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lanceeselhombre · 2 years

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Autistic!Klee HCs

⚠️ Spoilers for Klee’s story quest ⚠️

• Oh boy I have a lot of thoughts about our sweet darling Klee

• She’s a little ball of energy. The kind of autistic that is always ready to go go go and doesn’t want or feel the need to rest

• Stims nonstop. She never sits still, she’s gotta be rocking or running around or chatting at all times

• Loves people and socializing! Very talkative and happy to interact with other people, which had most adults not noticing that she is autistic. Big bro Albedo was of course the first to realize and makes sure she gets the support she needs

• While she’s hyperverbal, she struggles to communicate effectively, especially when she’s upset. Doesn’t get what context others need to understand what she’s trying to say

• ‘I want to do this.’ ‘And what is that, Klee?’ ‘This!’

• This is literally never an issue with Albedo. He knows how to prompt her to give the information he needs and is working on teaching her how to communicate better

• Visual sensory seeker. Loves bright, flashing lights and colors

• Auditory sensory seeking and also under sensitive. Has poor volume control with her voice because of it and often doesn’t retain directions if she wasn’t focusing on the person that gave them

• Comes off as unruly to adults that aren’t aware of this. Albedo, Kaeya, and Jean know how to make sure she’s heard and understood rules though (source: Kaeya’s rules to live by)

• This also explains why she isn’t bothered by the explosions of her bombs

• Proprioceptive seeking but tactile avoidant. Like to bounce around and hang off things, but despises being touched

• She wears compression clothes under her outfit because she would otherwise cry from all the seams

• Partially carries her bag for the weight stim! Even if there are no bombs or other things inside, it’s full of weights and stim toys (source: idle animation)

• Taste sensory avoidant. She’s an incredible picky eater, mainly because she can’t stand a lot of textures that are common in food

• Has poor working memory. She forgets the rules all the time and only remembers them when she breaks one (no I’m not projecting)

• Bombs are her special interest and it’s likely one of the only reasons they don’t get confiscated all the time

• Gets overstimulated easily by bad sensations. Can be soothed just as easily by someone that knows what they’re doing

• Meltdowns almost exclusively in that emotionally explosive way that allistics tend to call a tantrum

• Gets wrongly labeled as a problem child a lot but is really a sweetheart with a high need for support in some areas

#actuallyautistic #autism acceptance month #my headcanons #fandom headcanons #genshin headcanons #autism headcanons #autistic headcanon #genshin klee #genshin impact klee #autistic klee #other content

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npdclaraoswald · 3 years

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Do you have any autistic Annie (and Abed) headcanons?

-an autistic wlw who enjoys your blog :)

Thank you! 💜

I think Annie's actually diagnosed and insecure about it bc of internalized ableism. In the pilot she sounds SO offended by Troy's joke about aspergers and I think this is why

Her diagnosis used outdated language like aspergers or high functioning and she's got a lot of feelings about it

On the one hand, when she's still got a lot of really bad internalized ableism, she thinks it makes her "better" than other autistic people, which is why she can be so condescending to Abed in season 1

But it also makes her feel like she's "faking" or doesn't "really" need support and feeds into the high standards for herself bc she thinks she has to prove something

Befriending Abed really helps with the internalized ableism though and growing to love him really helps her love herself

Living in apartment 303 is pretty life changing for her because Troy and Abed have just as much difficulty judging what's normal as she does and she gets to live in a truly judgement free setting

Her stuffies are comfort items

She struggles with being overstimulated with noise the more than any other sensation

As she learns more about it forensics becomes more and more of a special interest and part of why she struggled so much with letting herself switch tracks away from hospital administration is bc of internalized ableism and thinking it would be "childish" to pursue something that brings her so much joy as a career

She struggles using the dreamatorium bc she thinks it's not "normal" but it really helps her process emotions that she feels detached from

She got scolded as a kid for being a "picky eater" and was forced to eat food that set off sensory issues, but she revels in cooking and trying new foods as an adult bc she has the freedom to choose and she thinks it fun to try to find something that will work as a samefood

Sometimes she doesn't understand why Abed doesn't feel the same way about food, but if he reminds her, she'll happily share some buttered noodles or lucky charms just to have something to share with him

This does Not work with special drink though. Something about the sugar and texture makes her mouth feel Bad

She LOVES true crime and has a blast when she and Abed can find a way to merge their special interests like with filming her missing wife footage

