irren_echo's recent activity
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Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (May 2026) in ~health.mental
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Comment on Lost/losing the drive for friendship in ~health.mental
irren_echo Link ParentYeah, that's him! Genuinely unique perspective, having been in the thick of religious zealotry and then coming out the other side with ostensibly little emotional baggage. Like, he's obviously...Yeah, that's him! Genuinely unique perspective, having been in the thick of religious zealotry and then coming out the other side with ostensibly little emotional baggage. Like, he's obviously using the videos to process all that for himself, but the way he does it is, imo, a really positive addition to the larger conversation.
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Comment on Lost/losing the drive for friendship in ~health.mental
irren_echo Link ParentThis may not be a terribly helpful response, but are you familiar with Heliocentric on YouTube? He's a former Pentecostal who, as an atheist, still (genuinely, unironically) loves going to church....This may not be a terribly helpful response, but are you familiar with Heliocentric on YouTube? He's a former Pentecostal who, as an atheist, still (genuinely, unironically) loves going to church. His Atheist Church Audit series is great, the primary thrust of which is "does this congregation, regardless of belief system, positively affect their community; and if not, how might that be changed?" He's very non-judgemental, his insights are interesting and well thought out, and he has ties to some non-religious community groups that try to serve the function of church without being church. Might be worth at least checking the descriptions of some videos for names/locations/websites, if that's something you're actively interested in.
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Comment on I love bioparks in ~travel
irren_echo LinkTangential, but I'm always a little surprised when people make Burque a travel destination.... I think because it seems inconvenient? Idk, but I'm glad you enjoyed the biopark (and I hope you...Tangential, but I'm always a little surprised when people make Burque a travel destination.... I think because it seems inconvenient? Idk, but I'm glad you enjoyed the biopark (and I hope you liked other things, too).
For whatever it's worth, you can also enjoy our elephant program without (too much) guilt. Recently, Alice the Elephant took a self-guided tour around the zoo, seemed to have a lovely time, and was ushered back home in the morning with nothing more than a finger-wag from her people. No tranquilizers, no panic from anyone involved, no damage (other than the fence welds she popped). Obviously zoos are zoos, but I feel like that speaks well of the program.... she's curious, but also plenty happy going home.
(Mostly I just like finding excuses to tell that story lol)
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Comment on For $700 a month, sleeping pods make San Francisco more affordable, but at what cost in ~life
irren_echo Link ParentI don't think anyone here is judging the people using these spaces.... I am judging the people who are charging fucking $700 a month to live in a glorified IKEA display. Is it better than the...I find it strange people would judge someone for taking on temporary cramped living conditions
I don't think anyone here is judging the people using these spaces.... I am judging the people who are charging fucking $700 a month to live in a glorified IKEA display.
Is it better than the streets? Of course. Better than a car? Debatable, but sure. Is it absolutely reprehensible that this is being touted as a "safe, clean, affordable" solution? Yes. Yes it is.
Remember boarding houses? At least with those you got a goddamn door.
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Comment on I wrote a book, and I'd love for you to read it! in ~creative
irren_echo Link ParentThank you!Thank you!
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Comment on I wrote a book, and I'd love for you to read it! in ~creative
irren_echo Link ParentOhh yeah, that's an artifact of the text on some pages being printed on clear paper. It gives a nice drop shadow on the original plates (there are a couple layers of resin underneath), but in the...Ohh yeah, that's an artifact of the text on some pages being printed on clear paper. It gives a nice drop shadow on the original plates (there are a couple layers of resin underneath), but in the photos it's not as obvious that that's what's happening. So, mostly an artistic choice, but also a bit of a learning experience with how light refracts through resin.
Fun fact: you cannot digitize a resin piece with a normal scanner without losing a crazy amount of clarity. A photographer friend helped me so much with the digitizing part, I don't know what I'd have done without him.
That's good feedback though, thank you! I'll be sure to let you know when I have a text-only version available. :)
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Comment on I wrote a book, and I'd love for you to read it! in ~creative
irren_echo Link ParentThank you! There is not a text-only version atm, but it wouldn't be hard to make one. I am curious about the reasoning though.... Are the images too distracting? Is it the honking size of the...Thank you!
There is not a text-only version atm, but it wouldn't be hard to make one. I am curious about the reasoning though.... Are the images too distracting? Is it the honking size of the file? Just personal preference?
Regardless, I'll give it some thought, it's not a bad idea.
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Comment on I wrote a book, and I'd love for you to read it! in ~creative
irren_echo Link ParentNo worries! If you come back to it, great! If not, that's perfectly ok too. Thanks for looking in any case :)No worries! If you come back to it, great! If not, that's perfectly ok too. Thanks for looking in any case :)
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Comment on I wrote a book, and I'd love for you to read it! in ~creative
irren_echo LinkHi all! I've spent the past few years writing and illustrating an historical fiction short story collection about dictators, and I wanted to share it with you. All the images are hand-cut collage...Hi all!
I've spent the past few years writing and illustrating an historical fiction short story collection about dictators, and I wanted to share it with you.
All the images are hand-cut collage set in multiple layers of resin, and the stories vary in tone and perspective; I had a lot of fun experimenting with writing styles, and I think it came out really well.
Read it for free at the main link, and if you want more information about the process go here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/irrenecho/abcdictators?ref=discovery&term=abcdictators%20&total_hits=409&category_id=45
Feel free to ask questions if you have them! This project is very much a special-interest-infodump-but-art, and I love talking about the wild details of these regimes as much as about the various processes and materials I used in making it.
I really hope you enjoy! :)
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I wrote a book, and I'd love for you to read it!
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Comment on Executive (dys)function flavors? in ~talk
irren_echo Link ParentAutism very much is ADHD-adjacent, though; that's why I mentioned it. Honestly, I'll be shocked if they're not eventually determined to be the same thing, with the ADHD being the aspect that can...Autism very much is ADHD-adjacent, though; that's why I mentioned it. Honestly, I'll be shocked if they're not eventually determined to be the same thing, with the ADHD being the aspect that can be medically treated, while the autism is just the foundation on which everything is (manually) built.
So, manual vs automatic: this is kinda hard to explain without the immediate back and forth of an IRL conversation, but I'll try.
Why do you do things the way that you do them? At any given point in the day, if someone were to ask "why are you doing it like that?" would you have an answer? How much time have you spent analyzing the steps of a given task, breaking them down to their smallest constituent parts, and optimizing them according to an internal rule set?
Everyone does this to some extent of course, but for NDs every action was, at some point, the result of a conscious decision. Everything is done manually until the correct pattern is established; not so of NTs. They can take a hodgepodge of steps and just do them in any order, to any level of completion, and it's all good. The thing got done. Great. If given that same hodgepodge, an ND will have to sort out the pieces and actively think about how to go about doing the things every time until the correct combination is found (assuming it exists, which it doesn't always), after which point a disruption in said pattern will, at best, throw them off and slow the process, and at worst cause a meltdown/shutdown/crashout because now that whole sorting and thinking and planning routine must be done again from scratch.
That's where the stereotype of ND rigidity comes from; routines conserve bandwidth (/spoons), and the less bandwidth one needs for daily tasks the more is left for the things that can't be made routine. And if something that was routine/automated suddenly isn't, you've lost not only the effort required for execution, but also everything that led up to it (planning, sorting, optimizing, accounting for bad days when things are harder, good days when they're not, extenuating circumstances that may or may not come up, etc).
Does that make some kind of sense?
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Comment on Executive (dys)function flavors? in ~talk
irren_echo LinkHaha yeah, I'll bet. Those tests should all come with comment boxes next to each question, because I've never met an ND person who didn't feel compelled to explain in detail why they answered the...There's an exhausting amount of nuance I could add to the above.
Haha yeah, I'll bet. Those tests should all come with comment boxes next to each question, because I've never met an ND person who didn't feel compelled to explain in detail why they answered the way they did.
Since you said having a name for it would help, and you already have an appointment lined up, I'd suggest getting tested for autism as well. And in the mean time, a question to ponder: how much of your life is manual (as opposed to automatic)?
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Comment on What are some stories of progressivism gone wrong in implementation? in ~society
irren_echo Link ParentAs an autistic with 'autism and abnormal psychology' as a special interest, I have actually lost (what I thought were) really solid friendships because I implied that they might be on the...As an autistic with 'autism and abnormal psychology' as a special interest, I have actually lost (what I thought were) really solid friendships because I implied that they might be on the spectrum. The only fight I've ever had with my best friend (of over 10 years, who was around for and supportive of my late in life dx) was when I mentioned I thought he was probably autistic. He was livid. Triggered, if you will (and I will, because that's exactly what it was. I'm still not allowed to bring it up after several years). The internalized ableism can run real fucking deep for some people, and I have had to learn to keep my mouth shut way more than I'd like to (because ohmygod it explains so much, it helps so much to know and have that context for oneself, and it's so fucking obvious to me. YOU'RE PEGGING MY SPECTROMETER OVER HERE, LET ME HELP YOU).
I've also had the opposite response, where my casual chatter about symptoms and tells and just like, interacting with someone as though they already knew they were autistic was really helpful and they sought out meds and therapy about it. I mean, I also probably said the words "you're autistic" at some point, so it's not just a matter of subtlety or lack thereof. Some people just have really big feelings about it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Comment on Major storm sweeps across Nordic countries in ~enviro
irren_echo Link ParentThere's something very sad to me about them just leaving his corpse to lie as it fell. With the live stream still going.... :(There's something very sad to me about them just leaving his corpse to lie as it fell. With the live stream still going.... :(
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Comment on Gift recommendations in ~life
irren_echo Link ParentThey're not always available, but I love that they sell Strandbeest fossils! https://www.strandbeest.com/fossilsThey're not always available, but I love that they sell Strandbeest fossils!
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Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (November 2025) in ~health.mental
irren_echo Link ParentAwesome! Glad to hear you're feeling better :)Awesome! Glad to hear you're feeling better :)
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Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (November 2025) in ~health.mental
irren_echo Link ParentBeen there, it sucks. Kinda there now, come to think of it, but it's not quite as bad this time as it has been in the past. No need to respond, but something to think about: on your productive and...Been there, it sucks. Kinda there now, come to think of it, but it's not quite as bad this time as it has been in the past.
No need to respond, but something to think about: on your productive and middling days, do you find yourself pushing to accomplish as much as possible in preparation for the bad days? It could be burnout, and you're not giving yourself sufficient time to recuperate.
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Comment on Please help me pick my next book to read! in ~books
irren_echo Link ParentI haven't read Life, but I have read a couple others by Carrère and they were great! One was a biography-ish of Philip K Dick, and the other was The Mustache. The latter is fairly short, and...I haven't read Life, but I have read a couple others by Carrère and they were great! One was a biography-ish of Philip K Dick, and the other was The Mustache. The latter is fairly short, and available for free on archive.org, but there's also this video if you'd rather go that route: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2CJowTpZTiw
I'd say read and then watch with The Mustache, but either will probably help you decide if you're up for Life. (Lemme know how Life is if you read it, and how urgently it should be added to my TBR list)
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Comment on So I'm autistic after all in ~health.mental
irren_echo Link ParentAnd see, this is why those tests aren't the end-all, be-all for diagnosis. By their nature the questions have to be broad, and by our nature they need to be specific for us to feel like we...I never even considered my rumination as pointing to autism
And see, this is why those tests aren't the end-all, be-all for diagnosis. By their nature the questions have to be broad, and by our nature they need to be specific for us to feel like we answered properly. IMO the biggest improvement that could (and should) be made to those tests is adding a comments section for the test taker, so we can fill in all those edge cases or "unnecessary" specifics in our answers (the desire for/use of which is, in itself, a pretty strong indicator, lol).
But yeah, I'll bet she was just looking out for you. Couldn't hurt to ask, though! Worst case you just look "more" autistic haha.
Sorry if this falls under "advice," but just in case it helps to name it this is called emotional impermanence (like "object permanence," but feelings). It's not uncommon (I have it too) and it really does suck. If you ever need someone to vent to, feel free to DM.... I'll do my best to only give advice if it's explicitly asked for.