Linked to the email were word documents and an audio file. Perplexedly, Patton opened the email.

To: patpetspups@gmail.com

From: killjoy_2001@icloud.com

Subject: English Project

Patton,

so apparently you’ve been sick. class is way more quiet without you their, which is wierd.

i think i did everything you hadn’t done. it’s gonna be really mispelled and confusing and shit. sorry. i’m not the best with righting. feel free to fix anything.

get well soon.

-V

p.s. sorry for acting like a jerk. i owe you a explanation monday.

Patton hugged his computer screen and laugh with relief. He had no idea why Virgil was so nervous. His ideas were brilliant. A week later, Patton would see an A in his gradebook for the Shakespeare project.

There was a reason why Patton never lost faith in people.

True to his word, the next week Virgil explained his mistreatment to Patton. Virgil struggled with dyslexia. While he was getting tutoring in overcoming his learning disability, Virgil’s writing made him incredibly insecure. His old teacher always let him work individually, but the new teacher wasn’t having it. Before class, the teacher pulled him aside and told Virgil he was no different from any other student and would have to work with a partner. Virgil, determined to spite the teacher and anxious to seem like an “idiot” in front of Patton, would pretend to sleep the whole period.

“All your writing took was a quick grammar fix. The ideas were so good! I’m not just saying that to say that, they actually were! I could never think of something like that.” Patton reassured enthusiastically.

Virgil flushed a bright red. “I didn’t do much. Shakespeare is a lot easier to understand with audio.”

Patton listened to the audiobook of Macbeth that night. Virgil clearly wasn’t giving himself enough credit.

Virgil and Patton quickly grew close once the project was done. Virgil was still quiet, snappy, moody, and detrimentally insecure, but he began to open up more as the months went on. By senior year, Patton and Virgil was joined at the hip. Two peas in a pod.

Virgil had grown a lot since freshman year.

Being joined at the hip with Virgil meant that Patton got to understand Virgil by the simplest change in body language or expression. It also meant that Patton became aquatinted with anyone close to Virgil.

Patton already had a bad feeling while Virgil’s tone had shifted on the phone the night they were chatting about yearbook quotes. Remy sending Patton a text only confirmed the ball of dread in his stomach.

Rem: pat can we talk ?

Patton: You don’t even have to ask! Everything ok?

Rem: it’s about v

Rem: have you guys talked recently ? out of school

Patton: We talked last weekend. Over the phone. Why? Is Virgil fine??

Rem: idk. he came over to my house a couple nights ago at like 5 am. talked about some ghost shit.

Patton: He woke you up to talk about ghosts??(language!)

Rem: looking for affirmation that he wasn’t some obsessed ghost freak. i told him nah

Rem: but tbh he kinda is obsessed

Patton: He is passionate about his ghosts! But that’s not a bad thing.

Rem: v strongly disagrees. the whole thing about the yearbook and ghost quotes really messed with his head

Patton: I didn’t mean anything bad by it! It was just an idea! I promise! I’ll apologize to him!!!

Rem: wait no thats not what im saying. no one blames u

Rem: is he doing any ghost stuff anytime soon

Patton: Yep. He’s going to visit a castle!

Patton: Is that bad?

Rem: don’t you remember last time v became paranoid abt something? he pulled some real stupid stuff just to prove ppl wrong

Patton: Yeah. I know.

Patton: Gosh now I’m worried :(

Rem: i just dont want him doing anything he’ll regret on the trip. can u just…idk watch out for him pls ? ik v can take care of himself. but sometimes he gets into this headspace that’s self-destructive

Rem: tbh i dont like his ghost stuff as it is. i dont need him doing something dumb either

Patton: I understand Rem. That’s really sweet of you <3 <3

Patton: I’ll look out for him! I promise!!!! :-) :-)

Rem: ty. dont tell v abt this convo tho

Despite feeling uneasy about it, Patton understood Remy’s request to keep silent. Telling Virgil about their conversation would only push Virgil away and make him defensive. It’d be impossible to look out for him.

Virgil had already given Patton a way in. Patton had to talk to Logan for Virgil and get any supplies he might need. Patton loved visiting Logan in and of itself. Maybe Logan could help him out.

Logan’s business was located near small shops clustered along the beach. It was a hotspot for tourists, where knickknacks and souvenirs were sold and expensive attractions were advertised. Patton walked along here with Virgil sometimes, stopping at the arcade or mirror maze. Patton had met some of the most interesting people in the small touristy town.

Among the attractions was a dark blue shingled building with a pointy-roofed top. Painted letters on a wooden board spelt out “Afterlife Exposed.” Patton stepped through the door and a bell gently ringed, signaling his arrival.

At the sound of the bell, a tall, dark-haired man turned around. His navy suit blended in with the darkness of the shop. The man’s lean body was captivated beautifully in the suit. Patton quickly averted his eyes, blushing furiously.

“I have been expecting you-oh. Greetings, Patton. What a surprise.”