Frankie's a huge role model for her and she's delighted to find out she's autistic too

Frankie's actually done a lot of reading and research into the autistic community and disability rights and she helps Annie learn how outdated functioning labels are and a bunch of other self acceptance stuff (same with Abed of course)

Frankie also helps her figure out her sexuality, since comphet hits her particularly hard since she thinks that being autistic is the reason things don't feel right with men, not realizing it's bc she's not attracted to them

Post series she and Abed become the Community universe's version of Buzzfeed Unsolved

#annie edison #abed nadir #frankie dart #community #actuallyautistic

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youwerenevermeanttofeelalone · 3 years

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Autumn Soulmate | Ben Hargreeves

✦ pairing — Ben Hargreeves x gender neutral!Plus Size Reader

✦ word count — 2k

✦ Soulmate AU

✦ request(s) — Can you do a soulmate AU with Ben (from tua lol) where you have a colorful mark wherever your soulmate first touches you, and youve always been confused bc yours has always been like tentacle shaped or some other weird thing from a monster? ; could you do something Ben Hargreeves x reader picking apples from an orchard or going to a pumpkin patch? ; can you do watching Halloween movies and baking/eating those dumb (but delicious) pillsbury sugar cookies with little pumpkins on them with Ben Hargreeves x reader? & Can you do a fic for fall with Ben Hargreeves, just like sipping hot cocoa or apple cider or something while reading books next to each other?

✦ warnings — angst, mentions of a shootout, mentions of food and drinks, reader is a botanist, fluff.

✦ author's note — I changed a few things from the requests to make them all fit here, but nothing too drastic.

✦ author's note II — this is late, I’m sorry!! But in my defense, apart from health issues getting in the way, I only started getting a taste of autumn last week.

════════════════════════

Your shoulders itched as you followed your sister through the pumpkin patch. She was getting picky over the pumpkins she wanted to buy for her son to carve.

The pumpkins were supposed to be a surprise for the kid with it being the first time he would be allowed to carve a pumpkin and all.

Rolling your shoulders, you pointed at a medium-sized pumpkin. “What about that one?”

She tilted her head, long hair flowing backward as the air breezed it. Why were your shoulders and back feeling so hot if cold air was hitting both of you?

Could it finally be...

You had had so many false hopes that you wished your heart wouldn’t skip that way still every time your shoulders warmed up.

Every time you were sure your soul marks were telling you your soulmate was close, and every time you became disappointed.

Often, you traced the tentacles embedded on your skin, bright in color and without texture. You wondered if your soulmate would like them if you ever found them — and most of all, you wondered why you had such strange marks.

Did they work with octopi? Or perhaps you had misunderstood the shapes and they were something else? Yet the thing you wondered the most was how had you met them, who could’ve touched both of your shoulders when you were a teen?

And why didn’t you remember them?

You lost sight of your sister which you should’ve expected. She was always quicker than you, and too antsy to stay in the same place for too long.

Taking off in order to look for her, you encountered what you assumed to be a family. The seven of them were obstructing the path so you cleared your throat.

All of them turned to look at you as if on cue. You couldn’t make their faces out, six out of seven faces blurred out and you only could see warm eyes and a bright sunflower.

“Well, are you passing or what?”

“Five,” the man you had been staring at chastised. He stepped towards you, hesitantly offering his hand. “I’m Ben.”

You gave him your name, pressing your palm on his to shake his hand.

The second it happened, you knew he felt it too. Your skin tingled and goosebumps erupted all over your body — your shoulders scorched for a moment yet you didn’t find the sensation unpleasant.

And then, Ben smiled at you — the biggest and loveliest smile someone had ever thrown your way.

“Did I do that?” you wondered out loud, unable to take your eyes off the side of his neck.

He nodded. “You don’t remember? I was trying to move you out of the way in that shootout and you grabbed me.”

“Well, I remember that day,” you blurted, “but not you. You had a domino mask on and—“ you interrupted yourself with a sigh. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine, it was something horrible to go through.”

Yeah, it was. You lost your little brother that day. Which you were sure Ben knew because his smile faltered. You gave him a smile of your own, small yet genuine.

He understood that it was fine, that changing the subject would be for the better. “What’s up with the flower, though?” After a pause, he assured you, “I mean, I like it; I’m just curious.”

“Oh! I’m a botanist,” you explained.

