THIS is the bear cave painting i was talking about, the line weight, the proportions, the fine details around the face, and the fact that this all had to be drawn from memory, idk man, it’s incredible to me. if i could meet one person from history it’d be the person that painted this bear 30,000 years ago
listen, i know that “children’s literature studies” is a respected and established academic field, i GET that and i’m not knocking the entire field, but i just need you guys to know that the title of this article in the journal of children’s literature in education just absolutely, utterly took me the fuck out:
As an autistic adult who grew up knowing they were different, being othered for peculiarities, but not being diagnosed until adulthood, Paddington remains among the most relatable characters in my childhood memory. He always meant well, had a good heart, highly curious, loving, and yet things just seemed to happen to him?? And I saw why but it wasn’t his fault. That did a lot for me in terms of understanding how others perceived me, that it wasn’t my fault or a reflection of bad intentions or malice, and helped me learn how to navigate the world without tracking metaphorical marmalade everywhere.
