Vaila
@vaila.bsky.social
490 followers 470 following 810 posts
Autistic. Queer. Tired. Unpaid carer. Chronic pain haver. Interests: nature, photography, reading, languages inc BSL, queer history. (Alt text. Profile pic is bird’s eye view of wellies standing on red sand beach. Header is blue sky with cloud.)
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fergus.oolong.co.uk
Deimos, the smaller of Mars's moons, is slightly bigger than Cardiff, and has an average escape velocity of around 5.7m/s: a little over 20km/h.

This is low enough that an athlete could jump off into space if they got a running start - but they couldn't, because the gravity's too low for good grip.
Reposted by Vaila
mikemelton.bsky.social
Bananas came to visit this afternoon!

I haven't seen him for a while, but he wandered through the garden today and came to say, "Hi" to me.

I love Bananas! Mi amigo.

At @casabentbill.bsky.social #CostaRica

#tapirs #mammals #wildlife #bairdstapir
A close-up photo of a Baird’s tapir standing on a wet, leafy path in a lush green forest, looking directly at the camera with its long snout and large rounded ears visible.
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viergacht.bsky.social
How to torture a autistic person: "You need to go somewhere later but I don't know exactly what time."
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ayannasanaa.bsky.social
So many of us slipped through the cracks because we were “too smart,” “too quiet,” or “too well-behaved.”
Turns out we were just masking.
Autism in Black women is real.
My diagnosis didn’t change who I am it explained it 🖤♾️✨🫶🏽
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susiedent.com
Today I offer a reminder of the word ‘forswunk’ (13th century): exhausted from too much work. To be ‘foreswunk’ (my own version) is to be exhausted before you even begin.
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fergus.oolong.co.uk
I'm so excited to finally be able to share these animations!

Here's the @thrivingautistic.bsky.social page about them, along with the companion blogs (two of which I wrote myself).

Please share them widely, if you like them. 😊
www.thrivingautistic.org/autistic-exp...
Educational Animation Videos about Autistic Experiences
Our two new neuro-affirming educational animation videos celebrate Autistic experiences and perspectives.
www.thrivingautistic.org
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gnomieshobbycorner.bsky.social
Some mushies on a log.
🍄🍂🥰
#autumn #nature #woodland #mushrooms #photography
A cluster of orange mushrooms on a log.
Roane County, WV.
vaila.bsky.social
Also several Shakespeare plays, Huckleberry Finn, Lord of the Rings, Jane Eyre, War and Peace, Tintin, Wind in the Willows and The Famous Five. And, er, is there a novelisation of Mrs Doutbfire? Better to be safe than sorry!
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daryllmarie.bsky.social
Boy have the red-shouldered hawks been treating me today! 🪶🌿
A red shouldered hawk perched on a thick branch looking over its shoulder
vaila.bsky.social
This little pal was sunning themself in the garden this morning.

#invertebrate #nature #Scotland
Butterfly with bright orange stripe and white spots on nearly black wings sitting on a green leaf.
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audhd-psychnp.com
Individuals with intellectual disabilities are people with sexual
feelings, needs and identities!

People with intellectual disabilities have fundamental rights to have healthy relationships with others, including romantic relationships!

and even sex!

(GASP!) It's true!!
www.jscimedcentral.com
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allencompassingtrip.com
Bighorn sheep at the National Elk Refuge, Wyoming. December, 2021.

📷 Fujifilm X-T3 + XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR
🎞 189 mm – 1/500″ – f/8 – ISO 1250
🏷️ #BighornSheep #Photography #Wildlife
A close-up of two bighorn rams standing side to side, rubbing their horns against each other.
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lycomorpha.bsky.social
Next game: mythical beasts.

At the last workshop we played a version of this that involved a paper fold.

So to make a drawing-only version of this that we can forget the shitshow world with for a moment, I drew 1 of Blinky's relatives as my warm-down today.