Before you could say anything else, one of Ben’s siblings approached you both, dressed in a colorful outfit and sporting sunglasses probably due to a hangover.

“We’re leaving.” He took a long look at you then dragged his eyes back to Ben. “You can stay here and flirt all you want, though.”

“They’re my soulmate,” Ben announced.

“Oh my God!”

Slender arms wrapped around your neck, startling you. The hug was enthusiastic, warm, childlike.

“Klaus,” Ben chastised yet another one of his siblings but unlike Five, Klaus only hugged you tighter instead of ignoring him.

You hugged back, timidly saying hi. Klaus shook you from side to side, elated. You wondered if your sister would be as happy for you as Klaus was for Ben.

When you were finally let go of, you smiled at both of them. Perhaps meeting your soulmate was doing things to you because while you had always been polite, you had never smiled so much in such a short amount of time.

“I’ll tell the others, Romeo.” Klaus patted Ben’s back. As he walked away from you, giving you his back, he yelled, “Be safe, children!”

“I’m so sorry,” Ben chuckled. “Klaus is... well, Klaus. I don’t know how to explain it, or him, better said.”

“I’m guessing not all of your siblings are as enthusiastic?” you half-asked, hoping he wouldn’t mind that you were looking down at your phone.

You typed in a flash, letting your sister know what was going on. She didn’t reply instantly, but that was expected of her.

“They’re all good people,” Ben sighed, “messy, but lovable each in their own way.”

Your sister’s reply came in before you could come up with anything to say to him.

Have fun. Text me if you need me to get you out of there.

Of course your older sister would say that, ever the protective one. She too was a little messy, and extremely lovable. It seemed that Ben and you surely had things in common.

The two of you continued walking through the pumpkin patch, talking about yourselves instead of looking at the pumpkins — his siblings had already picked a few, just like your sister.

“I feel bad that your family bonding time got cut short because of me,” you admitted. “Are you sure you don’t want to join them? We can meet up any other day.”

“Don’t worry, they’ll understand. They know for how long I’ve been looking for you.” He stared off behind you, biting down his bottom lip. His eyes fell on you then and he said, “I’ve never picked apples from an orchard.”

You craned your neck, observing the red apples looked perfect, as though out of a painting. “We’re gonna need a basket.”

The slight chill in the air prompted you to drape the hood of your jacket over your head, afraid it would rain. Ben huffed a laugh beside you, fixing your hood with his free hand. He carried the basket in the other, excited to pick apples from an orchard for the first time.

He climbed the ladder, inhaling the sweet earthy scent as he admired the beautifully contrasting colors. Ben tilted his head, examining the apples closest to him.

Hesitantly, he touched one. “Do you like this one?”

Nodding, you told him, “Pick whichever you like, Ben.” You smiled in assurance at him once he looked down at your figure, watching him drop the apple in the basket.

You didn’t understand how or why, but Ben seemed to stay still for a moment. You were positive he was staring at you, and the only thing you could do was smile even bigger.

He almost started babbling there, he caught himself before his tongue slipped. Ben wasn’t good at complimenting people, and the only thing he could think about was that your smile and the way it made your eyes lit up made him feel calm.

He snapped out of it and went back to the task, giddy.

You saw him grow more comfortable once he had picked a couple of apples. Ben filled the basket with sweet red apples, handing it to you as he stepped down the ladder.

════════════════════════

You carried two mugs with you as you stepped into your bedroom. Closing the door with your hip, you approached him in gentle steps.

Ben looked up, immediately placing the book he had been reading down onto his lap, keeping it open with his thigh. “Thank you, love,” he said softly, taking the warm ceramic you were offering to him.

He inhaled the sweet smell of hot chocolate, blowing onto the lip of the mug in hopes that he wouldn’t burn his tongue.

You waited for him to take a sip before sitting on the bed. As the mattress dipped while you made yourself comfortable, Ben watched you.

He had called you earlier, asking if you would be home soon. He needed to unwind after a bad day. At first, he felt silly, but you didn’t find his complaining pointless nor childish as he had.

You placed your hand on the back of his head, feeling the tense muscles. Softly, you massaged the area with your fingers, applying the lightest of pressures.

And so you found a rhythm, you would stop the movement while he sipped hot chocolate and would take the opportunity to sip your drink, and when he would put the mug down, you would continue the massage.

Once the mugs were empty, Ben slid his arm around your shoulders, bringing your head onto his shoulder.

