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Johnny Profane Âû

@johnnyprofane1.bsky.social
2.7K followers 1K following 797 posts

One Voice. Raw. Real. Fiercely Neurodivergent. Since 1953. Podcast, YouTube, Newsletter. Find Me on Social Media: linktr.ee/johnnyprofane1

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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Autistic readers see… what's really going on. The quiet part. The words no one says out loud. I almost missed it. In school. In my life. No paywall. Just the story… free. autisticaf.me/2026/08/28/m... Medium & Substack below. #ActuallyAutistic #Psychology #MentalHealth #Education #Neurodivergent
Cover graphic for “Autistic Noir: “Maybe Genius Lies Elsewhere”: Autistic Me, Theo & School, Pt 1” Black background with gray and red text above a fragmented black-and-white close-up of a person’s eyes beneath a hat brim; “Frag from the Raw Autobiography” appears at the bottom.
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Coming Fall 2026. Excerpts free... AutisticAF.me/the-book #ActuallyAutistic #ADHD #MentalHealth
Book cover for "Autistic Noir: My Life Is My Art — An Autobiography. Autistic AF." by Johnny Profane Âû. Dark background with bold white and red title text. Below, a fragmented black-and-white collage of close-up eyes and a person in a knit cap facing a forest, evoking a noir, introspective mood. Tagline reads: "Built frag by frag. Just like I lived it... since 1953."
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
NEURODIVERGENT MANSIONS in my mind are many caverns pieces of me, hidden within... well, damn near most of em. I find memories every day i never knew... I had yet that's me, smiling at me from every damn one of em. #ActuallyAutistic #ND #Neurodivergent
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
This one is #Medium readers' deep. Someone DM'd me I had imposter syndrome. Offered a book. Me autistic, 73, said "I don't have a syndrome of any kind." Can't work. Can't think. Can't stop replaying. Days. Free. johnnyprofane1.medium.com/when-kind-wo... #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #AutisticElder
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Since 2019 I’ve published a quarter of a million words. Over half the size of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Gotta be a pony somewhere in that shit. Working on a book. Fall 2026. About freaking time. #ActuallyAutistic #auDHD #Neurodivergent
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
#Medium readers expect new angles. They called it autistic treatment. Felt like a funhouse. 23 mirrored rooms. Room 1. A guy with a blowtorch. Smiles. Thin. Cold. "Trust me. Gonna change your life." 22 rooms left. Everybody talks about the Meds Room. medium.com/artfullyauti... #ActuallyAutistic
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Wanna run this by y'all... before publishing. Could really use your thoughts. Delicate territory to navigate... #Neurodivergent #ActuallyAutistic
The Cruelest Knife Leaves No Scar
You never feel the cruelest knife
Poison-tipped with a pat on the head
A smugly… gentle… smile
Words so softly, warmly… said.

He only said…
“You’re flourishing. 
Even with autism. 
Good on you.”

Judgment is like napalm
Dropped benignly… safely… from on high
Burning invisibly… under my skin.

She casually said… 
“You got imposter syndrome. 
I got this book…?”

Or some radiant dirty bomb
Parachuting slyly… tenderly…
Silently melting my guts inside.

The manual simply read…
“Neurodivergents 
think outside the box.
That makes them perfect… 
for certain tasks.”

Leaving a foul smell in the air
Mustard gas masquerading…
Like piercing gas-station incense
Blindingly labelled, “Stay Calm.”

Stealth Weapons of Mass Humiliation
Or casual toxic caring
Preening in plain sight
Don't breed even sullen gratitude 
Just resentment. Rebellion. 
Sometimes? 
The worship of tyrants. 

You never feel the cruelest knife
No, Not right away.
A slice so sharp it leaves no scar
So weird… that instant shapes my life.
The Cruelest Knife Leaves No Scar
You never feel the cruelest knife
Poison-tipped with a pat on the head
A smugly… gentle… smile
Words so softly, warmly… said.

He only said…
“You’re flourishing. 
Even with autism. 
Good on you.”

Judgment is like napalm
Dropped benignly… safely… from on high
Burning invisibly… under my skin.

She casually said… 
“You got imposter syndrome. 
I got this book…?”

Or some radiant dirty bomb
Parachuting slyly… tenderly…
Silently melting my guts inside.

The manual simply read…
“Neurodivergents 
think outside the box.
That makes them perfect… 
for certain tasks.”

Leaving a foul smell in the air
Mustard gas masquerading…
Like piercing gas-station incense
Blindingly labelled, “Stay Calm.”

Stealth Weapons of Mass Humiliation
Or casual toxic caring
Preening in plain sight
Don't breed even sullen gratitude 
Just resentment. Rebellion. 
Sometimes? 
The worship of tyrants. 