“Hi Logan!” Patton waved enthusiastically. “Who were you expecting?”

“No one. It’s a new rule Father has implemented. I must say it to every customer to ‘set the mood,’ as he calls it.” Logan dragged his hand over his face exasperatedly. “I find it quite ridiculous. But business shall be business.”

Logan’s father technically owned Afterlife Exposed. But he was always hidden in the back, gathering supplies or experimenting. Logan was currently studying entrepreneurship in college in order to take over the family business someday.

“How may I help you today, Patton?” Logan inquired, stepping around the counter to stand in front of him. He was even taller up close.

Patton filled Logan in about the New Prince Castle family murder and Virgil’s plan to investigate the castle for one of his ghost routines. Logan nodded politely the whole way through.

“I see. What an intriguing case. What exactly does he need from me?”

Patton shrugged cluelessly. “Anything you think might help, I guess.”

“What’s his budget?”

“A coffee and cake pop from Starbucks, if he uses his gift card.”

Logan rolled his eyes. “And he sent you to purchase something from here? Why, he couldn’t even afford a keychain.”

“Come on, Logan! He’s one of your most loyal customers and between us, he’s going through a rough patch. Can’t you help him out? Please?”

Logan massaged his temples and sighed. “Patton, it’s just not something the business can afford to do right now. My Father and I have been dealing with a sort of rough patch as well. You and Virgil have my sincerest apologies-truly, you do.”

Patton nodded dejectedly, “I understand.” Spotting Logan’s hesitant expression and tense form, he rested a hand on Logan’s shoulder and grinned. “Really, I do. I don’t blame you.”

Logan gave a small, tight-lipped smile in return. Gently shaking Patton’s hand off his shoulder, he clasped his hands together tightly. “Well, is there anything else I can do for you?”

“I’m not too sure.” Patton pursed his lips in thought. “Well, actually. I was wondering if you could tell me the dos and don’ts of ghost hunting. The yays and nays. The cats and dogs-actually no scratch that, both of those would be a yay.”

“With all due respect, Patton, I think Virgil has got that covered.” Logan reassured. “He must have asked me a dozen times prior to his first investigation.”

“Oh yeah, I know. It’s for me.” Patton corrected.

Logan raised an eyebrow in perplexion. Patton had never shown an interest in ghost hunting when Virgil wasn’t to be found.

Patton thought quickly. “I just want to understand more. For when I talk to Virgil. Sometimes I really don’t get half the explanations coming from the kiddo’s mouth.” It wasn’t a lie. “Just…how do you deal with ghosts?

“I see.” Logan clicked his tongue. “I’m sure Virgil could explain it to you more in depth. But, if you’re ever in doubt, chalk it up to one thing: respect. Is what you’re doing respecting the afterlife and their home? Are you portraying common courtesy? Treat them with the same respect as the living, if not more. There are exceptions, as with anything, but for the most part, that should keep you out of trouble with spirits.”

“Respect.” Patton repeated.

“You have strong morals, Patton. If you’re concerned about involvement with the afterlife due to your closeness with Virgil, I would not worry. Lack of respect is the last of your weaknesses.”

Logan pulled out his phone from the back of his pocket. “I apologize, I must return to my work. However, if you or Virgil have any more questions, feel free to give me a call.”

Patton gushed and thanked Logan, jotting down his number. Logan flushed a gentle red and held out his hand for a handshake.

“Pleasure doing business with you, Patton.”

Patton swatted Logan’s hand away and brought him in for a hug. “Thank you, Logan.”

Logan awkwardly pat Patton on the back before ungracefully untangling himself from the embrace. “I was only doing my job. Now, I understand it’s none of my business, but I recommend getting some rest. You look exhausted.”

“High school has permanently carved bags under my eyes.” Patton shook his head defeatedly.

Logan gave an amused smirk. “You sounded like Virgil.”

Patton beamed. “Like father, like son!”

Just as Patton was about to turn around to leave the store, something in the corner of the room glistened, catching his eye. “Hey Logan? Just one more thing?”

Logan hummed at him, encouraging Patton to continue.

He pointed to the object at the corner of the room. “How much can I get that for?”

 “Walkie-talkies. I sent you to Logan Berry, one of the smartest, most knowledgeable people about the afterlife in this town, and you come back with a Ghost Buster walkie-talkie.” Virgil grunted, dangling the toy by its antennae.

“You can have the Casper the Ghost one instead.”

“What? No! Ghost Busters is better, anyway.” Virgil groaned. “That’s not the point. How about advice? Did Logan say anything?”

“Just to respect the ghosts. Have common courtesy. Which you better be doing anyway, even without Logan telling you to do so.”

Virgil threw his hands up in exasperation and fell down into his sofa as the cushions engulfed the skinny man. “Obviously I respect them! The last thing I need is coming home possessed and cursed! He knows I know that. That’s really all he said?”

“Besides giving us his number.” Patton confirmed. “Which I already gave you.”

