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hi friends, my name is ben (or benny), and i'm new here. i'm 20 years old, my pronouns are he/they (nonbinary transmasculine), and i was recently diagnosed with ASD. i had suspected it for a long time, probably since i was around 13 or 14, but even then, i'm still learning a lot and sort of reframing a lot of my life.

i've been reading "unmasking autism" by devon price- i know people have mixed feelings about it, but i've found it really accurate to my experience. even now with a diagnosis, i'm still being dismissed because i'm "so smart" or "don't look autistic" or am "obviously very high functioning" (ew, i personally hate that term). i'm beginning to realize how much of my life has been spent trying to change myself and pretend and apologize for who i am, all to meet standards that weren't worth meeting in the first place, and i'm really tired of it, but i also don't know where to begin with not doing that.

i know it'll be a long process, and so... i want to make friends with people who are also on this journey, i guess. i want to learn things and have some autistic friends with whom i can relate and not feel so alone in this process, because i think i've felt alone for a really long time, even when i've tried to pretend i didn't. maybe that's a step of this journey: stop lying to myself? /hj

anyways, a bit about me: i'm a student of music technology, so i write, produce, and record my own songs. i play keys, guitar, ukulele, voice, and a bit of beginner drums and bass guitar. i love composing. my musical tastes are similar to the type of music i compose: primarily alternative pop with indie, r&b, and rap influences. i love artists like jon bellion, twenty one pilots, billie eilish, and the 1975. i'm also a big fan of lofi music, especially for sleep and study.

when i'm not making music, i like to cook (and eat) and play minecraft (very casually), and i'm also interested in fashion. additionally, i also have some interest in linguistics, though admittedly my knowledge is semi-limited. if you can teach me more, i'm open! my current special interest is wednesday, the new netflix show- that's where my profile pic is from.

i really want to meet people, so please hit me up if you wanna chat or have any thoughts or anything like that! happy to chat over discord too if preferred. thanks for taking the time to read- i'm really looking forward to spending some time here!

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

Hi Benny! Welcome! glad you are with us!

Welcome to WP! I hope you find quite a few conversations that interest you.

Welcome from another new addition, Benny!

I just started reading "Unmasking Autism" myself and agree that some of the things he talks about for him personally (as well as some of the people stories he writes about others) have hit home for me. I know that's the idea behind the book, but it's still shocking to me to read my thoughts and experiences coming from someone else.

-S

Welcome to Wrong Planet kickingdownthedoors, Ben, Benny