peace offering to the mighty nein fandom?? i made dis pls accept me also i know like two [2] things about dnd i just like the silly purple they from da show :(( i wasnt here before it was cool but pls let me in anyway!! /lh
Hi! I'm a K-Shawol living in Korea! I was just browsing through Tumblr when I came across your post, and it caught my attention lol. Since I'm using a translator right now, my English might sound awkward, so I hope you can bear with me. So, I saw some posts you wrote a few years ago about Taemin. Specifically, the theory that he might be neurodivergentโlike, possibly autistic. Honestly, that theory feels as plausible to me as the one about Key being gay lol. (TMI: Among Korean Shawols, there are almost no fans who genuinely believe Kibum is straight lol. Between his explanation of "Lil Freak," the lyrics of "Born to Shine," or "Mirror Mirror"... everything about it feels like a queer metaphor!) Anyway, you might find this a bit random, but do you remember what Taemin said during Hyeri's YouTube content last summer? He mentioned suspecting that he might have ADHD. That comment didn't really make much noise in Korea, but it seemed to stir a bit of conversation internationally. Actually, I've personally thought for a long time that Taemin might have ADHD or a similar neurodevelopmental condition. And the reason is... I have ADHD myself! The way he blinks quickly when flustered, struggles to fully process conversations, forgets things often, or seems clumsyโall of that reminds me of myself. Sometimes, people even describe him as childlike because of it. The difference, though, is that when Taemin does those "quirky" things, people find it endearing and cute. But when I act that way, I just come across as an immature adultโฆ which is kind of sad lol. Anyway, getting back on track, the things you discussed with others about this topic really intrigued me because Iโve noticed some of these traits in Taemin too. For example, thereโs that story about how Taemin didnโt practice choreography on his first day as BoAโs โOnly Oneโ partner but instead practiced making eye contact with her. (I love this story so much. I think I read it in an interview somewhere, but I canโt find the original source anymoreโฆ) It reminds me of how people often say that autistic individuals have difficulty maintaining eye contact. I donโt know if Taemin still struggles with that, though. Another thing that stood out to me was during SHINeeโs comeback show for โHARD,โ when Key, Minho, and Taemin went camping. Kibum said something along the lines of, โTaemin is just a quirky, weird person.โ I really liked that comment because it highlights how SHINee treats Taemin with extra care. Sure, part of it is because heโs the maknae, but if you look closely, you can see the way they unconsciously accommodate himโlike simplifying their words to make them easier for him to understand. Itโs like theyโre subtly acknowledging that Taemin is different but without making a big deal out of it. They treat him the same as always, just with a touch of extra consideration. Oh, and sometimes, when he makes random sounds with his mouth, it feels a bit like a form of stimming. Anyway, I have way too many thoughts to write them all down! Iโd love to know your thoughts about these things. And if you have any other insights I havenโt heard, please share them! I absolutely love discussing this kind of stuff.
hello !! sorry it took me so long to respond, i saw your message when you sent it and it made me so happy i didn't know what to say ^_^ i hope you're still using tumblr lol. i'll put my response in the read-more since its so long
first off, thank you for coming to me for taemin autism discussion, one day i will be the king of taemin autism. i did know about the key being gay thing !! i'm curious how many fans feel the same about taemin neurodivergency or if its just you and me lol. i dont know how it is in korea, but in america the public perception of autism only started to change very recently
yeah i remember the adhd thing ! that really stood out to me as well ! autism and adhd are so closely related, it would make so much sense to think you have one but actually have the other, or it could be the things i was flagging as autistic traits were actually traits of adhd (though, i think he said he realised its not adhd, which makes me think maybe autism). i can definitely relate to the immaturity as well, as someone with autism :') taemin is so lucky, people will love what he does no matter what lol.. and since he's a creator, he gets to be judged by his creations rather than his social interaction (lucky)
i remember the boa thing as well !! its so sweet and funny to me, it reminds me so much of myself. i always see people saying like "how would he be able to be an idol if he had autism" but i think it makes perfect sense if you consider HOW he became an idol. which was, not being happy in school and skipping days, and then getting a job doing what he's passionate about (to avoid school) and then doing the same career for half his life. honestly i would have jumped at the opportunity as an undiagnosed child lol, i had to get so many accommodations just to graduate at all x_x also, i don't want to call his job easy but, it doesn't seem like it would be so bad for an autistic. (yes the concerts are loud, but loud isn't the same as overstimulating, i think a lot of people misunderstand this about sensory processing) like, he has people all around him all the time taking care of his needs or making schedules for him, and a lot of interviews and such are very repetitive. though i love when he says some random stuff in interviews, like when he can't shut up about his cats, or that era where he kept talking about billiards lol
