#james with adhd

[the-racer]

you know. i made a post about remus + his jewish characterization. now it's time for james and his adhd. everyone always talks about how james is so adhd, right, but i see a lot of truly awfully written adhd and as someone with adhd, it bugs the fuck out of me.

in fics, it's usually just written as "MY GOD, SPARKLY!" and yeah, sometimes it is that way in my brain. but that's not all adhd is. i never see adhd james written with the bad side of adhd.

1) sensory issues. this was the big one for me. i never see james with sensory issues. it's such a reality for adhd people tho. james who hates certain textures and gets unreasonably upset when he bites into a plum one day. he hates anything squeaky and nearly cries when remus' shoes squeak on the castle floors. he has huge issues with clothes textures and he literally shoves Sirius into a wall when he gets an unexpected hug and hates sirius' shirt material.

2) distracted and forgetful. you do see this with james but only as funny things and not things that seriously cause problems. james forgets things a lot- words and places and important dates. he forgot the word pen one day when trying to ask peter for one and he spent the whole rest of the day trying to think of it. he gets distracted by things and it upsets his friends sometimes. lily talking about her family issues and james finding sweets in his pocket that he forgot were there so he just starts talking about his sweets.

3) stims. i hadn't even realized i had them until my therapist pointed them out. james is HUGE on stimming. his most notable is bouncing. he bounces his leg when he's anxious or overstimulated. james bounces up and down when he's happy or worried. he loves bouncing. his hair ruffling thing is a perfect example of stimming. excited and happy, so he ruffles his hair. he wiggles/sways a lot too. his snitch, too, stimming constantly.

4) food. food. he loves specific foods and refuses to go outside of his designated safe foods. he has a specific love for sugar cookies and will eat them always. he always has them on his person. same with grapes, eggs, orange juice, noodle soup. those are his "safe" foods. notices slightest differences in foods. slightly burnt taste, unsalted food, too crispy/soft, stuff like that.

5) special interests. quidditch, number one. he loves quidditch so much and knows practically everything about the sport. he loves to talk about quidditch and gets really rambly when asked about it. and he gets upset when people interrupt his quidditch talk. loves music, too, and hyperfixates on musicians he likes- bowie, abba, queen, whitney houston. stuff like that. special interest in baking since he was young.

i could keep going. but there's so much more to adhd than just going "SHINY" and getting distracted. it's a real issue, it causes a lot of pain. it's not funny and it's not just go make james seem interesting. pretending james' adhd is a joke is harmful and people with adhd are actually affected by it.

however, i love helping people with characterizations and i love helping people in general. so if you wanna dm me to ask about adhd things, im happy to help!!

[marvelomadness06]

*studying in the library*

James: …

Regulus: …

James: …

Regulus: …

James: …

Regulus: …

James: …

Regulus: …

James: What do you think would happen if you peed on a jellyfish?

Regulus: *bangs head violently against table*

[the-kestrels-feather]

Things my ADHD has made me forget:

Where I put my damn keys JFC-- (they are in my hand)

Due dates if I don't set alarms

What day it is

Whether or not I gave my dog her after dinner treat (which she's fine with because it usually means she gets to double dip)

The 200+ videos in my "Watch Later" playlist

To Eat

Things my ADHD has not made me forget;

That I copy pasted an entire book into a paper and didn't cite it

[aro-bird]

What's up with controversial YouTubers constantly blaming ADHD for their rancid actions like... that's not how ADHD fucking works??? It could worsen some issues you have and even be the reason for some but it wouldn't make you a fucking asshole????

[donotaskmeagain]

Made some lil guys

Bonus! Scotty

(yes i know the rank bands are inaccurate but squigglies are hard to make with flannel)

[starsandmoonys]

James: You're on thin ice.

Regulus: I'm on the floor.

James: It's a metaphor.

Regulus: It's a carpet.

[thebibutterflyao3]

*Based on current events*

James: *frantically scrubbing dish soap into the front of his shirt*

Regulus: What are you doing?

James: I spilt on my favourite shirt! I have to scrub it before it stains.

Regulus: *eyeing his soapy belly* It never occurred to you to take it off first?

James: Oh. Uh…no?

[isabel-lillah]

James didn't know he had ADHD, because it was the 70s. He did know that he was different, though. He knew since his first year at Hogwarts, where he was surrounded by his peers, who just didn't seem to struggle with the same stuff he did.

He was worried he would be too weird for anyone to actually be friends with him.

