Welcome to the Dragon Cave

annie | she/her/they/them | 27 | i came to tumblr for the memes and stayed for the neurodivergency

[autisticforestgremlin]

Meet the Autistic Forest Gremlin

Hey all! Welcome to the Dragon Cave. I collect stim toys, slimes, anything that is the Right Kind of Fuzzy, and wayward humans.

I’m 27 (to be 28 by the end of September 2020) (what is up with this hell year btw?). I’m diagnosed with bipolar and generalized anxiety disorder, unofficially diagnosed with ADHD, and self diagnosed with autism. I also have fibromyalgia and POTS.

I am a STEM teacher and a caterer who can and will hyperfocus on literally anything. Including autism, stim toys, old cars, antiques, the Beatles, and tornadoes. *shrug* I am a Christian, but this blog is a safe space for all religions, or the lack thereof. I am also queer and nonbinary, as well as a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement. 

What’s this blog about? It’s a place for me to share my journey with my mental health and my growing understanding of autism. It’s kind of like a therapy center for me, a place for me to “journal” if you will. Feel free to shoot me asks about anything and everything. If I am uncomfortable answering something, I will simply respond to your ask saying that. I love hearing from people.

I also have a youtube channel (which is as chaotic as me). Check out my intro video. The “rules” are about the same for there as here.

Fun fact: I have no intention of even *trying* to mask on here. Thus, my communications might be a lil chaotic. I am chaotic. It is my current favorite word.

OH. I love doing anon tag lists. Sign your anon asks with an emoji and I will tag those asks with that emoji so you can find things.

I tolerate NO hate. Of any kind. I will delete you, block you, and then probably cry because that’s what I do.

Please let me know if you need me to tag for specific triggers. Any darker themed posts will be tagged with a generic “tw: dark thoughts” plus specific other warnings. I will do my best to put things under a read more line, but sometimes I’m on mobile.

OH. RIGHT. Because of the whole collection of things that are Different about me (autism + adhd + chronic illness), my responses to asks can be sporadic. I do my best to get back ASAP, but sometimes it can be a day or so. I’m not ignoring you, I promise. My communication energy just bottoms out sometimes. If it’s been a few days, feel free to shoot another ask and (kindly) check to see if tumblr ate your ask. It does that.

Anyhow. Hugs to you all <3 Welcome to my chaos! 

[memewhore]

[pryzzm]

autism is also being told “you should have asked questions if you didn’t understand” even tho you thought you understood but it turns out you very confidently misinterpreted the instructions

[slaybleist]

Autistic life pro tip: call after business hours and leave a message for them to call/email you back to make an appointment

and minimize anxiety about & time spent on bs social chatter!

[autistic-af]

Also, you can email and request that email be your only form of communication. Say it's due to work or schooling or whatever!

[thebirdscraftblog]

I have autism, which means that I am a bit particular about what I eat, and I also forget what I like to eat on the regular, so I made a list for reference in my bullet journal!

[autiebiographical]

April is Autism Acceptance month! You want to be accepting? You want to be supportive? Be accommodating.

People will say they accept autism, and then berate us for being autistic. Don’t tell us you accept us when you regularly punish us for being ourselves.

[elminx]

There are no "laws" in witchcraft - everything that I say, and everything that every other witch/magician/sorcerer says (even if they claim you HAVE TO DO IT!!!!1111!!!!) is merely a suggestion.

Your magic should fit you - your belief system. Your strengths. Your lifestyle.

Nobody knows what that can mean except for you. You have to make all of the difficult decisions.

I personally find this to be incredibly terrifying (at first) but also freeing.

This isn't grade school anymore - there isn't only one way to think or act. You can choose to work with deities, or not. You can choose to be a mostly ascetic witch. You can cast a spell once a year or every day (though every day is probs exhausting). You can primarily use affirmations or only work with herbs. You can create long-drawn-out ceremonies or yell emphatically at your cup of coffee in the morning.

You can tell the gods "No". (I promise - I've done it)

If it works, it works.

Magic is a completely personal thing.

If you are the kind of person who tends to believe everything that you read, stay aware. Don't absorb other people's thoughts/beliefs if they don't work for you. Don't let somebody else talk you out of the magic that works for you.