Virgil grumbled. “Whatever. One day I’ll get enough money to- wait. The walkie-talkies. There’s no way you could have bought them with my money, I would not have had enough. Please don’t tell me…”

Virgil got a glance of Patton’s sheepish look and groaned. “Patton, we have a rule! No buying each other anything!” He buried his head in his hands. “I can’t pay you back. You know that.”

“Hey…” Patton took a seat next to Virgil and laid a comforting hand on his knee. “It’s okay. They weren’t expensive. You don’t have to pay me back.”

Virgil looked at Patton in between his fingers. His voice was muffled against his palms. “You know how I feel about that, Pat.”

“Virgil, come on.” Patton pleaded.

Virgil shook his head. “Thank you. But, you need to return them.”

Guilty silence settled among the two, but neither made a move to leave. Both were lost in their own worlds when an idea struck Patton.

He nudged Virgil. “I know a way for you to pay me back without money.” At Virgil’s unimpressed look, he protested, “Seriously! It would mean a lot more to me than whatever these walkie-talkies cost.”

“Yea?” Virgil lifted his head from his hands. “What is it?”

Patton stared at Virgil’s stormy eyes as his heart pounded. In all honesty, this was the last thing Patton wanted to do. He was terrified. But, he thought back to the conversation he had with Remy, and the last time Virgil did something senseless unsupervised due to paranoia. “I want to go ghost hunting with you. At the New Prince Castle.”

Virgil’s jaw dropped. His eyes darted around Patton’s face before he shook his head and gave a weak chuckle. “Sure, Pat. Whatever you say.”

“No, I’m serious!” Patton insisted. “I’ll respect the ghosts and do whatever you tell me to do!”

Virgil was dismissing Patton before he could finish his sentence. “No, no, no. You hate ghost stories, Pat! Especially ones that are spooky and gruesome. You’d hate ghost-hutning. It’s dark and there’s lots of weird noises and tons of spiders. No way. I’m not adding more guilt to my conscience.”

Virgil made a move to get up from the sofa, but Patton refused to let the conversation drop. He grabbed Virgil’s hand and pulled him back to the seat. Virgil landed with a clumsy thump.  

“Kiddo, I know I hate all those things. I’m sure I’ll be scared. But, you’ll be there too! I love you more than I hate all those things combined.”

“Patton, we can do something else together. Go to the movies. Or bowling. Normal teen stuff.” Virgil reasoned.

Patton retorted, “But ghost hunting is important to you.”

“It’s not that important. It’s a simple hobby. I don’t care that much about it.” Virgil cut off.

“I know, I know!” Patton quickly backtracked. “What I meant was that ghost-hunting has been a cool way for us to bond. It intrigues you-a perfectly normal amount-and I like seeing you happy! Just like you go walking with me along the shops by the beach even though it’s super crowded and you hate it.”

“Patton, what’s your point?” Virgil grilled.

“My point is I want to try this thing that you enjoy with you. Just like you try things for me. It’s senior year, Virgil. No one hates thinking about it more than me, but we don’t know what things are going to be like after high school. I want to find a husband, start a family. Maybe study veterinary science. You could have a publisher for your writing, become a famous author, and move. I want to do this with you. I want to get over my fear.”

Patton stared at Virgil hopefully and held out his hand. “What do you say? One more big adventure for the dynamic duo?”

Virgil stared at Patton, looked down and roughly shook his head, froze, then stared at Patton once more. Virgil’s foot rapidly tapped against the floor, creating a dizzy, distracting melody. Finally, Virgil pulled his hair and glared at Patton. “You’ll be careful?”

Patton nodded eagerly.

“And you’ll stick with me no matter what? At all times? I want you in my sight.”

Virgil dramatically groaned, closing his eyes and throwing his head back. “I guess you can come.”

Patton shot up from his seat, whooping with joy and hopping around the sofa. “Thank you, Virgil! Thank you! We’re going to have such a great time!”

Virgil peeked one eye open and gave a soft grin. “Yeah, I guess we are. You’re sure you wanna do this?”

“Never been more sure of anything in my life besides my love for you and cats! I pinkie swear it.”

Patton and Virgil intertwined pinkies before Patton winked and let go, embracing Virgil.

“Let your moms know you’re going to be gone for the weekend.” Virgil smirked. “We have a haunted castle to explore.”

[paddysnuffles]

yes hello you said you did the reading to your self diagnosis and im gonna ask what did you read bc i think i may be autistic too

Hi! The research I did was really extensive as it was for a major project for my science, technology, and medical information class during my Master’s (Library and Info Science). The project was to make a user-friendly starter guide on a topic of our choice, so here are the resources I ended up using:

Is There Really an Autism Epidemic? (by Hal Arkowitz & Scott O. Lilienfeld, Scientific American, 2012)

The article discusses the possible meanings of the drastic change—within the short span of a decade—from the long-held ratio of 1:2,500 people with ASD to one of 1:166, suggesting that better understanding of ASD (and thus better ability to diagnose it) is likely to account for most of the increase. This is a great educational tool on understanding why autism is reported to be on the rise and why the current data on rising prevalence is rather misleading.