He picked the book with his free hand and held it closer to you. “Read it to me?” he whispered, “I love the sound of your voice.”

You were halfway through the book when Ben’s arm grew heavy on you, his head falling on top of yours.

Putting the book to the side, you carefully helped Ben lay down on the bed. Throwing the duvet over both of your bodies, reaching over to turn the lights off, you made yourself comfortable too.

════════════════════════

You woke up way earlier than Ben — a force of habit. He hadn’t stayed over many times yet, but you always would let him sleep as much as he needed.

Still, a couple of hours later, he wrapped his arms around your middle from behind, kissing your cheek in greeting.

You craned your neck, smiling at him. “Good morning.”

“Morning. What’s the plan for today?”

“I wanted us to go find last-minute Halloween costumes, but I was going through my movie collection,” you motioned to the boxes in front of you, resting on the dining table, “and I found the horror classics!” You sang, “Sooooooo, we’re baking sugar cookies and having a movie marathon.”

He whined. “You know I’m bad at cooking anything that needs measurements.”

“Baby, the dough is pre-made.”

His eyes lit up. “So we’re having warm cookies without having to measure, or knead, or wait a ton?”

You giggled, nodding. “And they're really cute; they have little pumpkins in the middle. They’re in the fridge if you wanna look at them.”

“Later,” he said, resting his chin on your shoulder. “Have you already picked which movies we’re watching?”

“I was waiting for you.”

His heart skipped a beat. Ben held you flush to his chest, staring at the movie titles before him as you placed your hands on top of his.

Each of you took turns to pick a movie. Begrudgingly, he let go of you in order to walk into your kitchen. You had been right, he admitted when he opened the fridge, the cookies were really cute.

You placed a baking tray on the counter, letting Ben arrange the cookies. You only reminded him to space them up and nothing else, busy with making sure the oven was pre-heated.

“Cookies for breakfast, cuddles, and Halloween movies...” he sighed deeply. “Sounds like the perfect day.”

“Yeah? Who said you would get any cuddles?” you asked teasingly.

He playfully frowned. “No cuddles? What is this? Hell?”

You chuckled, sliding the tray into the oven. As you stood straight, you felt Ben reach for you. Allowing him to pull you closer, you turned to face him.

“I’m so happy I found you.” He kissed your forehead, hugging you by the waist.

“Me too.”

“Yeah? You’ll give me cuddles because you’re happy to have found me, then?”

“You already know I will, don’t you?”

He hummed, smiling down at you as you shifted to gaze at him. God, he really loved your eyes. “And I’ll hug you tighter if you get scared.”

You knew he would.

#ben hargreeves x reader #ben hargreeves x plus size reader #ben hargreeves

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agatharights · 7 years

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This is such a strange question, but Ive been thinking about mental illnesses and how it translate to cybertronians. So then I thought: how would a Cybertronian deal with an eating disorder? :S

For the sake of consistency, this is going to be specifically about bots in @tfmatrix and TF: The End/CRPH - two of my own settings. The fact is, we know jack goddamn shit about the actual biology/psychology of cybertronians in most settings, and what we do know is inconsistent as hell and depends on the writer, artist, and fandom interpretation, and I’m not gonna just slap anthropomorphism on them willy-nilly. So instead, we’re going to use my own worldbuilding, bc I actually have concrete answers for those!

Answers under the cut for WAY TOO MUCH length and Disordered Eating talk. This got…really wordy, in no small part because there’s a planned thing about this in Matrix After Dark.

The first thing that needs to be determined and maybe explained at least a little is Cybertronian physiology and psychology, particularly when it comes to food, fueling, digestion, all that fun stuff I love so much! One of the biggest differences is that food intake has, effectively, no baring on actual frame-weight for virtually all cybertronians. Except small individuals, such as mini-cons, may actually have a more obvious difference, but this is readily adjusted via their gravity field. Visual weight is also unaffected by fuel intake, except in a few very particular situations (which we’ll go into later.)

This means that some of the human drives that trigger certain eating disorders- namely weight and weight-specific cultural aspects, don’t have an actual equivalency among Cybertronians. There are weight-and-visual-weight related issues but these are expressed through bodily modification, and thus won’t be included here. In fact, an overfed bot will often weigh “less” after a certain point because their spark may be burning excess fuel by increasing their gravity field.

