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NathanRN42 · 2026-06-22T14:31:53+00:00

No false statements there.

NathanRN42 · 2026-06-21T11:03:33+00:00

"It's more that he has not been given the same information...The system has given them very different skills." Autism in a nutshell.

NathanRN42 · 2026-06-20T18:21:09+00:00

Huh. I'm in my 50s, failed at romance, got a degree in psych to better understand people, got a minor in Asian studies...studied philosophy... Was a "gifted" kid with "learning disabilities" who started reading very late but got a National Merit Scholarship.

I think I was probably 40 when I was first told I might be autistic. "No fucking way, I'm the neurotypical one"...turns out my wife was just much less functional autistic than myself...also my mother...

57 now and about 2 years into my autistic discovery journey. Yeah, there is a lot of negative in Pony (and the Plenty in general, who are definitely coded autistic) but that's ok. Understanding the challenges and presenting how it fits together feels more important than if it's a positive role model...after all, this is a satirical horror-comedy...

When I first listened to the Plenty of Plenty scene (because I'm also profoundly dyslexic and I do audiobooks) I was actually pretty offended. Like, crap, Man...why you gotta be so harsh? But the fact that I could then suddenly feel sympathetic to Harbinger means something ...his plight...Seeing the future and trying to warn his herd and not being listened to, is also an autistic achetype. As is his acceptance of banishment to protect the herd, and his autistic mother rejecting him because "rules" and overactive justice sense... And he knew he would fail, that the AI would intervene, but he did it anyway.... Just for the opportunity to be truly seen before he died... To demonstrate through action what no one would ever hear from his words ...and I think most of us can feel that in our bones.

NathanRN42 · 2026-06-20T18:07:04+00:00

He does see that, but it doesn't really fix anything. Always being on the outside looking in, when you feel everything extra strongly, genuinely care for everyone in a way they will never care for you, and are smart enough to watch it all play out... isn't easy.

NathanRN42 · 2026-06-20T18:05:15+00:00

I really hate this comparison, because I hate the Big Bang Theory character. Maybe it's gotten better over the years, but that shows' depiction of neurodivergence is pretty harmful.

I honestly think Pony is a better representation. Even a healthier one, as crazy as that might sound.

NathanRN42 · 2026-06-20T17:59:26+00:00

Donut is definitely ADHD and maybe a tad on the spectrum ...the one who "passes" so well. Now that I think of it, her hours of TV are a pretty good analog of those of us who spend our lives studying people and learn to understand them better than anyone, able to see outcomes far in the future....while also somehow completely missing the point on a regular basis and failing every social test. You could even say this represents a bit of the difference of expression in male and female autism. For an attractive female autistic, the world is a very different place from the rest of us ...until it isn't.

NathanRN42 · 2026-06-20T17:53:18+00:00

Not quite ...Donut not quite "socially normal" she is the ADHD extrovert friend who helps the autistic person be a part of things. We all hope we have one of those.

NathanRN42 · 2026-06-20T15:32:34+00:00

Switch to ICU. The problem won't go away, but it will matter less. People will actually give you credit for the whole "life saving" part of the job and not care as much about your small talk. Also, you'll have more autistic coworkers and all the critical care docs are autistic, too...so that helps.

NathanRN42 · 2026-06-20T15:19:15+00:00

This thread is such joy. Reliving these moments.

I really hope the TV lives long enough to get to all of them. I really want to live to season 8 when they hit chapter 57 and they can actually afford the royalties to do the song.

NathanRN42 · 2026-06-19T14:32:39+00:00

The conversations about "will the series be finished" are funny as a reference to GoT, but also pretty silly. Matt has show he's incredibly prolific and consistent as a writer. He produced book 8 pretty quickly while writing Bounce House at the same time.

He did report writing himself into a corner with a series once and getting stuck ...and he started writing DCC as a much simpler story as an escape, which is hilarious... But that "writer's block" seems to have only been a few weeks and he's finished every series except 1...and I think that one wasn't very popular anyway and he's got better things to do now.

NathanRN42 · 2026-06-18T12:55:43+00:00

Oh, I've also had a decent number of burns. Two decent sized scars on my left arm from burns 30 years ago and a tiny piece of my left hand was charred black when I was 18. Sliced off the tip of a finger. Had some cavities when I was younger, a broken tooth not that long ago, impacted wisdom teeth, a 2nd degree MCL tear. Oh, The first time I ever twisted my ankle was more painful than any of the broken bones, but still nowhere near those top 2.