shinee are really sweet to him, honestly i think that's part of why he's made it so far !! some people expect autism to be miserable, and yeah there are some issues that are unavoidable, but i think most of the problems come from lack of support. so someone like taemin who has had SO many supportive people from day 1 is going to be pretty well off !! and yeah his noises are absolutely stimming (tbh i think anyone can stim, people try to make it an autism-only word but i disagree :p) now that he has the kitties he's realised how fun it is to meow, he's unstoppable now lol (also sorry to stereotype, but 99% of autistics are cat people, so this also makes sense for him)
i'm curious if he speaks in any sort of "strange" or "unique" way from a korean perspective ? a lot of autistics sort of enunciate in a certain way (not all of us), but since i'm american i cant really notice the difference in korean accents or intonations, i wish i could :(
the last thing i want to say isโฆ it's not bad to be autistic !!! its so nice to be able to talk with other people who don't see it as an insult, because sometimes when it's brought up, people act like we're being so disrespectful to him -_- but it's not a bad thing !! i know that i don't know him and i could be wrong, but i don't know why its so bad to talk about the possibility. i don't know what difference it would make, other than having something in common with my favorite idol (so maybe i do have an agenda a little bit, lol) whether its autism or adhd or just general quirkiness, i can definitely see aspects of myself in him and thats awesome ^_^
i love the interviewed so much, and ennard is my favourite character from it. i love them so much that i literally have a tattoo of them. and this new episode is ENTIRELY ennard based??? we got so much insight into their personalities and also MY FAVOURITE WHUMP TROPE OF ALL TIME, INTERROGATION WITH ELECTRIC SHOCKS.
How does Dan obtain blood and has he ever drank from one of the other lads before (excluding daithi since heโs a ghost)
He's not keen on the whole blood thing and tries to avoid it as much as he can. But, at the end of the day, he's still a vampire and does occasionally drain blood in traditional vampire style. He then stores it for later use. And when he does do it, he's super nice to the victim and really polite about the whole thing (think: Viago from What We Do In The Shadows).
As for the Lads, he never has and never will drink their blood. That would just be rude.
Watching 2012 with other people and having 12!Donnie my favourite little guy can be so embarrassing some times. Like god. Yeah. There goes my fuckshit son again. Yeah fuck Iโm sorry he does that a lot yeah-fuck. Sorry yeah he said the sweet little chinchilla thing I know. Yeah Iโm taking him to the vet after this. Sorry.
Reasons Why I Think Choi Minho of SHINee Could Have Autism
DISCLAIMER: of course this is speculation and whilst I have sources for 90% of these points and conduct a lot of research on autism as a whole, many people find it immoral to project mental disorders/conditions onto real people. However this is not toxic or demeaning in any way, I myself am an individual with autism, simply seeking similar people for comfort. If you disagree, simply stop reading and move on.
- not being able to joke with him because he'd get upset (ONEW said this in an old interview)
- sometimes unaware of his body (doesn't realise how tall he is, how loud he's being)
- stims (flexing hands, playing with ears, rubbing hands and feet together, jumping when happy)
- sensory triggers, doesn't let people touch certain places (ears, stomach)
- sensory seeking, seeks out tastes and textures
- very organised, gets upset when people aren't as organised as him
- obsessive over things (competitiveness, commitment, stubbornness)
- has a specific sleeping position, needs to be holding something to sleep
- extremely sentimental
- however he is reserved and rarely emotional
- when he is emotional he feels his emotions very strongly
- overexplains/explains things repeatedly or when they don't need to be
- scared of assigning himself labels (refusing to do mbti test)
- special interests (golf, food, soccer)
- unique ideas/ways of explaining things
- makes connections to things that most people wouldn't
- very literal, sometimes doesn't understand jokes or deeper meanings
- unable to understand people who act especially different to him (Kibum)
- struggles to read, especially out loud (could be dyslexia)
- strict routines and patterns to follow, even on days off
- takes on too much responsibility, unaware of how much he can handle mentally
- hides his struggles to come off as responsible, but eventually breaks down
- extremely excited + validated when someone shares his interests, literally hosted a radio show just to infodump about sports and you can't deny that-
- doesnt understand abbreviations and text speech
- copies Taemin's stims
- struggles when put on the spot/told to be spontaneous
- stays introverted until there's an extrovert to double (same with Taemin)
- sensitive to sudden loud sounds
- doesn't speak in interviews that aren't scripted
- has safe foods that he needs to eat often
- he got da autism stare (this one is half joking but he does kind of zone out and stare a lot)
If you would like examples/evidence for any of these points please comment and I will try to find my source.
anxiously checking setlist.fm every day to make sure Don Broco are definitely playing Anaheim on tour, only to discover that they haven't been playing it the last few shows.
I SWEAR TO GOD IF I DON'T GET TO HEAR MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE SONG LIVE I WILL JUMP ONTO THE STAGE AND SHAVE OFF MATT'S MOUSTACHE.
