WHERE TO GET THE BOOK: http://libgen.is/book/index.php?md5=F6B31A8DAFD6BD39A5986833E66293E6
PRIOR THREADS:
- Introduction
- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Catch-up/Revival
- Chapter Four attempt one and Do-Over
In this chapter, Dr. Price discusses various ways of reframing and rethinking autism. Once the decision has been made to unmask, there comes the issue of what exactly that looks like. To even begin the work of rebuilding an identity that celebrates autism rather than hiding it as a source of shame, you must first reframe the way you perceive autism.
Step one is of course recognizing you're autistic and then discovering what that means. Step two is re-examining painful labels that are enforced by a society 
that devalues neurodivergent behaviors, stims, and ways of thinking. Recognizing that you are not cringe, you just been touched by the 'tism. Dr. Price provides a number of charts and exercises that help the reader reframe autistic tendencies as things that have value in and of themselves and that are a core part of an autistic person's identity. Reducing self-stigma is a key part of the process of reclaiming your identity. Regarding your "deficient" social graces as having some advantages -- being principled, being passionate, etc. -- can rebuild some of that eroded self-esteem that came from years of rejection and correction by people who insisted you conform to an arbitrary set of behaviors determined by random chance and trend over centuries of cultural construction.
He goes over ways to think about how your autistic traits have actually improved your life and helped define who you are. If I hadn't been an obsessive reader since the time I was a toddler I probably wouldn't be so good at writing. If I hadn't been obsessed with video games my entire life I'd probably not be so good at constructing fictional worlds and characters and dialogue. If I wasn't so focused on making people laugh as a defense mechanism and way to endear myself to them out of a desperation for someone, anyone, to accept and like me, I probably wouldn't be so goddamn funny 
Celebrating special interests comes up. I love bugs, for instance, and got a lot of enthusiasm in the responses for my late-night bugposting when I was deep in the pits of depression. My new girlfriend shares my passion for cheesy romances between humans and nonhumans. Dr. Price tells the story of Clara, who was obsessed with Pete Burns. When she went to college she shelved that interest to be "normal" and it depressed her so much that she had to move back home. Once she was surrounded by her Pete Burns shit and Pete Burnsing it up with her online friends again the depression disappeared like a bad dream. The lesson is: embrace your special interests and draw life from them. Also, you can have more than one. In fact it's pretty common for ASD folks to go super hard on a few things to varying degrees over our lives. Just roll with it. Enjoy yourself. You're not a weirdo if you collect baseball cards, but somehow if the pieces of cardboard have pictures of Yu-Gi-Oh! on them you're a cringe failure (which you know is impossible since you have the Heart of the Cards). Fuck the haters.
Plunging these special interests can help you develop the key values identified in earlier chapters (remember that shit? I didn't lmao) to help you find key moments that illustrate these things in action. Dr. Price gives the example of confronting a drunken asshole trying to force himself on a young woman and getting between the two of them until the girl could get away. A frightening moment but one that showed his commitment to justice and protecting people who need help.
The chapter closes out with Dr. Price talking about the concept of having gratitude for your past self for doing what you needed to do in order to survive and protect yourself from a harsh world that usually misunderstood you. Those years weren't wasted. You did the best you could. You're uniquely you and through it all have remained as such and just need to re-awaken the parts you've hidden out of shame.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
- Any passages that stuck out to you? Things you need explained? Things you want to expand upon?
- Any certified he literally me fr moments?
- If you'd care to share any of your values or moments or special interests or whatnot below and how they've given your life value, please do. Tell us about your pokeymans
As usual, tag post to follow in comment. 
No worries! I forgot to mention that the dev is neurodivergent himself.
I think it's fair to say that it looks like a slot machine from the outside and it borrows from the logic of a slot machine game but you don't get to bet on lines or particular amounts of money, rather it's a roguelite deckbuilder where you're trying to get the best combinations of symbols and the right synergy between modifiers (think jokers from Balatro) and the symbols (like the deck in Balatro) but the luck mechanic is structured by a slot machine random spin up rather than playing a hand that you are dealt.
You can check out a playthrough without spoiling much of anything - there's no narrative so it's akin to Balatro in that respect - if you want to see what I'm trying to describe.
Mass Effect is a better choice for narrative and longer playthroughs sitting at a desk, LBAL is better for quick little playthroughs with a lot of replayability (in typical roguelite fashion) and it's much better for playing on the go. Either are good choices but they couldn't be more different so go with what suits you best - if you've got Balatro and you're happy with it then it might be scratching that itch already so Mass Effect might be the better option.
Tbf, I'd only be getting ME because it's one of my favorite franchises. I've played it before but have been itching for a new playthrough for a while.
You are really selling me on LBAL though. I noticed that it's more of a match 2-3 than slots. The slot mechanic, like you said is just the rng. A Steam review said it's a crappier Balatro which I though was funny since G*mers are hilariously bad at actually reviewing a game.
Might grab both lol. I can treat myself, right?
I don't want to be responsible for the spending choices of other people lol.
It looks like it comes up on sale every few months. This is the historical low, but only by about 50 cents US. You aren't gonna miss out on much if you put it off for a while but it's only a couple of bucks so on the other hand it's not a huge investment.
I went ahead and grabbed it. I can def see how it might work as a mobile bus ride game. Gonna check it out more later but so far I like what I've played.