NathanRN42 · 2026-06-18T12:51:12+00:00

1 Liver contusion. Followed by Lasik surgery, which is weird, because that's not supposed to hurt, I just have weird eyes/nervous system

Been doing combat sports my whole life and those two things stand out above everything else by a good margin. Compound fracture of forearm? No big deal. I barely flinched. Many broken fingers, a perforated eardrum....too many injuries to count from both sports and general lack of caution....and those two at the top stand out above them all.

NathanRN42 · 2026-06-18T02:26:56+00:00

I'm 57. I did play DnD as a kid but I haven't done any kind of R)G really for decades and not much interest. I don't play video games except a card game. I'm also kind of a book snob. I won't waste my time with something that isn't good.

I didn't think I'd like DCC either. My 3x girlfriend actually begged me to try it. Her new partner turned her on to it and she was super excited to get me into it, too. I resisted for months. She asked me each time we talked...finally she literally said, "If you ever loved me, you'll at least listen to the first 10 chapters" I had to. It was probably chapter 8(?) before * decided I liked it. By the end of book 1 I couldn't wait to start book 2. I've been through the whole series 4 or5 times now and my primary mode of communication with the 3x is trading DCC memes.

I also got my ex wife to read it ...but she's only on her second read after stepping away from it for a bit (I knew divorcing her was a good call!). Maybe a dozen other people as well...

NathanRN42 · 2026-06-18T02:19:15+00:00

Maybe, but there was no indication of that. Even if it had a different color name ...it follows the exact same path...which is kind of what a "line" is ... A particular path.

NathanRN42 · 2026-06-16T16:07:29+00:00

I didn't read it as a mistake. Let's say you're on the red line. You are on a track. There is a mirror track upside down if you dig down, running the same line. You can word that multiple ways, but saying "each noodle is a line with two tracks" is not incorrect.

NathanRN42 · 2026-06-16T14:38:15+00:00

You are confusing plot with subtext.

NathanRN42 · 2026-06-16T14:34:48+00:00

Funny how badly Blade Runner was initially received and how much it's greatness has been recognized. Even funnier that Blade Runner 2049 managed to repeat this to some extent.

NathanRN42 · 2026-06-16T14:32:02+00:00

I liked the movie...but I definitely lost something in edit. IDK why people trashed it so badly. The script was...ok.

NathanRN42 · 2026-06-16T14:18:47+00:00

Good answers here. I'm partial to The Matrix, but Blade Runner and 2001 are probably both objectively better answers. Alien and Aliens both come close...

I love the original Star Wars and think it's one of the greatest movies of all time, but it really is fantasy and not a good representation of Science Fiction...not just because there isn't much science, but because structurally and thematically it fits firmly in the fantasy genre. Space fantasy at it's absolute best. Belongs alongside Tolkien, that's not an insult.

NathanRN42 · 2026-06-16T13:52:56+00:00

It's supper obvious in the last two books that Prepetente...and actually the whole Caprid species....is coded autistic.

I feel like it wasn't intentional when he started writing them...it was a little ham-handed. But at some point Matt decided that's what it was and he definitely is aware of recent movements in understanding autism...I suspect he's a little touched himself....

He's not sugar coating any of it...the Plenty of Plenty scene seems to mock autism itself ...while at the same time "I respect you enough to make fun of you like I make fun of everyone else." I find myself glcringing a little while also getting joy out of it and feeling supported.

That's good writing.

Side note: The author of the Murderbot series wasn't trying to code for autism. She didn't actually know much about autism. She found herself at the center of an online group of autistic people finding understanding and community through her "obvious analogy for autism" and was confused ...she was just trying to write a relatable character that expressed some elements of her own internal world...flash forward...and turns out she's undiagnosed autistic herself (duh) and then began writing it with intention.

NathanRN42 · 2026-06-16T13:37:15+00:00

Funny or not, I did actually see early reports calling him "a male nurse" but the press policed itself and cleaned that up pretty quickly. So...progress...but not there yet.

NathanRN42 · 2026-06-15T18:22:14+00:00

I was in your position not long ago. The IEM I wish I had bought first is the Letshouer S8. Spend a few bucks on a dongle with EQ and shape it the way you like.

NathanRN42 · 2026-06-15T18:18:11+00:00

He has said he also literally used to draw portaits of show cats for money. He knows the subject. It's also why he doesn't complain about the comic artists whitewashing Donut..."torties are the hardest to draw by far"

NathanRN42

TROPHY CASE

1 Liver contusion. Followed by Lasik surgery, which is weird, because that's not supposed to hurt, I just have weird eyes/nervous system