How to Think About the Risk of Autism (by Sam Wang, The New York Times, 2104)

An extensive yet approachable look at what the science says about the causes of autism and how to estimate the chances of a person having ASD. The article offers a comparison between how much emphasis the scientific community puts on each probable cause and how the media covers the subject. Genetic research can often be hard to follow even when simplified, so this could be a valuable introduction to the subject.

Survey: One in five believe vaccine causes autism (by Carly Weeks, The Globe and Mail, 2015)The article shows the effects of 18 years of false information fed to the public as science by Andrew Wakefield, starting with his 1998 paper on how vaccines are to blame for the existence of autism (which has been repeatedly disproven) to the 2016 propaganda film Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe. An important issue with serious public health implications.

Steve Silberman on autism and ‘neurodiversity’ (by Emma Teitel, Maclean’s, 2015)

An interview with Steve Silberman, who delved into the history of ASD to prove that the belief that “autism is a historical aberration of the modern world” is not actually correct. It offers an insightful explanation about what neurodiversity is, and serves as a great companion to the essay Mental Disorder or Neurodiversity? included in the topic-specific list.

Autism spectrum has no clear cut-off point, research suggests (by Nicola Davis, The Guardian, 2016)

This story reports the findings of a study that showed that the genes involved in the genesis of autism are connected to an individual’s social skills regardless of them exhibiting symptoms of ASD, “suggesting that “the autism spectrum has no clear cut-off point.” In other words, all individuals could be put within a scale for autistic traits and placed anywhere between the most severely impaired people on one end and the easy-going, social butterflies on the opposite end. The article provides a biological basis that could inform some of the discussion presented in other articles on the suitability of labelling less severe cases as a “disability” rather than a difference.

Autism spectrum disorders in the DSM-V: Better or worse than the DSM-IV? by Lorna Wing, Judith Gould, and Christopher Gillberg—–An overview of the changes brought by DSM-V by removing the category of Pervasive Developmental Disorders and replacing them with Autism Spectrum Disorder, as well as a discussion about the positive and negative aspects of the new criteria. Considering that the changes brought by the new edition of the DSM is one of the most important developments in the area, this article provides a much-needed discussion on the very definition of ASDs. Note: One of the beliefs professed in the article - that autistics cannot feel empathy - has recently been disproven; for details on that see Brewer & Murphy in the referenced works section)

Evidence-Based Practices for Children, Youth, and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Comprehensive Review by Connie Wong, Samuel L. Odom, et al.—–A look at the current practices for ASD therapy to help children learn coping mechanisms, hone their fine motor function abilities, and other interventions found to be effective through different research projects. This essay will be helpful for an understanding of the therapies and techniques available for families affected by ASD.

Does the different presentation of Asperger syndrome in girls affect their problem areas and chances of diagnosis and support? by Elizabeth Hughes—–The article discusses the differences in how ASD presents itself in females versus males, comparing the diagnostic tools available for ASD and doctor’s perceptions of what ASD looks like in order to determine whether more males tend to be diagnosed with ASD than females due to actual biological differences in prevalence or because of gender bias imbued within the diagnostic tools. In addition to addressing an important issue surrounding ASD, this article also helps with the understanding of the range of symptoms and level of severity ASD can be manifested.

The Ever-Changing Social Perception of Autism Spectrum Disorder in the United States by Danielle N. Martin—Providing a historical perspective on the evolution of the understanding and acceptance (or lack thereof) toward ASD from a social and medical standpoint, this article looks at how past perceptions have shaped the modern stigma toward this disorder. This thesis paper—which was awarded the Michael F. Bassman Honors Thesis Award from the East Carolina University—will helps readers to familiarize themselves with how stigma against ASD manifests itself.

A Minority Group by Charlotte Stace—–Slang and terminology related to ASD are explored from the perspective of the ASD community, offering a unique insight into how the community views itself as well as how it views outsiders. It provides an interesting mirror image to the previous article, which is focused on the point of view of those not living with ASD.

Mental Disorder or Neurodiversity? by Aaron Rothstein—–The author discusses whether differences in how the brain deals with sensory input (such as in ASD, ADHD, and dyslexia) should qualify as “disorders” or whether they are variations on the brain’s “wiring” that helps with our species survival by providing certain individuals with an ability to problem-solve in ways that most people can’t. The emergence of this debate within the community—which is rapidly gaining prominence in media outlets—makes this paper an important read for those interested in a more holistic view of ASD.

Major sources of information (publications)

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th edition (DSM-V): Although not a source solely focused on ASD (which comprises a relatively small part of the overall publication), it is nevertheless considered to be one of the key sources of information for professionals trying to determine whether a patient might be on the spectrum.

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders: The leading peer-reviewed, scholarly periodical about ASD and other closely related disorders; published monthly.

