Showitious

thumb|Made by Ikran's toxic bully, but she hopes people can relate·Do you ever get so wrapped up in your Special Interest that it momentarily impacts your grip on reality?" - AutisticCallum"I can definitely relate to this...and it has happened many times. The only thing that changes are the interests, not the stressors/impacts. Someone once called it Showitious." - TheIkranRiderShowitious is an obsessive condition originally named by Fanfictiondreamer to which Ikran can relate to, as someone who has an ongoing obsession/attachment with fictional characters. Since they're both autistics, these characters are often not chosen by the person attached to them and can often be unknown as to why that person is overwhelmed as a result. There is rarely a direct way as to identify which character they would become obsessed with but depending on the person, usually who has autism, they will be able to figure out what kind of character that person could be. They can be either male or female characters categorized as serious, cool, cute, evil, a woobie, etc. A few could be wise people who fall under the category of being wise beyond their years. Or being a hurt hero or simply having sympathy to an unfortunate woobie helpless by circumstance, or just plain evil relating to stressful situations. These triggers could also have something that greatly reminds the sufferers of one other character that he/she knows and often can't let go of. Sometimes it'd be considered as suffering from PTSD or anxiety. Regardless, Showitious can be predictable if the person affected by it is able to figure out the patterns, or the characters or situations can take them by surprise if they could not find any reason to see it coming.
Sometimes, either FFD or Ikran would come up with particular ideas for their stories as a way of coping with this and try to reduce stress to where it's not too severe for them to live with. Such ideas involve pairing a male character on the list with one or more female characters, or just creating a situation involving them. This has helped them at times, but some days can be harder to deal with than others. Their most recent attempts to deal with one of those characters was to come up with a fanfic, or Journal, for a game, movie or other media that he/she is in with him/her being the only reason why they came up with this fanfic.
To FFD she was diagnosed with PDD-NOS at a young age, and the cause is unknown as to why a select handful of characters from shows and games are involved, of their minds always being elsewhere.
Ikran has dealt with her own Showitious as well! Like FFD, Ikran can relate to this condition as an obsession of her favorite characters, those she disdains, and favorite media; shows, games, music, celebrities/YouTubers, etc. Ikran has dealt with the same thing since she was a kid. She can't recall exactly what her first experience was, but her fascination would happen randomly, though they'd have the usual triggers, even when she sees or hears them, and they become entrapped in her mind. Every time she does, it's like she has been caught in between both fantasy and reality clashing each other! Sometimes they'd seem so severe, that they'd interfere and cause more mental stress and fatigue. Often times, the only (negative) solution was to eliminate the things cold turkey even though she still likes these, as it made these stressors worse than better. It was as if her mind was her best friend, and her worst enemy.
It seems like some sort of stress disorder, and she can't find a way to cope with them well. Her fantasies won't help as long as she keeps them building up in her mind like a volcano; they need to go somewhere to relieve the pressure. So, she pretty much was stuck in between, and her favorite characters, movies, games, and other media were like her only comfort... Of course, she didn't want herself to go crazy, so she needed an outlet. Thus, finding an outlet for her multiple work: art, writing, journals, countdowns, etc.
A list of Ikran's characters involved in her own Showitious, good or bad, can be found here.
== Showitious can just be hyperfixation ==
The closest thing that can describe Showitious well is hyperfixation, which states it's an obsessive condition (usually linked with autism and anxiety disorders such as OCD/depression, schizophrenia, etc.) It's summarized as when someone's completely engrossed by something, to the point where it becomes all-consuming and disrupts his/her day-to-day functioning. It gets hard to focus on anything other than the object of his/her hyperfixation. People can become hyperfixated on a hobby, interest, person, place, etc. The timeline for hyperfixation can also vary. Some people will hyperfixate on one thing for months at a time, while other hyperfixation episodes may last just a few days. They might also pick up an interest really quickly and then drop it just as suddenly after some time. People often lose track of time or feel like time is passing very quickly, tune out other things happening around you, forget to do necessary things like eating or sleeping, feel unable to control your actions related to your interest, and become less self-aware and socially–aware. Much like how Showitious entails and affects others.
This article should explain it all.
Category:Original Content
Category:Randomness
Category:Tools
Category:Interesting
Category:Scary
Category:Happy
Category:Panic and/or cry
Category:Angst
Category:Emotions
Category:Comfort
Category:Hurt/Comfort
Category:Characters involved in Ikran's Showitious
Category:Mental conditions