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Dear 18-Year-Old Me: What I Wish I’d Known About Autism, Love, and Life
Hey you, Yeah, you — 18, confused, exhausted, and convinced the best of life has already passed you by. I wish I could sit across from you right now, cuppa in hand, and tell you what I know now. There’s so much I want you to hear — so many lies you’ve been fed about…
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✨ The Magazine That Almost Was ✨
A little love letter to 18-year-old me (and a bit of closure, too) When I was 18, I created a magazine about autism for my final major project in art and design. It had everything — articles, interviews, artwork, passion. It wasn’t just a college project. It was me pouring my heart out onto the…
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Why I Was Scared… And Why I’m So Glad I Said Yes
When Myron first asked me out, I was terrified. Not because I didn’t like him — quite the opposite. That’s what made it so scary. Something in me froze. My brain went into full-on panic mode: What if it all goes wrong? What if I mess this up? What if I get hurt again? Looking…
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🎬 If Amber and Jonas Was a Movie…
Okay, hear me out. I know it’s a big, wild dream — but sometimes I find myself daydreaming about what it would be like if the Amber and Jonas books were turned into a film. Or even better… a series. Something raw, real, and full of the weirdly specific chaos that follows Amber, Jonas, Daisy…
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🌸 “I Think I’m Demisexual”: Figuring It Out, One Feeling at a Time
*Sighs* So… this post has been a long time coming. Like, sitting-at-the-back-of-my-brain-for-years kind of long. But recently, something clicked. Something shifted. And I think I’m finally ready to say it out loud: I think I’m demisexual. Yep. Demisexual. Part of the asexual spectrum (Aspec). Not broken, not cold, not prudish — just me. For those…
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Today, I Watched Superman With Mine
There’s something a little surreal about watching a superhero movie when you’re sitting next to your own. Myron — my real-life Superman. No cape, no laser eyes, just quiet strength, fierce love, and that smile that makes everything feel okay. We saw Superman together today, and while the action was brilliant and the visuals were…
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Why I’m Proud to be Autistic (Even When It’s Hard)
Let’s get one thing straight: being autistic isn’t something I “suffer from.” I’m not broken, damaged, or a burden. I’m autistic — and I’m proud of it. Not just the easy, quirky, “fun fact!” bits, but all of it. Even the messy stuff. But let’s not sugar-coat it either. Autism can be hard. And still.…
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What Our Life Looks Like Without Children (And why we’re actually fine with it, thanks)
There’s this assumption that a life without children is somehow… empty.Lonely. Incomplete. Selfish, even. But I’m here to tell you: our life — the life Myron and I are building — is none of those things. It’s ours. We’re not parents. We’re not planning to be. And no, it’s not a phase, or something we’ll…
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What My Brain Has Decided to Latch Onto (For Now)
One minute I’m chilling, the next I’ve listened to “Video Killed the Radio Star” twelve times in a row and I’m planning a themed blog post around it. Neurospicy life, baby. Welcome to the current state of my brain — a sparkly, chaotic timeline of hyperfixations that hit me out of nowhere and hold me…
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Welcome to Actually Asten!
Sighs The first post is always the hardest… Anyway! I’m Asten (she/her) and this is my little corner of the internet. One of them, anyway — I’ll explain more about that in a moment. I live in the UK, I’m in my thirties (how did that happen?), and I’m autistic. Diagnosed at age four, told…
Actually Asten 