#the adhd and autism are strong with this one

[monstersinthecosmos]

Okay I don’t want this to be like an obnoxious millennial assumption because I’m positive that every generation has things like this, but the way autism and ADHD was treated for us in the 90’s and how it affects adult diagnoses is like, imo, so integral to our coming of age and the stories we tell and the way we’ve gotten to know ourselves, even the way it relates to our job market and economy and how we operate inside it, and especially the way a pandemic uncovered it for so many people and exposed the cracks and revealed that we were all just barely functioning and held together with popsicle sticks and anyway

I say that because maybe it’s the un-diagnosed 90’s child in me but I feel particularly emotional about Keith’s arc in learning that he’s part Galra, and the way even the creators said they made him sort of prickly because of his biology, and I just !! Think so much about Keith’s neurotype as a part Galra!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cause something about being diagnosed later in life is like, looking back at all the other ways you tried to handle yourself, all the missteps, maybe even misdiagnoses. Like, how many times did you try to treat ANXIETY without realizing you didn’t have an anxiety disorder, you just can’t deal with your family blaring the TV from the next room? How many times were you told you were lazy, or lying, when you didn’t know what executive dysfunction is? 

Keith is such a lovely rich character because his prickliness is EARNED—we know what happened to him, we know he’s traumatized, we know he’s been treated poorly by many people in his life. We know that he grew up thinking that he’d been abandoned by one of the people who should’ve loved him the most, in the whole world. He even questions that in his vlog—he makes the connection that he has trouble with people because of his mom. 

But I just wonder like, how much of it is just his biology. Not understanding the body he’s in, being completely ignorant of one whole half of his culture. Had he ever mutated before the TBP fight? Did it take him by surprise, did it frighten him? ((* This is head canon territory LMAO there’s no way to really know—like, is he able to do this because he just spent so much time with Krolia, or does Shiro going That’s the Keith I remember mean they used to have really primal sex that turned his eyes yellow? Lol)) 

Like when we talk about even the most broad generic terms of saying someone is neurodivergent, we don't even need to put a real life label on Keith. Like he's literally not human! Of course his brain looks different! Of course he functions differently! And I wonder how much is nature v nurture -- if he knew the truth about his mom, if his dad had lived, if he'd been allowed a normal childhood, would he still have been a weird kid?

Cause like, even seeing the way Shiro is able to get through to him, we see ways that he allowed for thrill seeking, and he didn't judge Keith for stealing his car. It reminds me of like, what we know now about asking children to sit still in school, and how perhaps some children would do better with standing desks. Shiro wants him to behave and succeed, and doesn't judge him for being a car thief, and gets through to him by bringing him cliff diving. And it just feels like this clue, you know, that nothing is wrong with Keith, he's just living in a weird place where people don't get him.

It’s just really special to me, because there’s so many pieces in the sequence of events of Keith’s character arc, and I know I’ve said this a handful of times now, but I really sincerely believe it’s the only thing the show really nailed. Accepting himself during the BOM Trial -> MOMENTS later learning something ver important about his biology -> spending time with Krolia -> coming back to pilot Black when he’s READY and WANTS to (unlike the first time, when he resisted) -> becoming a pragmatic strong leader by the end.

Gosh idk. 

I don’t really have anywhere to go with this, it’s just something I was thinking about today and it gets me real emotional. Like, Keith must have had these moments, re-evaluating who he’d been before he’d known, finally understanding why he was Like That, and it’s so healing to imagine him accepting his past self and forgiving it because he understands now. 

[fatoujallovv]

♡ ELLIE’S 1000 FOLLOWER CELEBRATION ♡ my top ten tv blorbos (as ranked by my followers)

#3 (17.7%) robin buckley + neurodivergent traits insp.

[scificrows]

Is there a 300 page essay about Murderbot's armor (specifically the opaque helmet) as a not-so-subtle metaphor for masking in a clearly neurodivergent character already? Because I need it.

The way Murderbot is unvoluntarily without its opaque armor in All System Red in front of the crew (i.e. unmasking) and appears surprised at its own strong facial expressions and other people's reaction to it? The vulnerability that comes with that and how Murderbot spends pretty much the rest of the book wearing or actively missing its armor which keeps it safe from the mortifying ordeal of being known (yet sometimes other characters suggest it might help for it to not opacify the helmet in order for others to see it as a person and to trust it (and in the end idk if it would have achieved the rewards of being loved by its humans and have had its needs met if it hadn't unmasked in this relatively safe environment sometimes)).

