As an autistic person, for me, masking has never been about pleasing people. It has been about keeping myself safe from the consequences of displeasing people.
A lot of my autistic meltdowns happen after I’ve explained myself over and over and still don’t feel understood. I’m not trying to win. I’m trying to be understood.
Not all hurt people hurt people. Some spend their lives making sure no one else feels what they did. They break cycles, build safe spaces, and turn pain into purpose. Hurt people don't just hurt people, they heal people too.
Another one of those rambly threads about the Pokémon world itself:
Besides the Pokémon designs themselves, there’s one other huge factor that makes the Pokémon world as a SETTING so compelling - the scope for personal expression within an existing structure.