Curate, connect, and discover
the thing that always gets me ESPECIALLY about autistic representation in media is that we are universally portrayed as happy-go-lucky, whimsical children, completely oblivious to the fact that the world constantly judges and scorns and HATES us.
We notice. I noticed. The reason I am as messed up as I am today is because i spent 20 LONG years in an environment where every day i was subjected to that. To noticing.
what an absolutely neurotypical view of us. Coddling themselves, getting to act like the way they treat us is fine because we don't understand that our peers dont respect us. Why would we? We're so subhuman to them, it's like asking if your cat notices you playfully insulting it.
Every autistic person I've ever met is on some level bitter and angry and TRAUMATIZED at their upbringing. Of having to go through school as the laughing stock, as the weirdo with no friends who no one wants to talk to, as the animal in the corner you can make do cheap tricks so they can experience some Simulacra of what genuine human connection is.
Now tell me, does it sound like I didn't notice?
I love the Icebound gang with Daisy so much, but my God the love I have of Barnabos' uncle role in Daisy's life is so unmatched.
Grizzled old sailor who has traveled around the world and meets a young lass who didn't even know there was a world to travel to. Guy who fed her sister and took care of her, only to unintentionally be the reason for her demise and who accidentally calls her by her sister's name repeatedly. Barnabos who came to fight and nearly die for Daisy several times over and yet still unable to protect her from being returned to Ogreton. Who told her harsh remarks to try and get her to stay behind with her family, to avoid being stuck in the freezing cold and starve with the rest of them only for her to tell him fuck you I'm doing it anyways. Who found out they were still alive after months of separation by seeing an absolute gigantic Barnabos fighting a to the death battle in a ring against a Goliath and snapping the man's head off and screaming in victory. Daisy coming back home and patting his head while he slept and being the first to wake up and hug him after he wakes and cooks them breakfast. Barnabos who gives her not a double but a triple portion of food, who reassures her that he didn't say such unkind words just to be cruel but because he wished he could have spared her any more hardships and suffering. Daisy telling him she appreciated it, she knows and him just tussling her hair.
BRO THEYRE FAMILY. THATS HIS NIECE AND THATS HER UNCLE, MAN.
I am a stealth trans man, the privilege I have is being treated like a man as soon as they see me
If I'm applying for a job, I am treated like a woman trying to be perceived as a man, because they still see my legal name and gender marker on my ID.
If I'm trying to date, I'm perceived as a predator by straight women, a confused lesbian by bi/lesbian women (these demographics I rarely, if never go after), a tomboy by straight/bisexual men, and a gay fetishizer by gay men. At best with trans women, I become the therapist, and with trans men, it becomes an argument of passing better or worse and jealousy. That's not to say out of every demographic there are people who handle the relationship properly, but that the majority don't.
In friendships, things can go great for months and months, sometimes even years before they find out I'm trans and they start acting weird about it.
Suddenly they recommend more "feminine" music, hobbies, activities to do with me, they suddenly view me as their therapist to vent about difficulties with women, and that's all the BEST case scenario, that's the BEST thing that could happen from them finding out, this one's also the easiest to handle, "I thought you might like to see my grandmas garden.... My grandpa also likes it... Haha" - "no, nah, I wanna get back to playing eve online with you though, I mean, I do have some fake plants, heard they help with depression, think real ones would last a month at most".
An unfortunate amount of people react to things they don't understand with anger and attacks, whether that be verbal or physical.
I used to be nearly best friends with a girl named Kat. Unknown to me at the time, she had a crush on me. She invited me over, we got to her bedroom (in my mind, to hang out), she pushed me on the bed (I thought it was playful, like wrestling), and she pulled my shirt up and saw my binder, jumped away, and started apologizing. I went home straight after that. After that, she avoided me, and called me a faggot, rapist, molester, and creep after that. I wasn't interested in her at all before or after that, and I wasn't the one who initiated or caused that situation to happen.
Another incident was while I was at the mental ward, in which they usually refused to put my chosen name on the cards, and I would turn it around and write my chosen name every time I saw it. Unfortunately, I usually wasn't fast enough and someone saw my dead name on the card. He started asking me inappropriate questions, calling me a tranny, and eventually lead to him punching me in the face, the police being called, and the police did nothing besides give me a court date in an entire state over, which I had no way to get to, meaning nothing happened and the case was dropped.
A lot of people react to things they don't understand with suddenly disappearing from your life too.
You join a hobby discord server, talk, people think you're cool, they add and DM you, you get along fine talking to each other, you mention as relevant to the conversation that you're trans, the conversation magically fizzles out and becomes dry, and then they stop responding all together, usually intermitten with one or 2 inappropriate questions about your genitals or body or kids or hormones or surgery.