And he was a lot for a lot of people, but not for his friends. His friends, who noticed his struggles and adapted without blinking an eye. His friends who found ways to help him without ever mentioning it.

Remus kept a hair tie around his wrist to lent James when he needed to fidget.

Peter always carried several extra quills in his bag to give James when he forgot his or broke it when he was moving around a lot.

Sirius dragged him out of the castle for a run whenever James got bouncy.

They all reminded him the deadlines of their assignments and the books he left somewhere.

They physically shielded him when other students were giving him dirty looks for not being still in the library or the classrooms.

And nobody ever understood why all of these little things meant so much to James.

[gabihime-jegulusseeker]

jegulus incorrect quotes

* James is asleep on the couch next to Regulus in the Slytherin common room*

Barty: Didn’t he just finish his fourth cup of coffee before he fell asleep?

Regulus: Fifth. But for James, caffeine is like taking a sleeping pill

Barty: Isn’t that very common for people with ADHD?

Regulus: Your point being?

[marauderstars]

Sirius: Have you ever felt like your entire personality is annoying and decided to change everything about yourself but then gotten distracted and gone straight back to how you always were?

James: I have ADHD. That is literally my entire life.

[bookishbrewer]

Cyn - The Disabled Neurodivergent Sibling:

⚠️ WARNING: this post will include discussion of bullying, ableism of numerous kinds, abuse, trauma.

First, let's establish 2 important terms for this post:

Zombie Drone - a state in which a worker drone is improperly disposed of. The WD enters a state of self-reboot as a result of: their core not being properly disconnected, the hardware not physically destroyed or a 606 error is interrupted. In a 0.7% chance, there's the risk of said WD rebooting with a "potential hazardous mutation".

The Absolute Solver - an incredibly advanced monstrous code and supernatural artificial intelligence that mutates in damaged forms of lesser AI.

Neurodivergent:

Cyn is first introduced in a flashback in episode 2, when she is scavenged & brought back to the Elliot mansion by Tessa. Right at the beginning, we the shy drone do something that may be interpreted as neurodivergent - imprinting:

Yes, I may be reading too deeply into this, but the fact that Cyn immediately focuses on the drone with the least threatening position & expression makes me think she may interpret him as the safest person to be around.

Just before this scene, we as the audience got to see the relationship between the main 3 drones Cyn will interact with in the mension:

1. N & V - they are the more meek & submissive types. They're both portrayed as sensitive, and have something of a crush on each other.

2. J - she's more of a mean 'older-bully-sibling' type. Not hasitating to command her peers, even using verbal & physical violence to do so.

So, in a sense, Cyn was right.

In ASD, for example, neurodivergent people might rely on siblings for interpreting social cues, deepening their connection. In addition, siblings may become key figures in routines and shared interests, leading to strong bonds (see for example how N reacts to Cyn showing him "those eyes" referring to her putting a picture of a golden retriever on her visor to convince him to go ask Tessa if they can attend the gala together. Or N suggesting the both of them will watch a movie together).

For another example, ADHD, siblings might help manage impulsivity & help with conflict resolution. We see an example of this in this clip:

After Tessa's abusive mother tells her off, Cyn steps in & exclaims that "they are not broken. We can no longer be thrown out", in direct reaction to the mother threatening to throw out all of Tessa's "dumpster pets".

This, clearly, triggers Cyn's trauma we see a glimpse of in episode 5:

She wakes up in what is essentially a pile of dead bodies, deeply woulded, hurt & terrified. This is what she is referring to, this is what 'no longer' means. It means 'not again'. She doesn't wish what she went through on anyone.

Even though N, Tessa's favorite, protects Cyn, it does not shelter her from Tessa's abuse. Now, let me reiterate, I know that Tessa is an abused child. She suffers from emotional, physical & verbal abuse from both her parents (& maybe other caretakers) and is also just a kid. My point in mentioning said abuse is to merely point put that this is an example to the cycle of it continuing, creating more victims.

Tessa inflicts on Cyn the exact same abuse she suffers at the hands of her parents & more:

She displays blatent favoritism towards certain drones (N & J) over others (neglects V & treats Cyn badly).

She threatens Cyn that something might happen to her if N is hurt for defending her from her mother.

