Excellent Content As Per Usual, Fucking SUPERB--

I’ve been cooking this one for a while, but with the most recent “The Bad Batch” episode, I feel this is timely. 

Before I go into it, I want to get it out there that there is NOTHING WRONG with HC-ing an autistic character or an autistically-coded character as Aro/Ace, and there is NOTHING WRONG with being an Aro/Ace Autistic/Autistic person. My issue is with a PATTERN and not any specific HCs that I’ve come across. I also need to say that my Autistic experience is not the same as anyone else’s, I cannot and do not speak for all Autistic people. We exist on a spectrum here. I will also be using Autistic and Autistic person interchangeably here because I have no personal preference, though others might.

That being said, I notice that A LOT, if not MOST Autistically-coded characters are popularly headcanoned as Aro/Ace in their respective fandoms. Sometimes there’s canon evidence and sometimes there’s not. Some of them I agree with and others...make me wonder if they’re just being thought of that way because of the pervasive stereotype that Autistics are incapable of romantic or sexual feelings. 

In my own experience, I’ve had a handful of encounters where people are really shocked that I’m in a committed romantic relationship and that I am very comfortable with my sexuality and sexuality in general. It goes hand in hand with the typical “you don’t LOOK Autistic” response from people. It’s all part of a wider stereotype that infantilizes neurodivergents, separating them from commonly recognized markers of adulthood (and by extension, personhood) like a developed sex drive, desire to be romantically close with others, and independence. None of these things actually define what an adult person is, by the way.  

In those encounters, I usually feel infantilized and talked down to. It’s an unpleasant reality of my life that I can usually escape from in my fandoms, but echoes of it resonate in previously safe spaces with this pattern. I have to wonder if everybody is actually thinking their HCs through or if they’re just slapping “Aro/Ace” onto the character because they subconsciously don’t think of Autistic people as capable of romantic or sexual feelings, especially with characters that actually have canon romantic/sexual feelings ON SCREEN or CONFIRMED by the creators. (I thought about providing examples of Autistic/Autistically-coded characters that get Aro/Ace headcanoned often here, in spite of canon evidence to the contrary, but headcanons are supposed to be fun and I don’t want to start an argument about these characters here, especially if that headcanon is important to someone).

In summary, the Autistic community is an incredibly diverse one with people of all walks of life. Please don’t shunt us into just one way of being because of stereotypes, even if we’re just fictional characters.

Also, please watch Overly Sarcastic’s Trope Talk on Robots for a nice little lesson on coding and how it affects the Neurodivergent and Aro/Ace communities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZGRdxP_8Js&t=1s

So Netflix is releasing this animated movie but here’s the thing - all backgrounds are done in AI. No actual BG artists were hired or credited for this work.

And here’s the kicker - I gave them too much credit. I realized that not even the AI users are credited apparently. Check this out:

“+Human”. No names, no nothing. 

I know it’s tempting, but please don’t hate-watch this thing. Numbers equal profit even if the people watching are just doing it to mock. Don’t give Netflix and other studios even more incentive to fire more animators and replace them with machines trained on their work and skill. 

Hilarously, the excuse used is ‘there aren’t enough artists’. That’s not true - there are more than enough artists, but the real issue is that no one wants to pay a living wage. Here’s a short video about the reality of animation in Japan.

The biggest winners in this equation at the end of the day are the AI infrastructure owners - owners of Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, etc. Do not feed this machine, it creates more monopolization of entire industries, raises a powerful few and dehumanizes the rest.

Oooooooooh! Pretty....

🤩

More of my star!leo, Im obsessed with him now djskqoq

Here have some GODDAMNED ANGST

— Twin Size Mattress, The Front Bottoms

like father, like son by @eternalglitch

based on chapter 13

😘sexy💯 independent😈✨free-thinker😝🎱 roger, roger!🙊real🏅yes, we are hooman😇💫all your base are belong to us👍🙌🏼💋

Just LOOK AT MY DAMN RESUME YOU CUCKY YES MEN AND ASS LICKERS

Are you a "how could you possibly misunderstand me so thoroughly" NFP or a "how dare you know me at all" NFP

im so calm and normal but also if im misunderstood by people in a way i cannot control i will tear apart the fibers of the universe

Reblog and put the species of the nearest stuffed animal

I just would like to add, not correct or change any of this:

People with personality disorders, anxiety, depression, PTSD, etc are SOMETIMES ALSO ABUSERS and their mental health definitely plays into their patterns of abuse. I've...unfortunately been on both ends of being abused by a mentally ill person. I'm not proud of how I behaved on one end and and my experiences at the other won't excuse that, ever.

That being said, language is highly important and it IS critical to avoid generalizing terms for oppressed groups like mentally ill and disordered people, so yes to all of the above. Just...remember people are complicated, yeah?

Can I please find a single resource for abusive relationships without there being "narcissistic" in the tile like come on.

Picture Donnie in a really big turtle neck sweater with long sleeves. Preteen or turtle tot owo/)

"im shtuck..."

lil doodly doo of the baby ever...