Oct 14, 2026, 4:21 AM@GeePawHill I have a hard time with this question.
I got super traumatized as a kid, and it did affect me. I'm also an intp. But I'm also an empath, which was really handy as a nurse and person taking care of animals.
Every autistic person thinks I'm autistic. I'm very clumsy socially, but like I said, I had a super traumatic childhood.
It's hard to pull apart
@deepmud Wellllll, I think that's a yes. But I'm glad you shared.
@deepmud @GeePawHill is that why you emphasize the empathy? Like if it wasn’t for that you might consider yourself autistic? Hyper empathy is very much an autistic trait, and if autistic people keep hinting that you might be autistic, it’s something to consider. I know plenty of people on the spectrum who only know the “stereotype” and misinformation and therefore refuse to consider it.
Oct 14, 2026, 4:46 PM@Frantasaur I'm actually ok with being autistic. My best friend is autistic and I wouldn't trade him for anything.
I just like to know things. And for me, this is hard to figure out. I prefer knowing to ambiguity.
The empathy is potentially quite painful, but it's always been there for me. I have to protect myself a bit or I get vastly overstimulated
@deepmud this does sound a lot like what it’s like to be autistic. These things are not on the “diagnostic criteria”, but something I absolutely identify with myself. It always amazes me that people can just not wonder about how things work, like what’s wrong with you, don’t you need to know? 😅
Oct 14, 2026, 4:59 PM@Frantasaur lol! I've been odd all my life. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
It can be difficult to maintain relationships if expectations (that I do not understand) aren't met, but I guess that cross is one I have to live with.
As an introvert, I don't need bunches of people. I do ok. I like to dance and that is a fun piece of connection that bypasses talking
Oct 14, 2026, 4:47 PM@Frantasaur Ive know quite a few autistic people. They are all different
@deepmud true, but there is a common way of communicating that stands out for me (kind of like UDP vs the neurotypical TCP).
Oct 14, 2026, 5:01 PM@Frantasaur what I like to say to people is, please do not talk to me with subtlety. I do not enjoy trying to figure out what you mean by divination. My mind prefers to think about other stuff
Just say what you mean.
Evidently this isn't easy for people
@deepmud yeh, would be a simpler world!
Oct 14, 2026, 5:33 PM@Frantasaur don't have to be nasty to be honest. It can be conveyed with a bit of empathy and boy would that be nice if people did this
@deepmud yeh, I think the “nasty” can sometimes be in the mind of the one receiving the message. The people who “read between the lines” basically invent something even worse between the lines of direct communication, and can’t begin to imagine that only the words have meaning and we are not hinting or alluding to anything else.
Oct 14, 2026, 5:41 PM@Frantasaur omg, yes.
I often think that there are people out there who decide, before you even open your mouth, to take offense. They equate being aggressive to being strong.
@deepmud that is often about the invisible “score” everyone has in a group. If you don’t act like your score, and you score “low” in their eyes, then they will go out of their way to aggressively put you down. It can work the other way too though, if you fake dominant body language in a group that doesn’t already know you, they sort of assume you have a higher “score” and treat you accordingly. People like us don’t calculate a social score, we just treat everyone as equals.
Oct 14, 2026, 6:06 PM@Frantasaur I think it's immoral to judge people like this.
I treat everyone as an equal. Even if I don't like them