Cybertronian digestive systems vary a lot, between frametype and build groups, but they all tend to consist of the same basic bits: The intake, IE the mouth, proboscis, mandibles, input port in the throat or guts, where the fuel goes in. The fuel tank. Where fuel is stored and starts being processed- fuel tanks are typically divided and different forms of fuel are shunted into different portions to be broken down individually. The Spark is actually not just the ‘soul’, and where memory is stored, but it also functions as a vital part of the digestive system- through it’s own process, the Spark actually generates energon- converting other fuel sources to energon. There’s also more specialized organs, and also waste processes, but these three are gonna be the ones we focus on here.

There’s also a very muddy, gray-area divide between bots who have disordered eating as a result of social or mental pressure- versus those who have developed disordered eating as a result of the war itself: Most of the population has been in a state of frequent starvation ever since Cybertron’s fall started, and for much of the population the transition to requiring energon made other ways (which is quite a drain on resources, and does not produce perfectly equivalent energon as occurred naturally on Cybertron) was a rough one.

First off: Dysphoric Eating:

Many bots who were meant to live only on the purified, charged energon of Cybertron or of certain natures, or who had crystal-heavy diets, suddenly found that they had to find new sources of fuel and, frequently, they had to undergo physical modification in order to do so efficiently. This means that particularly during-and-post-war you have many bots with what I’m going to call dysphoric eating- individuals whose mental process of eating doesn’t match up with what their frame does or needs to do. This in particular results in self-starvation or ingesting otherwise inedible or unpalatable substances/objects, as fueling and digestion creates bodily dysphoria. Tastes may be registered continually as “wrong” or the actual sensation of different digestive components, such as modified tanks or the spark working differently, can cause discomfort or even perceived pain. Bots with dysphoric eating often either self-treat by finding unusual or particular fuel sources or fuel additives to ease symptoms, or may undergo medical adjustments or therapy to become more comfortable with the process.

(Two individuals who display symptoms of dysphoric eating in TF: Matrix would be Starscream and Arcee- Starscream will often try to refuse refueling with earthly fuels even when energon is scarce, and had developed an unusual taste for saltwater that can cause problems if he gives in to drinking it in excess. Arcee is very picky and often adds odd items she can’t actually digest properly to her fuel, in order to alter the taste or texture of it, and she also is oddly attracted to certain biofuels even though her frame cannot process them very efficiently. She particularly enjoys cooking oil, but Ratchet has to prevent her from indulging in it too much or else she’ll become ill.)

Binge Eating:

As a disclaimer, the disordered eating I have the most experience with is binge eating, particularly in conjunction with comfort eating and craving-based binge eating. Binge eating, like others, can be seen as being somewhat divided by bots who have a natural inclination towards it, and those who develop it as a defense mechanism during the war. This division is, like all others, more of a spectrum than anything else, but it can help us determine a few things. This also requires some extrapolation between bots who have frametypes designed to handle large amounts of fuel all at once, versus those who aren’t.

Insecticons, Predacons, and many larger frametypes are “designed” so to speak, to have binge eating as their natural behavior, and thus they suffer no ill effects from it. Their healthy behavior involves eating basically anything and everything they can at once, followed by longer periods of non-fueling or even of digesting fuel into certain specific forms of energon to be shared with others or stored externally (honey, effectively.) As such, actual binge eating disorders are rare amongst them and often times much be particularly extreme- such as eating until one is physically damaged or cannot physically intake any more repeatedly, or waiting until damage begins to set in by going too long between binge periods. Insecticons and Predacons and those with particularly adept digestive systems may see a lack of physical injury from these practices, as they can often digest…well, virtually anything.

In other bots, this manifests much as it does in humans- either with or without periods of starvation between binges. It can involve simply intaking any and all fuel available, energon or non, or even binging upon otherwise unnecessary substances- such as additives, metals, treats, minerals, etc etc.

Binge eating is also commonly associated with becoming overcharged/intoxicated, as the state of having too much energy to safely burn off, even with otherwise harmless fuels, can have a drug-like effect on Cybertronians. They may become antsy- overly friendly and affectionate or overly irritable, suffer from mood swings and will often go through a period of manic behavior, followed by depressive, fatigued “crash” states as their digestive systems try to take a desperate break from processing so much.

Behavioral adjustments and regular reminders or guidance to adhere to a healthy eating schedule is generally used to treat these, either through therapy or other means. Binge eating is, however, often seen as rather common in both short and long term post-war- there’s always the risk that there will be another period of starvation overhead, and overfueling whenever possible has the advantage of getting a bot through a potential starvation period, so there’s a fairly logical reason why it becomes a compulsion to many.

(As a point of difference, in matrix, we can use the characters Barricade and Bumblebee. Barricade is prone to bouts of binge fueling, during which he also often deliberately uses other intoxicants. As a result, his behavior during these periods is erratic and his health can suffer for it- versus Bumblebee, who seems to engage in binge eating behaviors- to the point of doing things like eating rocks and wood or other seemingly indigestible materials. Bumblebee, however, is insecticon in build, and thus not only can he digest many things a typical cybertronian cannot (even if it may take longer at times) he also tends to fall into a regular cycle of hunger/disinterest in fueling that doesn’t otherwise affect his health or behavior. If prompted, he will even process his excess fuel intake into other forms of energon that he can regurgitate for other bots.)

Anorexia Equivalent / Self-Starvation:

Less common among Cybertronians is the act of self-starvation or otherwise obsessive control over fuel intake. Admittedly, I have the least experience with this, and it’s one I haven’t gone into much, so it’ll be relatively brief, but mechanisms can and do deny themselves appropriate amounts of fueling. This is often done as an expression of control, or self-punishment- or as a response to having previously gone long periods without proper fuel- the need to store fuel for some later date stronger than the desire to not starve right now. I’m afraid I don’t have much information yet on this particular form of disordered eating, but that may change in the future!

#Anonymous #eating disorders cw #disordered eating cw #guess who's cleaning out her drafts #matrix: after dark #tf: matrix #transformers: matrix

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darkland-dog · 7 years

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Shower me with your autistic changeling headcannons I beg of you

YOU HAVE OPENED PANDORA’S BOX AND I APPRECIATE IT.

SO.

Strickler: Absolutely is very deliberate in his wording and posture. Everything he does seems super calculated. He’s had a very long time to perfect blending in with humans, and even then sometimes what he says or does looks like he had to plan it out. The man likely works on scripts, especially when doing normal every day interaction with humans.

He stims a lot, although usually with one of his pens, which doesn’t look super unusual. He’s a teacher, of course he has pens with him. Probably does have a legit fidget toy or two in his desk though, for when no one is looking.

Special interests are absolutely history and mythology, I mean why else would he call Jim “Young Atlas” if he wasn’t a goddamn nerd about the stuff? If asked, I bet this man could go on for hours.

A picky eater would be my guess, likely has food texture issues.

Does not like surprises. Also absolutely loathes when plans are changed without him being informed of it. He needs structure damn it, none of this chaos is helpful.

Probably has overactive empathy, relates too hard with the humans around him and he loathes how soft it makes him appear to everyone else.

Nomura: If you think she doesn’t have a special interest in greco-roman pottery, then you’re wrong. Strickler has heard her talk about it a billion times, and has no desire to hear her infodump again. But damn if she doesn’t love working at the museum, because it gives her the perfect chance to go on and on about it.

She also seems like she’d be the sort who is touch adverse. Either doesn’t like the sensation, or doesn’t like the proximity to people. She’ll side-step or avoid brushing against people because it feels bad. Probably super picky about what she eats as well.

Betcha she does that leg bouncing thing.

Lower empathy than most probably, doesn’t know how to deal with other’s emotions whatsoever.

Those are the only two I have longer form headcanons on, but in general just.

Autistic changelings. The spectrum is pretty big, no one acts quite the same. A lot of them probably share some similar traits but also… yes. Just. *Throws Confetti*

I’m a massive nerd!

#trollhunters #chase-the-freakin-stars #asks #headcanon #stricklander #nomura #changelings #sfw

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scriptautistic · 7 years

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I’m working on a sci-fi story that’s centered around a group of disabled terra-formers (they’re working to change a planet enough that it becomes habitable) and I want to include two autistic characters. I have some ideas for them which I’m going to outline. I’d like some feedback on how they sound to you and also any suggestions aspects of being autistic that seem relevant for the characters/their story lines.