Also there's the whole avoiding-looking-directly-at-people-and-using-drones-instead thing which Murderbot usually hides using the opaque helmet, but whenever it doesn't have that people notice it and many react negatively/confused. I think that's a whole neurodivergent-applicable situation in and of itself? Like damn

And then Mensah encourages Murderbot not to wear armor on Preservation station since it would not need it there, Murderbot is hesitant but ends up not wearing any (like 4 books later when we finally get to that bridge) (going for the comfortable clothes it chose for itself instead, with very strong feelings about the whole being able to make choices thing that I cannot go into further at this point because I would absolutely end up BITING SOMETHING OR SOMEONE).

And I'm not going to advocate for unmasking all the time in any setting because hell no, sometimes it absolutely sucks and people are irritated by Murderbot's now visible quirks and are afraid of what they don't know, but many GET TO KNOW Murderbot better and because there are other people that make sure Murderbot is safe and respected and are willing to get people fired for it if they disrespect it (Pin-Lee my beloved) Murderbot can experiment with this situation without being exiled to some abonded part of a planet and other people are forced to spend enough time around ot to learn to respect it and even like it. I just....... It must be so scary and Murderbot is handling so much at once and in this essay I will

PS sorry this is a disorganized mess but so am I and I have so many Thoughts and even more Emotions and so little patience.

[arsenicflame]

ok ND folk, here's one i really want to know:

[lemonlurkrrthinksthisstuffiscool]

@strangebossyuri

take it

[wafflesrisa]

The neurodivergent urge to pick out neurodivergent traits in all of your blorbos

[stinkrascal]

even though it was buried in the tags of my last text post, that text post was the first time ive ever admitted to any of my ocs having The Diagnosis which is also My Diagnosis which means ive just somewhat admitting to having The Diagnosis which is My Diagnosis and wow that was extremely nerve wracking but it also felt nice to get it out there. this is my coming out post i guess

[iloveyoumorethansoup]

Fun news! I had my assessment result meeting for my mental health and got told I needed to go fill out another form since my grades are perfect I don’t have a super strong case for adhd :|

[goldiipond]

don and emma best friends. one of my greatest truths

[theoretically-questionable]

took a look at my almost-decade-dormant vent blog. something important about seeing how frequently I posed there about the value and necessity of deliberate kindness and hope - even as I was struggling to see the value in them, let alone live them.

[redd956]

I wish there was a tag for disability pride flags, so I can not see them. They make me uncomfortable, as they make me feel like having a disorder is fun and quirky, and something to wear as a badge. It really really bothers me. I’m not saying we should feel ashamed of having a disorder, but pride is a strong word for that category too. Like proud? Proud of going through traumatic experiences that tacked on a disorder to me? You do you I guess, but I’m not proud at all.

I know it makes others feel heard which is why I’m not against people really making them. I just want a tag. I don’t want to block the tags to my own disorder. 

[milkweedman]

Finished spinning skein 3 for that sweater today, definitely going thru the wool pretty fast :/ ive been poking thru my stash (of both fleece and yarn) looking for things to bulk it up with, and the main issue im coming up against is that i want to dye this sweater once it's done because i absolutely dont want a white sweater... but i also dont really spin white yarn (usually i dye everything as fleece before i spin it). So im thinking of either knitting the body of this sweater out of this bfl x, dyeing it, and then knitting the arms out of some colored yarn that ive already spun, or else pausing the knitting for a little bit, spinning some brown yarn for all the ribbing and some stripes or colorwork or something, and hoping thats enough to get on with. I like the second idea better tbh. I have some nice soft jacob that would texturally be similar enough to not make me scream, and i could probably mix it with alpaca to make it especially soft.

Anyway, i know the fact that im liveblogging my extremely unplanned and chaotic sweater spin and knit is probably driving a few of you insane, but it's like they say: the first casuality is the plan, which means you might as well just do whatever

[nexus-nebulae]

,,,,,,, nap

[outer-edges]

my roommate asked me to change my music so i turned on the last of us sound track and she listened for like two chords before tipping her head back and going "you're on the spectrum" so empathetically and i just-

[hopelesslvr]

losing my mind because there are no zelda roleplayers in sight and i need to have my girlfriend and my self insert converse in varying degrees of detail.

[aztrosist666]

trying to figure out if i could have x or y disorders is so confusing because most symptoms i experience are either shared between adhd (diagnosed) and the disorders im looking up so i don’t know if it’s just more adhd/connected to my medication or if i actually could have other conditions