Let me to introduce Dr. Blinksworth...
An ink and colour pencil doodle of a very strange creature labelled Dr. Blinksworth the Hopping-beast. They have a sausage-shaped head with 4 closed eyes with eyelashes, orange medium length hair in a bow, pointy teeth, and 5 tongues. They have a long thin neck with a beaded necklace, and a pear shaped body with one leg and a lot of toes. They have 4 small orange wings and 4 green pointy tails. They are, objectively, fucking delightful.
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lycomorpha.bsky.social
OK, dice doodle games from our workshops!

The idea is these games can be played anywhere you can doodle, even if you only have 1 pen/pencil & plain/lined/etc paper. You can use a D6 or an app to generate random numbers.

You can use any media tho, & easily make them more colourful or complex...
lycomorpha.bsky.social
Gotta write up the notes on last week's workshops & games.

It's hard to express how it helps to get a minute to be ridiculous, & to draw absolute friggin nonsense in these exhaustingly fascist times.

I'll share the dice doodle-rules that gave us Blinky when I've done, in case anyone else needs em.
A sketchbook drawing of a ridiculous imaginary mythical creature called Blinky the Waveybeast. Blinky has 5 eyes, all of which are closed right now, 4 curved horns, and pointy teeth in a smiling mouth. They have a long neck, a bead necklace, and a body that is shaped like a cloud and covered in small polka dots. Blinky also has 1 large waving tentacle, 3 skinny wavey tails, and 2 sturdy legs with a lot of toes. A sketchbook page with a map of an island doodled on it. It's labelled Blinky's Eye-land, spelled like Eyeball eye and land. There's a compass and some scrawled numbers in one corner, and a giant octopus waving out of the sea labelled 'thar be octopods.' The island itself is marked as having cliffs around its edges called the cliffs of doo-oo-oo-oo-oom, trees and plants growing on it, and tall pointy mountains in the middle, the tallest of which is labelled pointy McPointy's peak. There's also a collection of trees labelled Forest of Blarg, and a small house for a mythical beast. We aren't sure if it's Blinky's house, it doesn't say. A very rough doodle of a flowering plant labelled as the greater grater flower. The first greater is spelled like greater meaning bigger, and second grater spelled like cheese grater. Because the petals are like mini cheese graters. It has two flowers with five gratery petals each, the leaves with three lines each, and a long thin stem. There's a note telling us it only grows on Blinky's Island.
vaila.bsky.social
Yeah, almost like becoming a nature documentary of your own thoughts. I have issues getting stuck, rumination and catastrophising so it helps to be able to see what’s happening mentally in a somewhat objective way.
vaila.bsky.social
I’ve found it helpful and have had sessions led by autistic practitioners that incorporate stimming etc. Fully understand it’s not for everyone but I think it’s often misunderstood too.
vaila.bsky.social
Mindfulness is not about emptying your mind. If you are told to do that then the person is misguided. It’s more like watching your thoughts drift past you like objects bobbing along on a river. Like stepping back from the inside of your thoughts and seeing them as a collection of little events.
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blackler.bsky.social
The lovely colour of Amethyst Deceivers. First I’ve seen this year.

🍄 #FungiFriends
Two (one small) mushrooms with a striking lilac coating colour growing from leaf litter.
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laurelgale.bsky.social
Northern flickers are always ready for their close-up!

#birds #nature #wildlife
A close-up photo of a northern flicker, showing only the head and upper body. The bird looks striking with bright red line on its cheek.
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leguinbot.bsky.social
The danger in trying to do good is that the mind comes to confuse the intent of goodness with the act of doing things well.
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banditelli.org
Starting a long day of some fucked up shit with some forward facing raptor. Which is not fucked up. #bird
A red tailed hawk, likely, looking at the camera, kindof a flat looking photo, it was shot into the sun and i tried to edit it abit, but still not great.
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neuro-observant.bsky.social
One of the things about neurodivergence is that you may be very quiet on the outside, yet have the LOUDEST thoughts on the inside

#autism #AuDHD #anxiety #autisticshutdown
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scottishgreens.org
"The far right scapegoats people who have been through unimaginable trauma, blaming them for failures in housing, public services, and the economy that are in fact the fault of governments this country has elected." - @patrickharvie.bsky.social

👉 www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/2541082...
Glasgow Times. Glasgow must resist the far right and celebrate refugee solidarity. column by Patrick Harvie MSP.