Autism Spectrum Digest: A monthly digital magazine centered around topics of interest to members of the ASD community and their families, such as helpful apps, current news related to ASD, legal/human rights issues, etc.

Electronic resources

Autistic Self-Advocacy Network: An advocacy group about ASD, for autistics and by autistics, which promotes programs, offers a resource library, and provides a source for news relating to the ASD community from an ASD perspective.

Research Autism: A UK organization whose focus is research of interventions in autism, as well as provide objective evaluations of the scientific evidence behind each. It also offers a number of useful resources, such as a database of publications relating to ASD, links to apps developed for people with ASD, and information on legislations and policies relevant to people with ASD.

Authorities

Hans Asperger: Hans Asperger played an important role in the history of Autism Spectrum Disorder. He was one of the first scientists to identify ASD, and the first to theorize that ASD is something that affects a person throughout their whole life rather than only through childhood as Leo Keller claimed (Sole-Smith, 2014). Asperger’s Syndrome, one of the most-known variations of ASD, was named after him (Asperger’s Syndrome, n.d.).

Temple Grandin: Though her formal education deals with animal caregiving, Dr. Grandin is nevertheless seen as a leading authority on autism by both the ASD community and researchers alike. She is recognized as one of the first advocates for autism to actually have autism, and her insights into how autistic people experience the world were instrumental in bringing awareness and some degree of acceptance to ASD. Dr. Grandin has been profiled by the New Yorker, interviewed in NPR and the New York Times, was the subject of a photo essay for Time magazine and was listed in the 2010 Time 100 list in the "Heroes" category (Flatow, 2006; Goldman, 2013; Slaby, 2009; Hauser, 2010). She has written a number of books on Autism, has received honorary degrees from several universities, and was awarded a Double Helix Medal (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 2011; Grandin, 2016).

Key issues

"Neuro-diverse" versus “disabled”: There is surging controversy about whether milder forms of ASD should be considered disorders/disabilities or only a version of how the brain can function (like having a Mac vs a PC - they’re different, but it doesn’t mean one is faulty). A major reason behind this movement is that, as Dr. Grandin explains in her TED Talk, autistics might be worse than most people at some things, but they’re more skilled at others, like breaking down complex systems and understanding how they work (Grandin, 2010). Also in favour of this theory is the fact that those “on the spectrum” often enter professional fields in the area of their special interests and become experts on the subject (Grandin, 2010).

Prevalence of ASD in Women: A number of studies have shown that the signs doctors look for when diagnosing ASD are mainly those that manifest in males, meaning that women are often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, with some doctors going so far as saying that “women can’t have Asperger’s” even when faced with a classic case according to current diagnosis definitions (Hughes, 2014). There is a slowly growing movement to fix this, but as of yet little has been on an official capacity other than studies repeatedly finding that a drastic change needs to be implemented.

Vaccines and Autism: A major issue related to autism and ASD is the widespread belief among the general population that vaccines can be to blame for a child’s autism. The problem started nearly two decades ago, with propaganda disguised as science by Andrew Wakefield that was widely spread through the internet and general media outlets. To this day, despite definitive proof to the contrary by a number of research findings, 20% of Canadians still believe that there is a link, while another 20% aren’t sure about it (Weeks). As a result, a number of parents started to refrain from giving their children vaccines, with serious consequences such as illnesses like measles having made a deadly comeback to the country (Weeks).

References

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Bradley, E., Caldwell, P., & Underwood, L. (2013). Autism Spectrum Disorder. In J. McCarthy & E. Tsakanikos (Ed.), Handbook of Psychopathology in Intellectual Disability: Research, Practice, and Policy (pp. 237–264).

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Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. (2011). Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory honors stars of science and sports at sixth annual gala. Retrieved from http://www.cshl.edu/news-a-features/cold-spring-harbor-laboratory-honors-stars-of-science-and-sports-at-sixth-annual-gala.html

Davis, N. (2016, March 21). Autism spectrum has no clear cut-off point, research suggests. The Guardian [London]. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/mar/21/autism-spectrum-has-no-clear-cut-off-point-research-suggests-nature-genetics

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Fuentes, J., Bakare, M., Munir, K., Aguayo, P., Gaddour, N., & Öner, Ö. (2014). Developmental Disorders - Autism Spectrum Disorder. In J. M. Rey (Ed.), IACAPAP e-Textbook of Child and Adolescent Mental Health (p. C.2 1–35). Geneva: International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions.

Goldman, A. (2013, April 12). Temple Grandin on Autism, Death, Celibacy and Cows. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/magazine/temple-grandin-on-autism-death-celibacy-and-cows.html?_r=0

Grandin, T. (2010, February). Temple Grandin: The world needs all kinds of minds. [Video file]. Retrieved from

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Grandin, T. (2016). Temple Grandin Professional Resumé. Retrieved from http://www.grandin.com/professional.resume.html

Hauser, M. (2010, April 29). The 2010 TIME 100. Time. Retrieved from http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1984685_1984949_1985222,00.html

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Martin D. N. (2012) The ever changing social perception of autism spectrum disorders in the United States. Honors Thesis, East Carolina University. Retrieved from http://uncw.edu/csurf/Explorations/documents/DanielleMartin.pdf

Medical Library Association. (2016). Medical subject headings (MeSH).

Research Autism. (n.d.). Research Autism. Retrieved from http://researchautism.net/

Rothstein, A. (2012). Mental Disorder or Neurodiversity? The New Atlantis, 36. Retrieved from http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/mental-disorder-or-neurodiversity

Slaby, M. (2009). The Perspectives of Temple Grandin. Time. Retrieved from

http://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1985143,00.html

Sole-Smith, V. (2014). The History of Autism. Parents. Retrieved from http://www.parents.com/health/autism/history-of-autism/

Stace, C. (2014). A Minority Group. Autonomy, the Critical Journal of Interdisciplinary Autism Studies, 1(3). Retrieved from http://www.larry-arnold.net/Autonomy/index.php/autonomy/article/view/AR13

Teitel, E. (2015, August 25). Steve Silberman on autism and ‘neurodiversity’. MacLean's. Retrieved from http://www.macleans.ca/society/science/steve-silberman-on-autism-and-the-neurodiversity-movement/

Tonge,B., & Brereton, A. DSM-5 Autism Spectrum Disorder Fact Sheet. Retrieved from

http://www.timeforafuture.com.au/factsheets/CDPP%20Factsheet%201.%20DSM%205%20Autism%20Spectrum%20Disorder.pdf

Wang, J. (2014, March 29). How to Think About the Risk of Autism. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/30/opinion/sunday/how-to-think-about-the-risk-of-autism.html?_r=1

Weeks, C. (2015, February 6). Survey: One in five believe vaccine causes autism. The Globe and Mail [Toronto]. Retrieved from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/survey-finds-one-in-five-people-believe-measles-vaccines-cause-autism/article22851493/

Wing, L., Gould, J., & Gillberg, C. (2011). Autism spectrum disorders in the DSM-V: better or worse than the DSM-IV?. Research in developmental disabilities, 32(2), 768-773. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0891422210002647

Wong, C., Odom, S. L., Hume, K. A., Cox, A. W., Fettig, A., Kucharczyk, S., ... & Schultz, T. R. (2015). Evidence-based practices for children, youth, and young adults with autism spectrum disorder: A comprehensive review.Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(7), 1951-1966. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-014-2351-z

World Health Organization. (1994). International classification of diseases (ICD).

Further Resources

Autism Women’s Network

Interactive Autism Network

Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI)

The official site for a research program funded by the Simons Foundation, which focuses on all aspects of autism research

Doctor Temple Grandin’s Site

Dr. Grandin’s site on autism. It has some of her writings on the subject as well as information on conference appearances.

ResearchGate Discussion Forum

A discussion page on ResearchGate on academic papers regarding ASD stigma. You can also search the overall discussion forum for other ASD-related discussions by academics.

Parents miss signs of autism in their daughters by Emily Anthes (Spectrum, 2016)

A study finds that parents of girls with autism are significantly less likely than those of boys to voice concerns about their child’s social behaviour.

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Though mostly useful to familiarize oneself with ASD culture, members of the ASD community also post links to news and resources (usually with commentary on their perspective on the matter). Tags of interest: #asd, #actuallyautistic, #stimming, #aspielife

Stigma and the “Othering” of Autism by Lynne Soraya (Psychology Today, April 1, 2012)

An Aspie’s perspective on the stigma surrounding autism and what it means to support an autistic child.

Autism Speaks, But Not For Autistics by Dane La Born (The Free Weekly, April 6 2016)

An autistic’s perspective on the lesser-known controversy surrounding Autism Speaks, the #1 autism charity in the world.

Ce que signifient les étapes du développement chez un enfant autiste by Kathleen O’Grady (Huffington Post Quebec, 2016)

The Autism Speaks Controversy by Brianne McDunnough (Reporter Magazine, 2014)

Where Autism Got The Right Treatment In 2015 by Emily Willingham (Forbes, 2015)

Proteins that spark learning may play key part in autism by Ann Griswold (Spectrum, 2016)

Autism Spectrum Disorder Linked to Mutations in Some Mitochondria by (Neuroscience News, 2016)

Autism gene needed for growth of neurons during gestation by Jessica Wright (Spectrum, 2016)

[whimsically-ominously-auspice]

Children of the 1980s and 1990s

Approximately 15,000 girls born between 1983 and 1994 were injected with a form of mercury and plastic

They have amnesia and always will have a some form of short term and long term.

These are the only ones we have found. So please please understand there is nothing we can do at this time. There's a cure. Called a new body. Not rebirth but a resurrection like a ghost, basically. Removing the soul and escorting it into a new and improved human form. Which they have began on these 15,000. With permission and emails of course

We plan to update all human bodies to a stealth mode at a particular time in the future. Which has not been determined. But they can access these due to the Great Tree. So it's been expidiated to help them.

