Snowflake Challenge 2025 #5
Jan. 11th, 2025 02:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bedesHaven't written anything for a few days! All my free time has been going into coding my website redesign, and this weekend, I'm gonna be spending a lot of my time playing Frostyfest in Splatoon 3. (Gotta get up to Ruler ranking, and hopefully get a pic with Frye!)
Thankfully, I set aside some time in between matches and coding to write today, though.
There are so many ways that fandom has improved my life with. I've met most, if not all, of my best friends through fandom -- including my romantic partner! It taught me about what the world was like, outside of my sheltered upbringing. It helped me understand myself better through using the characters as an indirect means of exploring certain topics, and I discovered I was queer and autistic through fandom.
I wanted to go a bit more in-depth about the point about autism, though, because I mention it in passing a lot.
Essentially, Steven Universe was one of the first fandoms I was able to engage with online, and a huge reason why I was so invested in it was Peridot's character. I only really got super into it when her redemption arc began. And this was because Peridot was unique, she was novel -- she was like me. I connected with her on a level that I had never connected with a fictional character before in my life, despite my consistent interest in fiction throughout my life.
So, one day, I was browsing the Peridot tag on tumblr, and I saw a post portraying Peridot as "autistic". I'd never heard this word before, except for as an insult, but more Peridot art was always welcome! So, I searched up "autistic Peridot" specifically. I was always down to learn about something new!
What I found was a bunch of art and posts, talking about and portraying the ways that Peridot was like me. Her intense struggles communicating with others, her intense interests, her anger issues (called "emotional dysregulation" in the posts), her taking comfort in technology (called "comfort objects" in the posts), and more... apparently, these were all signs of this "autism" thing.
So, I researched more (in a manner not related to Steven Universe), looking for what exactly excluded me from having this disability. If I had a disability, I would know it! I would've been told. So there had to be a reason why I wasn't, right? Only to discover there was no reason, nothing that said I couldn't have it. In fact, the more I researched, the more I found signs that I was.
So, after being told "no, you can't be autistic, you're just a gifted kid" by my mom several times, I finally convinced her to get me an evaluation. Where I was then promptly diagnosed with autism! And I now understand myself better than ever. Thanks, Peridot Steven Universe!
Thankfully, I set aside some time in between matches and coding to write today, though.
Challenge #5
Fandom can be a highly meaningful experience for many! We'd love to hear about how being part of a fandom has helped your life change for the better. Have you made any cherished memories or connections? Does fandom bring you joy? Tell us about the ways that fandom has helped you.
There are so many ways that fandom has improved my life with. I've met most, if not all, of my best friends through fandom -- including my romantic partner! It taught me about what the world was like, outside of my sheltered upbringing. It helped me understand myself better through using the characters as an indirect means of exploring certain topics, and I discovered I was queer and autistic through fandom.
I wanted to go a bit more in-depth about the point about autism, though, because I mention it in passing a lot.
Essentially, Steven Universe was one of the first fandoms I was able to engage with online, and a huge reason why I was so invested in it was Peridot's character. I only really got super into it when her redemption arc began. And this was because Peridot was unique, she was novel -- she was like me. I connected with her on a level that I had never connected with a fictional character before in my life, despite my consistent interest in fiction throughout my life.
So, one day, I was browsing the Peridot tag on tumblr, and I saw a post portraying Peridot as "autistic". I'd never heard this word before, except for as an insult, but more Peridot art was always welcome! So, I searched up "autistic Peridot" specifically. I was always down to learn about something new!
What I found was a bunch of art and posts, talking about and portraying the ways that Peridot was like me. Her intense struggles communicating with others, her intense interests, her anger issues (called "emotional dysregulation" in the posts), her taking comfort in technology (called "comfort objects" in the posts), and more... apparently, these were all signs of this "autism" thing.
So, I researched more (in a manner not related to Steven Universe), looking for what exactly excluded me from having this disability. If I had a disability, I would know it! I would've been told. So there had to be a reason why I wasn't, right? Only to discover there was no reason, nothing that said I couldn't have it. In fact, the more I researched, the more I found signs that I was.
So, after being told "no, you can't be autistic, you're just a gifted kid" by my mom several times, I finally convinced her to get me an evaluation. Where I was then promptly diagnosed with autism! And I now understand myself better than ever. Thanks, Peridot Steven Universe!
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Date: 2025-01-12 12:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-01-13 05:23 pm (UTC)Luz is definitely a character I can see helping a lot of ND kids!!! She’s a character I relate to heavily — probably one of the most, dare I say. She’s very dear to me!
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Date: 2025-01-13 05:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-01-12 03:08 pm (UTC)Steven Universe is such a fantastic story. I love the music!
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Date: 2025-01-13 05:23 pm (UTC)Me too!! I still listen to the OST very regularly, hehe
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Date: 2025-01-16 11:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-01-12 05:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-01-13 05:28 pm (UTC)Ohhh my goodness, do NOT get me started on the way Steven Universe is/was treated. I can (and have) talked about it for hours. It was extremely revolutionary, and, like you said, it was very important for the children who grew up with it! I know lots of other people who have stories like mine, and for us, it was invaluable.
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Date: 2025-02-15 07:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-02-17 12:39 am (UTC)Thank you for your kind comment!! :>