The first character is verbal. She has epilepsy and (sci-fi) there is reliable helpful medication for it in the form of pills that she’s not particularly good at remembering to take. She does the majority of the on-planet work, physically checking and maintaining and using the equipment on the planet. She’s mid to late twenties and she loves the outdoors and physical activity. She grew up on a space station and she hates confined spaces. She actively avoids other humans most of the time and I think she took the job for the opportunity to be alone outside for long periods of time. I’d like advice on good ways to handle that….dislike of social interaction without falling into stereotypes about autistic people. A lot of it for her is rooted in her childhood, where there were too many people, not enough space and it was impossible to regulate stimulation or avoid close contact.

The second character is non-verbal and in his mid to late thirties. He also grew up on a space station but it was a much nicer one and he had a lot more support. I’m not 100% sure what I’d like his job to be yet, but I’m considering the accounts, making sure all their permits are in order etc. I’m honestly not sure whether or not he’d be able to do that and I’d like your opinions. Either way his work is based on an orbiting space station above the planet. I know he likes cooking, partly for the sensations, kneading dough etc and partly because he knows everyone appreciates food. He’s quite social and he’s patient. During the course of the story he’s going to develop a close friendship with the station’s doctor. I’m seeing him as a pretty dependable guy who wants to create a nice place to live and work for himself and his co-workers. A nurturer I suppose. With him I mostly want advice on what he might reasonably be able to do work-wise and hobby-wise, plus any sci-fi communication ideas you might have for him. A lot happens with the other characters in this story and I think he might try to be a stabilising force in the crew when emotions run high. Do you have any suggestions for good ways to do that?

Thank you for the blog :)

Sounds like a great story! You should share it with us when you’re done!

For your first character, if something like executive dysfunction is what makes her bad at remembering to take her pills, it probably affects other spheres of her life too: she may have trouble with organization for her work or trouble with getting started on tasks, for example. We’ll write more on executive dysfunction later but I’m sure you can find info on it if you want to learn more.

As for the “dislike of social interaction stuff”, I understand your concern, it’s a good one to have. I think a good way to handle that is making her have trouble with, dislike and avoid “general” social interaction, such as small talk, interaction with coworkers, being around people and stuff, but still have a few close friends with whom she enjoys to interact - even if it’s not very often because that may be draining for her.

For the second character, I don’t see why he wouldn’t be able to do that. A lot of autistic people are good with numbers and find comfort in the routine, regularity and predictability of the kind of jobs other might think boring, such as accounting and paperwork.

Cooking (especially baking) can indeed be great sensory-wise for some autistic people! You could think about including a few textures or smells he just can’t stand because that’s often a trouble we can have with it. We also can be very picky about the food we eat.

I like the idea of making a people-oriented autistic character, it is good to go against stereotypes (and will help balance the first character if she’s a loner). Keep in mind that he’ll probably still have some issues with social matters, such as understanding sarcasm and body language for instance, or what people expect of him.

Communication-wise, I don’t know a lot about your specific sci-fi universe, but here are some ideas for sci-fi AAC:

A tablet or other device on which he can type, which sounds the words out in a realistic voice (now this is not very sci-fi but if it works very well it could be)

If he thinks very visually and has trouble translating his thoughts into words, some kind of… thought translator ? Like a device which his connected to his brain with electrods or something and which analyzes what he wants to say and verbalizes it

A telepathy machine ??

If any follower has more ideas, please contribute !

If your character has hyperempathy, it makes sense he’d want to calm things down with the others, because strong emotions could stress him out a whole lot. As for specific ways to do this, well there are no special autistic ways, though he may struggle more than most with managing people emotional stuff : you’ll have to find this out yourself. -Mod Cat

#ask #mod cat #sci fi #submission

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smilystore · 5 years

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How To Trick Your Brain Into Liking Vegetables

A few simple psychological tricks can help you load up on more healthy produce. Also, find out why parents should never hide veggies in kids’ food.

My 67-year-old father likes only three vegetables: raw carrots, a pile of iceberg lettuce and corn on the cob slathered with butter.

While he recognizes that vegetables are packed with nutrients and was regularly exposed to them as a child, he doesn’t wish that he liked more of them. His distaste seems more related to texture than taste since he thinks they “don’t taste like anything,” he told me recently.

Like my dad, about 90% of American adults don’t eat the recommended 2 to 3 cups of vegetables a day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Depending on age, children should have 1 to 3 cups of vegetables a day, but most are not getting enough.

With so many people lacking vegetables in their diets, we asked experts whether people can train themselves to like them or at least to eat more of them and how they can teach their kids to love vegetables.