There's no boogeyman coming to get you if you do it wrong. That also doesn't mean that there aren't consequences, but that's a different discussion for another day.

[windvexer]

I agree, it's very terrifying :D

What a wild world to live in, where you can say, "this is real and true for me, but I accept it's not for you." Very liberating, very scary.

[tom-nippleston]

I have waited ALL FUCKING YEAR TO POST THIS

Santa is coming tonight.

[lich-of-the-golgari]

@alltheshit-althetime

[suntosirius]

THE ONLY CHRISTMAS POST I DON’T BLOCK

[fozby]

dancer is my life

[thedanliest]

YES HERE IT IS, JUST IN THE SAINT NICK OF TIME

[ironwoman359]

OH GOSH I always forget about this post until I see it but it’s so great XD

[fantasyrizzo]

Listen. Listen. No one is ever going to be a better Bob Cratchit than Kermit the Frog.

[birdingbasics]

no one is ever going to be a better Scrooge than Michael Caine, who treats the Muppets with all the respect they deserve as renowned veteran actors

[alexxphoenix42]

[michaelakuntzmann]

According to a blip in the IMDB trivia section, Michael Caine told Brian Henson that he was going to play this as if he were in the Royal Shakespeare company. He was going to be the ultimate “straight” man in the world of puppets, running gags and humor. 

“Before production began, Sir Michael Caine told Brian Henson, “I’m going to play this movie like I’m working with the Royal Shakespeare Company. I will never wink, I will never do anything Muppety. I am going to play Scrooge as if it is an utterly dramatic role, and there are no puppets around me.” Henson replied “Yes, bang on!“” IMDb.com Trivia section

[fantasyrizzo]

tis the season for this post to make the rounds again i guess

[mylordshesacactus]

[image is a gif of Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present dancing together]

[friendly-neighborhood-patriarch]

and that’s why its such a good version of the story

[dmnsqrl]

Posted @withregram • @autisticnotweird Sadly, autistic social struggles (and other people’s struggles with misinterpreting us) extend to Christmas traditions as well. I’m very grateful to my parents in particular for being the ones to know the difference between my visible reactions and my emotional reactions.

Relevant article: “An autistic person’s guide to an autism-friendly Christmas”. http://autisticnotweird.com/christmas/

#autism #autistic #actuallyautistic #autismawareness #autismacceptance #autismcommunity #autisticnotweird #neurodiverse #neurodiversity #disability #disabilityawareness https://www.instagram.com/p/CX2L8ULpZnKRhMn0AndOcy2Tp8BOyvVzCiwGrI0/?utm_medium=tumblr

[u-u-h]

Also, to the autistic kids who unwrapped presents like they were defusing something volatil; snipping each piece of tape and untangling every ribbon so the wrapping paper was perfectly intact and tidy and maybe reusable instead of torn to pieces.

[kyahcomic]

[autisticforestgremlin]

I moved. I changed pharmacies. I acquired new meds.

I now gag every time I take my meds because the damn things taste different. Not in the way that uncoated pills taste awful when left on your tongue too long. In the "this capsule tastes ever so slightly of sulfur and I hate it with every fiber of my being" way.

And you thought I wasn't autistic.

[wheelsup]

spenelope having a little tea party

[guooey]

Me towards everything when I’m overstimulated

[autistic-af]

Source ~ I CAN Network

Alexithymia

What?

"Without words for feelings"

Personality construct coined by Peter Sifneos (a psychiatrist)

Difficulties

Identifying feelings

Describing feelings

Verbally expressing feelings

Telling the difference between bodily sensations and emotions

Autism and Alexithymia

Very common in autism

Speech, Language, Communication

Difficulties communicating pain, talking about feelings, interpreting other's emotions

Fewer emotional words

Language processing deficits

[autisticforestgremlin]

Apparently 2am is when I feel comfortable enough to stim these days. ☹ I'm masking *so much* every day, it's like a bad habit I've fallen back into and can't break out of.

[jarseman-deactivated20210314]

Endeavour, S01E02: Fugue

[parkakeet]

Me, seeing anything that could possibly be used as a stim toy: