Witchcrafting-kitten - Kit The Witch

obsessed with this muppet clip where Gonzo breaks a piece of machinery and then just stares at the camera in an empty room and says ‘GUILT’ in the most harrowing way possible

SOMETIME IN THE LAST WEEK MY SCHOOL PUT UP A LARGE BANNER DEDICATED TO THE :-) EMOTICON

I want to say one thing about Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and the whole Ghostbusters franchise: it was made for the autistic community by an autistic person, aka Dan Aykroyd and it shows. It comes across so beautifully in writing and on screen.

Let me explain: the movie came about as a direct result of Dan Aykroyd's hyperfixation and special interest in the paranormal, he's said so himself many times. Aykroyd wrote Ray Stantz as he would embody himself on screen. He's said that. Ray is an extension of himself. Therefore, and naturally, Ray is autistic.

Unlike other depictions of autistic people in media, Ray comes across as likeable and honest. He reads well as a character without diminishing his autistic traits; he's witty, bubbly and excitable about his hyperfixation in parapsychology.

Ray is slightly clumsy, optimistic and slightly dim sometimes. He's the autistic person that is never depicted in media. He doesn't show the stereotypical traits but he is so evidently still autistic. He lacks eye contact and is quite stiff in his motor movements, and his voice is often monotone. But he expresses his excitement through his movements and facial expressions all the same.

And Egon, by extension of that, is a character that a lot of people on the Autism Spectrum relate to - myself heavily included. He portrays a lot of autistic traits but he, also, doesn't come across as unlikeable. He's grounded, well-versed, understands emotions and is shown to be empathetic - even when he doesn't overly understand social cues (for example, when he's comforting Janine in the first movie).

Egon is shown to have a strong connection and relationship with his colleagues and friends, he's witty and uses playful humour in social situations. He understands sarcasm and he's reserved in his use of it. He's adverse to physical touch but he does use it when needed. He's exactly the same as I am. And that's why I hold him so close to my heart.

The connection between Ray and Egon was always really special; they bounced off of one another and finished one another's thoughts. They were able to communicate with each other in good flow always appeared to be on the same wavelength. This is common in a lot of neurodivergent people; we are able to connect in a way that we can't with neurotypicals.

What Afterlife did was - SPOILERS FOR AFTERLIFE FROM HERE ON IN - give us a fresh outlook on autism through Phoebe. Though it is not stated she is autistic, it is evident that she may be on the spectrum. Phoebe's mum describes her as suffering from "bad co-ordination", and is constantly trying to help her open up and converse with people, which her brother says is "bad advice". This sort of comment is something that auties have heard our entire lives. Seeing Phoebe on screen felt like looking into a mirror into my life and it was so, so important.

Phoebe is shown to be a fantastic scientist, which is depicted as her special interest, and is shown to struggle in other subjects and with other issues. She is shown to be well-versed and straight-forward, just like her Grandfather. Phoebe says that she "exhibits emotions differently" to other people but feels them all the same - which is a common misunderstanding with autistic people.

I think what is also incredible about Afterlife is that everyone is aware of Phoebe's struggles, but she's labeled as a "gifted, intelligent kid" by Paul Rudd's character - even after her mum just listed all the things she struggles with. That's because even now - in 2021 - a female exhibiting all of these traits is unlikely to be diagnosed until later in life. Because autistic traits in women aren't shown to be an issue to people because we know how to mask. Phoebe is still developing into a young person, and her mum dismisses these issues she has because she is intelligent. That's a real issue.

Egon, on the other hand, as a person with the exact same traits, was labeled as a weirdo and outcast. That's a whole other issue.

And it was all so well-written. I love this franchise so much.

Overall, Ghostbusters is the perfect autism representation and I will NEVER shut up about it.

All three of these characters are so well loved, even by neurotypical people, and it's because they're a very raw and very real depiction of an autistic person written by an autistic person. Autism was less understood in the 1980's, so it's no surprise that it wasn't explicitly stated, but I think that adds to the magic. I think it's wonderful that autistic people like me are able to connect with these characters in a way that allistic people never could. That's what makes Ghostbusters such a beautiful franchise for people on the Spectrum.

And we owe it all to Dan Aykroyd and his hyperfixation all those years ago.

I don't know why I'm sharing this, but.....

One of my favorite things to see on my feed is Neil Gaiman answering asks people have sent him.

That's it....... Neil Gaiman........

October can’t come soon enough