To many, fresh vegetables aren’t affordable or sustainable

Cynthia Stadd, a holistic nutrition professional in Boulder, Colorado, who specializes in food relationships and eating psychology, attributes the absence of vegetables in so many diets to the accessibility of the produce and busy schedules preventing people from eating healthier.

“What I hear most people say is, ‘I know I should be eating more vegetables. I’m totally open to it. I want to. I just don’t know how to get them in. I don’t have time to buy them. I don’t have time to prep them. I don’t have time to cook them,’” Stadd told HuffPost.

Many Americans, especially in low-income areas, lack access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Jill Patterson, a Connecticut-based registered dietitian nutritionist and consultant specializing in school nutrition and employee wellness programs, said many of her clients tell her they don’t keep fresh vegetables on hand because they spoil too quickly.

She said one solution is canned or frozen vegetables, the latter of which are just as nutrient-rich as fresh and have a longer shelf life.

Vegetable avoidance can also be genetic or psychological

Genetics could predetermine a dislike for vegetables, Patterson told HuffPost. People with supertaster genes, estimated to be about 25% of the population, have more taste buds and experience stronger taste sensations, especially related to bitterness. Supertasters tend to be picky eaters and averse to many vegetables, like spinach, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.

Psychological factors also influence food likes and dislike, Stadd said. For example, if someone was forced to eat broccoli as a child, they may have a negative or traumatic association with the food and not eat it as an adult.

Even though the reactions are subconscious, foods can trigger negative feelings, she said.

Your brain can adapt to eating more vegetables

You may not like all vegetables, but you can train yourself to eat more, Patterson said. It just takes a willingness to make lifestyle changes and adopt new habits.

Thinking positively about incorporating more vegetables into a diet can help trick the brain into being willing to eat more, Stadd said.

Research shows more people ate vegetables when they were labeled with more exciting, indulgent descriptions that didn’t mention health. In the study, when green beans were described as “sweet sizzlin’ green beans and crispy shallots,” 25% more subjects chose to eat them.

You also may feel more interested in eating foods like vegetables if they make you feel good or you see some kind of health improvement as a result of eating them, research shows. The concept known as flavor-nutrient learning could help people see vegetables in a more positive light.

Patterson suggests embracing a variety of vegetables and experimenting with different recipes, flavors and ways of preparing them.

“Maybe you like cooked vegetables; maybe you like fresh vegetables, or maybe you like certain vegetable recipes,” she said. “Find the ones you like and keep incorporating those into the menu planning.”

Your kids are more likely to eat more vegetables if you do

Adults’ vegetable-eating behaviors play a key role in children’s vegetable intake, Tabitha Prater, a clinical dietitian at Arkansas Children’s Hospital

Research shows that repeated exposure to vegetables increases intake. Prater urges parents to persistently offer vegetables to their children and to prepare them in new and different ways to create excitement but to never force kids to eat anything they don’t want to eat.

“As parents, we pick our battles,” she said. “But, if you’re constantly giving in and only allowing your child to eat cookies and crackers and all these high-energy, nutrient-poor foods, that’s what they’re going to get used to.”

Having more fruits and vegetables and less junk food on hand will help parents win some of these battles, she said.

Parents may not always like healthy foods, but projecting a dislike of vegetables or any other food is a no-no. Prater said kids could internalize the comments, making them adopt similar behaviors and see certain foods as good or bad.

Regular family meals give parents the opportunity to expose children to new foods and model their own healthy eating habits. Research shows that when families eat together often, meals are higher-quality, with more fruits and vegetables. And, involving kids in food shopping and meal prep increases food acceptance and boosts vegetable intake.

Picky eating is common among kids, and many outgrow it. Parents may be tempted to hide vegetables in dishes that a child likes to make sure the child gets the nutrients, but it can backfire, Prater said.

“They could lose trust and then not want to try anything,” she explained. “You just have to know your kids and know that one thing is not going to work for every kid.”

Generally, parents shouldn’t get “too hung up on it” if their kids won’t eat vegetables unless a child’s growth or overall health is impacted, and then parents should talk to a pediatrician, Prater said.

“I think that’s the biggest thing is patience for parents and to keep trying, persistence,” she said.

By Erica Sweeney

The post How To Trick Your Brain Into Liking Vegetables appeared first on Smile store.

source https://smilystore.com/2019/08/13/how-to-trick-your-brain-into-liking-vegetables/

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