Love Being A Snake Shapeshifter Because Like…there Are Literally Thousands Of Species, And I Could

sometimes all u need is to play nature sounds and lay down on the floor in a ball

you ever just get super thirsty, guzzle half a water bottle, and think “aa yes this will sustain me for the next month”

I guess I could be considered a shapeshifter since my body changes between different species of snakes. right now (and for the past few days) I’m a California kingsnake. no idea what causes me to change or if I can control it, but it’s a neat quirk of this body.

I’m curious any shapeshifters out there able to control their shifts? were you always able to? how do you do it now?

(me if you even care)

The idea that prey nonhumans and predator nonhumans have beef with each other as if in nature predators and prey just hate each other and that's why carnivory exists: extremely anthropocentric mindset. I've literally been friends with people who were species that hawks or wolverines prey on in the wild and we never were even at odds over it. I'm a South American opossum who's friends with a crested eagle. It's mostly a lot of humans that cannot comprehend killing something you don't have spite for; after all, they get all their meat in packaged form from the grocery store and the only time they kill other animals is when they're mad at a spider for existing.

ND things i’m really hoping other people can relate to

“you touched my arm and now i have to cut it off”

“i blinked wrong. i have to do it again. again. again. again. again. okay that’s better.”

“sorry i didn’t quite catch that. sorry could you just- yeah. what? huh? no i didn’t get that- could you just write it down?”

directions just go in one ear and out the other

and god forbid i have to talk to anyone with an accent

“i didn’t listen to that song right. i have to do it again. again. again. again. again. okay, better.”

the r a g e when your plan/routine gets disrupted

“oh that leaf brushed my left hand? okay cool now i gotta brush it against my right hand in exactly the same way or else i’ll Die”

“this has to be symmetrical or i will gouge my eyes out because it feels BAD”

the exhaustion that sometimes follows talking about a special interest

getting overwhelmed talking about/interacting with your special interest

“what emotion is this?”

“this is the only song i can listen to and it brings me a genuine feeling of relief/release to hear it. i must loop it over and over until i suddenly hate it. i don’t know why.”

randomly finding yourself thinking/talking like a robot and having to consciously switch on emotions/empathy

or the other way around, if you get overwhelmed

“loud noises are fucking terrifying and i will cry if i get caught off guard by one”

“someone i don’t like/trust/know touched this thing and now i can’t until it’s been washed”

p a i n

where is the pain coming from? idk.

what’s itching??? where is that???

“wow that hurt! okay, i gotta do it again”

feel free to add on!!

(I don’t know if this is just me or if other neurodivergent people experience this but) growing up I was bullied/shamed for having any interests whatsoever so now I’ve just learned to internalize any impulses to infodump. like I really want to talk about all these really interesting things, but like even thinking about telling another person just feels so wrong? and dirty? I don’t really know if this makes sense, but it’s basically unstoppable force (the need to share my hyperfixations) vs immovable object (paralyzing anxiety)

the cool thing about working with animals is that I have one singular neurotypical colleague (as far as I know). and it’s become super obvious to me that the way autistic people relate to animals is fundamentally different to how allistics relate to animals. and the way people with ADHD relate to animals is fundamentally different to those without. 

(only one of my colleagues has Tourette’s and only two of us have OCD, so I don’t think that’s enough to make any grand sweeping statements). 

anyway. a real interaction between two of my colleagues today.

ADHD: Maggie won’t stop barking at me. I think she’s upset.

autistic: let me go talk to her. I can fix this. 

and that’s not uncommon? my autistic colleagues and I seem to talk to the animals to a much greater extent than anyone else. my ADHD colleagues and I seem to be the best at associating the correct name and breed and dietary requirements to the correct dog, which is weird, because I can’t do the same when it comes to humans.

I know that most people communicate with their animals but… it’s different in a way I can’t quite explain. the communication and connection seems so much deeper… I don’t know, it’s just wonderful. also, the fact that so many ND people work with me… that alone… indicates something. 

Definitely!! I get super alert almost to the point of hypervigilance especially if I’m tired but don’t feel safe enough to relax.

Anyone else super jumpy while sleep deprived? Like my mother and her friend are talking and I keep jumping like a scared little bat and I'm confusedd

Anyone else get so much species euphoria from being called a dog even though they aren’t one?? I think being acknowledged as any creature just makes me so happy =3

Kintype drawings! Copperhead edition :3