She chains & locks Cyn in the basement with the use of one of her favorite drones (J):

Another example of Cyn's implied neurodiversity is her misunderstanding of Tessa's words. When Tessa threatens Cyn that something might happen to her if N is hurt "because of her" she simply replies:

Cyn does not exactly understand that Tessa is worried that N might die. To her, it is meaningless, because she (or rather, the Absolute Solver) has backups of Ns personality (which is displayed in future episodes, when it is revealed that she is the one to send the murder drones to Copper 9). This is very similar to how people with ASD (& others) may take a statement too literally or misunderstand it at first.

Another tidbit that I like about Cyn, is that she doesn't like being condescended to. She talks back to those who belittle her because of her being 'different'. Not only to Tessa & her mother, but also to her fellow drones:

Cyn: it seems that J forgot to let me out of my basement time-out again.

J: yet here you are.

Cyn (turning to N): annoyed expression.

She also does it to N in her eldritch form:

Another thing I'd like to add is Cyn being quite quirky & unique in her peaceful days, before the Solver took over her entirely:

Physically Disabled

We know that Cyn was sent to be destroyed for some reason before the show began. Her almost being destroyed caused numerous disabilities, some of them were cured (for example: her cracked visor was fixed) but some remained as lasting effects:

Linguistic differences/disabilities -

Cyn cannot talk in a more "smooth" way like her fellow drones. Her voice can be interpreted as robotic & distant (a characteristic some neurodivergent & disabled people may have or may be precieved as having).

Instead of just doing, Cyn says her actions out loud, for example: "sheepish nod", "shuffle, shuffle, shuffle", "tantrum", "jumpscare", "light sip". Some neurodivergent individuals, such as people diagnosed with ADHD may express their thoughts or describe their actions out loud as they are doing them to help with focus, brain fog & organization.

Bodily impairments -

Cyn stands a bit crookedly & doesn't get much support from her limbs to hold her body.

Her head cannot be held straight & has to be supported by something (she usually uses her hand to do that. Even in her eldritch form, before committing the massacre in Elliot mansion):

Though there are many voices of people, both disabled & otherwise that speak against disabled characters being portrayed as villains, I believe Cyn is in no way a disrespectful character. Before she is entirely lost to the Solver her trauma is explored, validated & expended on. She is portrayed as sweet, charming, complex & loving. She is also shown as being bullied, discarded, hurt & abused.

Her disabilities are not the cause of her fall to evil & are not her "trademark" when it comes to her definition (similarly to how, let's say, Darth Vader is mocked for his suit & is known & feared partially because of it). They are a part of her, but they are not the only aspect in her life that define her.

I think Cyn is a pretty good example of what a disabled person may go through in different stages of their lives. As a new sibling, as an unfavored child, as a server/worker, as a friend, as a hero & yes, as a victim of circumstances beyond their control.

I love Cyn, she's very special to me & I can't wait to see where her story will go.

Thank you for reading 🙏💜

[defective-and-effective]

James: dont fucking tell me what to do

Regulus: I—

James, a Professional™️ ADHD-er that knows he has auditory processing issues and wants to show regulus that he does value his input and loves him dearly: can you write it down for me and sign your name with a little heart 🥺🥺

[adharastarlight]

The marauders as things ive said/done:

Sirius: james, mate, what's wrong?

James: I left icecream out

Sirius: what?! its 10am, why were you eating icecream!?

James: time is a social construct

Remus: can you go back to put it away?

James, who is already running late for his date with Reg: ...no

Sirius: you're an idiot

James: its okay! I can make milkshakes when I get home. All of my chaos has solutions

[ozlices]

btw if ur wondering yes my adhd ass v much resents him even entertaining the concept of the memory issues that come w adhd being a reason he plagarized. idfc if he was quoting his therapist. he already has MOUNTAINS of harm towards minority communities under his belt. it takes some NERVE to add yet another already stigmatized by the spread of misinfo group to that pile. eat my adhd shit, asshole.

[lord-of-the-ducks]

I don’t really give a shit about James Somerton, but apparently he claimed that he Did A Plagiarism because of a head injury he had as a kid + ADHD, so he would just copy and paste paragraphs and then forget to rewrite them.

And as someone who was ALSO hospitalized for a head injury as a child, and ALSO has ADHD (with one of my primary symptoms being memory loss), I feel uniquely qualified to fight him on this because I have never done a plagiarism.

[lilyofthevalleyys]

James: I just thought of something

Regulus: What is it?

James: Wait I can’t remember

Regulus:

James: Oh wait WAIT ITS COMING BACK

Regulus:

James: Nevermind it’s gone

James: WAIT-

Regulus: I’m going to throw myself into the Black Lake