rawr

Ask them to describe their own experience with autism/ADHD/etc, and use what they’ve told you as guidelines for how the character might experience it.

Ask them what sorts of things frustrate them or upset them about how their neurodivergency is usually portrayed, and make a point of avoiding that.

Ask them to take a look at a rough draft of your work and give you advice on how it can be improved.

The more people you can find to ask, the better, but even one neurodivergent person’s personal insight is miles better than trying to take it on with nothing more than your own neurotypical understanding of how a brain works. Research is good too, I definitely recommend reading up on anything you want to portray, but still, please, find a real person that lives with it to talk to. It does wonders.

I personally have two OCs with ADHD that experience it very differently, but both experiences are drawn from my own experiences with ADHD mixed with what others with ADHD have told me about their experiences. Even as a neurodivergent person I’m still asking around, because it helps shape better, more well-rounded characters. You can do it too. I highly recommend it.

What you say vs. what I hear: COVID-19 edition

“Most people don’t die from it.”

“The thousands of people who die from COVID-19 every week are insignificant to me.”

“We have to get back to our lives.”

“The response to COVID-19 should be tailored to my tolerance for inconvenience, regardless of other people’s safety.”

“I don’t live in fear.”

“I’m willing to endanger the people around me to prove how brave I am.”

“Keeping me at home is a violation of my freedom.”

“The most pressing injustice right now is my inconvenience, not other people getting sick and dying.”

“You’re exaggerating it because you’re out to get Trump.”

Just so I have the white supremacy straight,

what a good day to remember that Zuko is canonically 5′3″

(also can we just appreciate how when they lined up the guards to find the imposter, Sokka was literally a head shorter than everyone and no one knew his name but they still didn’t know who it was)

Don’t try that mascara/arm hair shit. I’ve been passing for more than a year with short, blond arm hair. It’s not an important secondary sex characteristic.

Board shorts (without pockets in the front) do wonders to minimize the width of your hips. Always choose board shorts over swim trunks. Choose them over cargo shorts if it’s appropriate.

Speak from your chest, never from your head.

The goal of binding should not be an entirely flat chest; you should bind for your body type.

GC2b makes the best binders out there, and their products are designed specifically for trans men/transmasculine people.

It might seem useless if you’re pre-T, but working out can be a big help for dysphoria.

Eyebrows are really important to passing pre-testosterone. Muss that shit up. Make them look unkempt.

When you ask for a haircut, make sure the edges in the back are squared, not rounded.

If you have peach fuzz, I would advise shaving it. Cis guys shed theirs when they go through puberty. Shaving can also help with facial hair dysphoria.

-Patience is a virtue you need to come to terms with. Even on T, things take time. My voice dropped immediately, but my cycle continued for 6 months. We’re all different. 

-In the summer, HYDRATE YOURSELF. A binder is an extra layer, and mine have always been very warm. 

-When its not too hot, layers are your friend. You’d be surprised what even simply an undershirt can do to smooth out your look. 

-You are going to get misgendered. This is a fact, and it sucks. Learn to politely correct people. Remember you might be the first (openly) trans person they meet, so be a good ambassador. 

Don’t double bind.

DON’T USE DUCK TAPE. I still have scars from a dumb decision I made as a teen and I’m 31 now.

When the time comes for top surgery, shop around. Find someone who will tailor your chest to your needs. Look at their portfolio. Compare surgeons. See if you can find someone who will work with your health insurance if you have it.

Resting the bottom of your shirt on the waist of your pants- similar to French tucking- makes your torso look more boxy and helps reduce the appearance of your chest. It works best with sweatpants

Stand with your legs a little further apart than you’re used to. It makes your hips look more proportionate to the rest of your body.

Standing straight up (mostly when binding or using other methods of visually reducing your chest) makes you look more masculine.

If you don’t have a packer, use a bunched up pair of socks.

Pushing your jaw forward gives you more of a visible jawline. Just don’t go too far, other wise it looks a little odd.

Basketball jerseys help visually minimize your chest. Just throw on a jacket/flannel to hide bras/binders from the sides.

if you DO grow facial hair, the years will change it. i went from total neckbeard to getting hair on my cheeks and the beginnings of a mustache in the total of 2 years on T. that’s me. it might affect some people other ways.

transition goals are psychologically and emotionally harmful. don’t engage in them.

your hair might start thinning and fall out. that’s male pattern baldness and genetics, babes

you’re at higher risk for blood pressure and heart problems. get bloodwork and check ups done regularly. taking too much T will result in estrogen production. mind your dosages. you need to get your T levels checked regularly.

don’t compare your transition to anybody else’s. that’s not fair to you or them, but especially you.

the first month or so you may feel more aggressive. that’s T. in the bodybuilding world it’s also known as T-rage because well, you sure do get mad. it’s puberty #2. you can take it out on fitness or find another outlet. it goes away.

you’ll get horny. again, puberty, and T. whew. good luck out there.

you will get hungry. eat. don’t ignore your body: EAT. as you take T, your body is going to adjust how it expends calories. men need more calorie intake, full stop. you will need more calorie intake. you can learn how to manage that, but be MINDFUL ABOUT EATING DISORDERS.

good luck crying anymore. it’s very difficult to cry now. i’m honestly thankful when i can. some may see this as a perk. i personally don’t, because crying alleviates a lot of emotional distress.

genetics play an enormous role in how you change. be prepared to be disappointed in something.

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Page 120! I am also from Colorado, where it snowed on the last day of summer, we have 70 degree days in the dead of winter, and the sun gets sucked behind the mountains at 3:30 in the afternoon.

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