Interview with the Vampire (Episode 76)

An Episode With Bite! Here’s a taste of what’s lurking in the shadows: * In this episode, Matt and Angela sit down with Jessica Brothers—a true jack-of-all-trades. She's a metalhead, a former volunteer firefighter, an ex-ABA practitioner, and, oh yeah… an autistic vampire!* Jessica shares her journey as a vampire within one of New Orleans' elusive houses, along with her unexpected stint as an ABA practitioner—a path that ultimately led her to recognize her own autism.* Jessica, Angela, and Matt sink their teeth into the nonlinear hierarchy of New Orleans' vampire houses, uncovering eerie parallels between vampires and autistic individuals (a theme hinted at in our last episode, Vampires Are Autistic).* Our resident vampire dives into how music serves as regulation, why tattoos are inherently autistic, the role of guardian to the ruthless Aurantian arachnid, and so much more in this fang-tastic new episode!“In the fourth grade, I had to write a 500-word paper: ‘I will sit like a lady’. This is what my paper was - I described what I thought being biologically female meant at the time, and then I described sitting. The next section was about sitting- and then I was like: ‘Because I am biologically female, and because ‘lady’ is a synonym, and because I am sitting, I *am* sitting like a lady, no matter how I sit, because I am a lady who is sitting.” - Angela“Communication is one of the most bizarre things ever - because you have this nebulous thought in your head, with electrical signals bouncing between neurons. Those electrical signals are translated to a floppy piece of meat in your mouth that wiggles, and when it wiggles, it causes air to wiggle, and that wiggling air causes earbones to wiggle, and when those earbones wiggle, it causes electrical signals to be sent to the auditory processing center of your brain, which decodes the wiggle-siggles, and then sends more electrical signals to someone else’s neurons. So, the fact that we communicate at all is astounding. ” - Matt“I’m still experiencing what it’s like to be this... piecing together different parts of myself and realizing, oh sh*t!” - Jessica (on autism diagnosis and vampiredom)Did you notice how Jess embodies the connection between vampires and the autistic experience? Fangs for joining us! Share your chilling thoughts in the comments, and use #AutisticCultureCatch to connect with other listeners on social media! Which traits sent a shiver down your spine this spooky season?Resources:Wikipedia entry for Argiope aurantiaRelated Episodes:Vampires Are Autistic Fairy Tales Are AutisticReady for a paradigm shift that empowers Autistics? Help spread the news!Follow us on InstagramFind us on Apple Podcasts and SpotifyLearn more about Matt at Matt Lowry, LPPJoin Matt’s Autistic Connections Facebook GroupLearn more about Angela at AngelaKingdon.com Angela’s social media: Twitter and TikTokOur Autism-affirming merch shop This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.autisticculturepodcast.com/subscribe