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David Perlmutter's avatar

"We’re trying to help you,” the butcher said, and there was genuine belief in his voice. “You’re a young man. You should be out courting, working a real job, living a normal life. But you can’t do that while you’re running from your own shadow, can you?”

This sounds very much like the insinuating condescension autistic people have to deal with on a regular basis...

Lauren Salas's avatar

Easy to read it that way, yeah. I wrote it as a stand-in for the way anyone mainstream society doesn't consider 'normal' or 'acceptable' is treated, so that definitely tracks.

David Perlmutter's avatar

Horror is good at that. Many people experience prejudice in similar ways, so it’s a story trope that is truly relatable.

Gregory Blair's avatar

Oh, my, this is creepy/tragic good!

Lauren Salas's avatar

Thank you! It's what I do best.