That said.

There's more out there. They did other shit and did stuff to boys, also. We just hadn't found it.

So please when you're feeling like you're saying shit that You're not... Like you're curious and it feels important but its not important enough...

Just let it go.

Like i wanna know shit but i don't want to fight about it.

But I'm possessed. I've known I have had listeners for a long time, most especially Denise. So i can notice it.

Its from an implantation of amobea. Electricity can kill them. But they will Just come back.

But usually there's a feeling of pressure in the body and it usually makes people feel lazy and also changes moods.

So music helps a lot. Especially if the "lead control" can't hear it like if sharing the same car. So I like to not play music i like around other people. In cars im 'll we will listen to what you do. Plus if i hear a song that played in the car with them, im more likely to remember that person or moment than if wr listened to what i always do.

If it's with some one you hate, put it on a channel no one listens to and you wont listen to with anyone else. Music you hate is good.

That's what i always did when I was a kid.

Otherwise just loudly say "go away" or "please stop" or "I don't feel good" or "this isnt good" or "i think a ghost is here"

And usually they will stop. But if you bitch at them cause i will tell Denise the Hell off. She argues back!! So i have to threaten to tell my Uncle Dad because that's the only thing that stops her. Because he will punish her. She gets giddy over her crimes.

So just try to recognize it. Try to stop it.

Don't blame the possessed person -- Do NOT say you're saying that because you're possessed!.

Mark used to say "you're yelling at your mom not me"

No bitch. I am fucking yelling at you. Because i didn't know he was dead, you know.

No if something comes out of our mouth -- it my been planted there but usually were actually curious or we do actually feel that way.

Now add in the brain issues like me calling A dog a Cat or vice versa. Just overlook it as a brain disorder, like you would dyslexia or another type of issue.

But don't be all you're possessed. Because we aren't stupid. We actually know. That's why we're moody bitches. And we mean what we say all the time.

But if two people have amnesia sometimes you're gonna have to say "you know what? IDK baby let's do something different"

And you will need a tremendously huge amount more rest than the normal person.

So change the subject but acknowledge and communicate why.

Or EAT or Sleep. Eating is huge!!! It makes the brain focus on something other than communication and so it actually cleans up the brain area and allows more space and privacy and good stuff.

Going for a walk is also a good head clearer.

Also allowing more time to communicate.

Realize they may be thinking about how your question is phrased, comparing it to the evil ex or their dad or an old teacher. It may spark a memory or sometimes they don't know the answer on a dime stop. Or in my head I repeat the question exactly the way my kid says it and then i pause and let it sink in then I answer and my kid has said it 3 fucking times. So then I yell and answer.

Which by the way i got a memory -- we used to wrestle in John Force's living room floor -- a whole bunch of us like 13 to 20. Who was all that?!?! I bet i taught yall to fight like a girl!! ;;)

But yeah. Let it be what it is. DNA4U reminds you you should be together as lovers and so that is your goal and it won't change because you refuse to get along or one of you is possessed by an alien something.

Sorry, your heart and soul must be actually evil to get a new soulmate for your current soulmate. So work on giving that love away.

[beazt]

even numbers for the studyblr ask?

Okey dokey oof What’s your major/what do you think you want to major in?Associate in Science is what I’m currently working towards- Wildlife Biology next, specializing in ornithology

Do you think you picked the right major? Yes!

Career goals?I want to be an ornithologist, I’d tell what my plans are but they’re kind of secret and personal to me?? It’s nothing time sensitive (like saving a species or developing a cure for something) but i feel like it’d make an impact

What classes are you taking right now?Classes that I’m about to start: Statistical Math, College Transfer Success, Writing and Inquiry, Biology I

Least favorite class ever and why?Freaking social studies / history. I’m awful at it, I have a general idea of history and I can spew facts off the top of my head, but I can NOT place them as causes and effects or on a timeline. I’m also pretty horrid at geography but I blame dyslexia for that

Current least favorite class and why?I haven’t exactly started the classes im about to take yet- but I’m gonna assume it’ll be either writing or college transfer success. NOT looking forward to world history when I have to take it

Favorite humanities subject?Art is a humanities subject right (if not, philosophy)

Do you use caffeine and if so how much daily?No, heart condition ^^;

Have you ever tried study drugs?I don’t even know what that means. Do I want to know.

Do you listen to music while you study?Sometimes, it depends- I need a bit of something going on or I can’t concentrate, but at some points music can be overwhelming. On the contrary, music can also help block out when life around me is too busy.

What’s your preferred writing implement?I have some limited edition mika pilot pens and I adore them rn

Describe your perfect study environment.Get ready for SPECIFICITY. Office chair with low arm rests, it’s cushy but not toooo cushy or huge. At a rather large desk, that is tall. Spearmint or blackberry & currant tea, unsweetened. Dim natural lighting. Quiet energetic music playing. Doodling.

