Nettie (N)'s Links
Hannah helps me talk to others and understand how other people are feeling. Sometimes I can be distant, but when I'm floating too high Hannah can bring me down to earth (sometimes literally). She's really supportive. I don't get why she thinks I'm empathetic, though.
When I was uncertain about staying on Earth, Nettie showed me the wonders of this planet. When I was uncertain about supporting the life that was developing in the oceans I had grown fond of, Nettie showed me the beauty of life. She convinced me to help feed humans when they were struggling. Nettie's incredible empathy is unmatched.
Lucy's supportive and helps me see my flaws, while also reminding me that I am not defined by my struggles. She is comforting to talk to. I don't like her insistence on person-first language even though I have repeatedly told her that I prefer identity-first language. I don't understand how not respecting someone's wishes is putting the person first. But I won't hold that against her.
I don't understand why Lucy thinks I am empathetic. I thought I was incapable of empathy?
Nettie has been a close friend for a while, and though I sometimes give her therapy, I see her as a friend before a patient. She opens up to me like she does to few people outside the life essentials. I help her work on social skills and executive functioning, while recognizing her strengths.
And Nettie, to answer your question, there are two components to empathy: cognitive and affective. People with autism often struggle with cognitive empathy–recognizing emotions in others–but often excel in affective empathy–feeling though emotions. Your affective empathy is one of your greatest strengths, Nettie.
Bea's a great listener. Not only does she let me talk on and on about protein folding, or gardening, or cryogenics, or meteorology, or dwarf planets, but she seems genuinely interested and not like she's just putting up with me.
Nettie's the kind of person I can sit in the forest with for hours, chatting away about plant cell wall composition and photosynthesis and transport proteins. And then not talk at all for hours just to take in the breeze and the birdsong.
She loves all living creatures on a level that even some of the essential Elementals cannot. She loves it when I go on about proteins and plants. And she showed me the wonders of Earth and the beauty of life before I passed on that knowledge to Hannah. I do wish the compounds we formed weren't so toxic.
I'm so glad to have someone as empathetic as Nettie as part of the life essentials. She might seem cold, but she's warmed up to me and the great diversity of life on this planet. And cyanide is not the only compound we can make. What about nitriles and amides and amines and imines and imides and azo compounds and cyanates and nitro compounds and....?
She's very, uhm, uh, she's very, how do I say this? She's cool like water yet burns like fire. She's smart yet never elitist, snarky yet never in a cruel way. She's passionate but not obsessive, emotional yet not a nervous wreck. She's talented and adventurous and the spark that keeps the life essentials as a group alive. And she always makes me laugh.
You don't need to write a poem to tell me you like me, Nettie.
...
I don't understand why the other halogens like her. She's a pain to bond with, and she always seems uncomfortable when I'm around.
We look at the clouds together sometimes.
There are few people who can talk as much as Nettie can without saying a word.
I should have never agreed to that "romantic" car ride.
Yes, I probably should have picked a restaurant within walking distance. Or teleported there, but then we would have missed out on all the scenery!