What was the last thing you procrastinated?Writing my graduation speech

Do you like easy classes or do you feel bad if you’re not working hard?Both, I need a mixture or I’ll go bonkers.

What are you the proudest of out of all the assignments you’ve ever had?Excluding elementary and middle school… probably the essay I wrote for my college placement test, which was never read by human eyes other than my own, and will never be read by human eyes other than my own, and has been destroyed : ‘ D

Describe your favorite teacher/professor and why you like them.My basic skills instructor from this spring was super cool. Both of them were but one of them especially. I gave her hell all the damn time. We became basically best buds.

Have you ever thought about becoming a teacher/professor?I’ve considered but definitely won’t do it

Best feedback you’ve ever gotten on something academic?“No, you can not call pennies ‘sneaky little bastards.’

Are you an in-class fidgeter?YES HELL YES OH MY GOD YES

Write “the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” and post a photo.https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/333085816739856397/475127857115430933/image.pngI write like the last one most often, except messier. Cause this is on my phone. I may reblog with a pic of my actual paper handwriting tomorrow

A lot of notes or the bare minimum?A TON. I write my notes shorthand then rewrite them with even more detail

Are you a doodler?Listen I carry an extra graph notebook specifically for doodling

Do you have pre-test rituals and what are they?Muffin.

Do you make jokes in class?I almost got kicked out of class for too many jokes this spring but my instructors loved me too much

What’s something more important to you than school?Birds ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[strengthpushingthrough]

Today i felt dumb again

Im not even going to try and get the grammar right because if i do ill never get this out it'll cause me so much anxiety that its not perfect that ill just delete it so please be patient with me

I am an introverted Perfectionist who struggles with ADHD and Dyslexia... writing is one of my biggest struggles because most of the time i feel like i make no sense and since forever i have felt misunderstood. I have always struggled to communicate and because of my introverted nature writing would be so much fucking easier to get shit out but honestly if i wanted to write someone i cared about a letter with more than 5 fucking sentences it would take me a good 5 tries and by the second I'm done and I've given up on it so a lot of my shit just gets bottled up its honestly a lot of effort to try and explain how i feel and get the spelling, grammar and what i actually feel onto paper without smashing my head into a wall in the process but today for the first time in my life i am trying get this out and not care if its perfect or not. I'm done feeling trapped in my brain going over and over all these things and getting great stuff done in my head but not being able to actually get it out. here goes..

Today i felt dumb again, i tried so hard to explain something and I'm not sure that even worked but different than most days i cracked and for about 2 hours at work and on the way home i cried and i mean hysterically sobbing and loudly eww was not my finest moment. but i have been doing a lot of work with myself over the past month and this day different than another i said to myself why is this hurting so bad and i figured it out...because I'm not dumb I'm incredibly intelligent and nobody knows it because i put myself down and tell myself to think small because I'm not smart enough because thats what i have been told by everybody in my life..just do whats in your range..you’re not going to be able to do that or thats gonna be too hard for you.. in school i struggled with english and maths and in year 11 and 12 i was told by my advisor that i wouldn't be able to handle university subjects because i just wasn't smart enough. In primary school i got put in special classes before school for my dyslexia and yes it helped mend a gap in some areas but it was a quick fix for something that would continue to affect me my entire life.. to this day i still can't read a clock face or tell 24 hour time and i can't do simple math in my head because of a learning disability not because I'm not smart enough...i don't learn the way normal people do and none gets it, i have been told I'm just lazy that i need to try harder or that i didn't study enough.. i don't learn simple concepts because i don't understand the concept i can't just understand something based on what someone has said i am a physical learner and damn i have made my fair of mistakes.. i have issues with being impulsive and self-control i get distracted easily and i get bored if i know I'm going to fuck something up so many little things that affect my daily life and its exhausting.. 

most of the time i get confused with be extremely extroverted because of my talkative, high energy, impulsive, reactive, sociable characteristics but really there either a trait of my adhd or just a way i have learnt to fit in..but i am definitely not .. i require a lot of alone time and most of it is while i work people don't realise i actually love the solitude of driving all day it allows me to think and i think a lot about everything and anything.. i have big dreams and i have a really great memory.. i am the observer at parties and social situations..i have athough created little tricks to help me get through them i commit to saying hello first to stop awkwardness and little things like that i am socially awkward but i am good at hiding it most of the time..i don't care for surface relationships i truely crave intellectual conversations to feel connected to peopled only then do i feel happy to have the small talk.. Talking is also a big thing because i struggle so much with writing i have found a way to communicate without causing myself a mental breakdown i don't want to confuse this with confrontation although because ii struggle with that more so than anything.. but i am trying really bloody hard to work on these things and figure out a way to find balance..

i know i am confusing and i know a lot of people think i am looking for attention but all i really am trying to be is understood, i mean what i say when i say things and i dont have have hidden agendas hiding in my words please take my words for face value i don't try to blame or play games I'm just me trying to be me..

Todays my first step in the journey of many.