You never feel the cruelest knife
No, Not right away.
A slice so sharp it leaves no scar
So weird… that instant shapes my life.
010
Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Wanna run this by y'all... before publishing. Could really use your thoughts. Delicate territory to navigate... #Neurodivergent #ActuallyAutistic
The Cruelest Knife Leaves No Scar
You never feel the cruelest knife
Poison-tipped with a pat on the head
A smugly… gentle… smile
Words so softly, warmly… said.

He only said…
“You’re flourishing. 
Even with autism. 
Good on you.”

Judgment is like napalm
Dropped benignly… safely… from on high
Burning invisibly… under my skin.

She casually said… 
“You got imposter syndrome. 
I got this book…?”

Or some radiant dirty bomb
Parachuting slyly… tenderly…
Silently melting my guts inside.

The manual simply read…
“Neurodivergents 
think outside the box.
That makes them perfect… 
for certain tasks.”

Leaving a foul smell in the air
Mustard gas masquerading…
Like piercing gas-station incense
Blindingly labelled, “Stay Calm.”

Stealth Weapons of Mass Humiliation
Or casual toxic caring
Preening in plain sight
Don't breed even sullen gratitude 
Just resentment. Rebellion. 
Sometimes? 
The worship of tyrants. 

You never feel the cruelest knife
No, Not right away.
A slice so sharp it leaves no scar
So weird… that instant shapes my life.
The Cruelest Knife Leaves No Scar
You never feel the cruelest knife
Poison-tipped with a pat on the head
A smugly… gentle… smile
Words so softly, warmly… said.

He only said…
“You’re flourishing. 
Even with autism. 
Good on you.”

Judgment is like napalm
Dropped benignly… safely… from on high
Burning invisibly… under my skin.

She casually said… 
“You got imposter syndrome. 
I got this book…?”

Or some radiant dirty bomb
Parachuting slyly… tenderly…
Silently melting my guts inside.

The manual simply read…
“Neurodivergents 
think outside the box.
That makes them perfect… 
for certain tasks.”

Leaving a foul smell in the air
Mustard gas masquerading…
Like piercing gas-station incense
Blindingly labelled, “Stay Calm.”

Stealth Weapons of Mass Humiliation
Or casual toxic caring
Preening in plain sight
Don't breed even sullen gratitude 
Just resentment. Rebellion. 
Sometimes? 
The worship of tyrants. 

You never feel the cruelest knife
No, Not right away.
A slice so sharp it leaves no scar
So weird… that instant shapes my life.
210
Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
This clip is from a hybrid piece. In my mind it’s a movie. Or maybe better yet… a streaming mini-series. You know, scenes, background music, jump cuts. Starts with a teaser, then the episode, then some theme music to close. Link to full piece in comment. #ActuallyAutistic #Neurodivergent
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Took 8 weeks to face the mic. Worth it. Hale-Bopp. Heaven's Gate. My mother's table. The Ice Storm of '98. Vodka, neat. One autistic elder's truth about faith, control, family. ⚠️ raw language, substance use, cult references johnnyprofaneknapp.substack.com/p/family-god... #ActuallyAutistic
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
#6 is my fave. Been getting a lot of "Hey, how are you today, {Johnny}" messages from advocates & experts on autism lately. Which inspired these 7 tips for folks reaching out to someone... like me. Anybody else getting these? I don't suspect AI. I suspect money.
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
I think slowly. This is how it comes together for me. Making a shape.
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
I have hopes.
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
"What if this is the last walk I can ever give Gussie… give Stripey?" That got me out of my chair Wednesday night. The night of Iranian Crisis countdown. 64 years of autistic trauma, a Catholic schoolyard, a recurring nightmare. #ActuallyAutistic #IranWar open.substack.com/pub/johnnypr...
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
Invoke the fucking 25th, you crazy bastards... or you'll be living in hell. #Congress #Iran #WW3 .
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
#NoCar #NoClass #NoKings #ActuallyAutistic
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Biggest crawdad chimney I ever saw. Local Greene County, Indiana lawn. Must be a foot or more high... A Crawdad Castle? Itcs the weekend. What's your secret special interest? #SpecialInterest #ActuallyAutistic #LovingKindness #SentientBeings #Animals #Crawfish
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Biggest crawdad chimney I ever saw. Local Greene County, Indiana lawn. Must be a foot or more high... A Crawdad Castle? Itcs the weekend. What's your secret special interest? #SpecialInterest #ActuallyAutistic #LovingKindness #SentientBeings #Animals #Crawfish
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
🧵 Some nights? I feel like a busted spring... a broken dancer in a jewel box... trying to wind myself up for one more performance. Hell... most mornings, too. #Autistic. #ADHD. Born way back in 1953... Full piece, images, video, podcast here: open.substack.com/pub/johnnypr... #Neurodivergent
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
#Medium readers... If your family history feels like a knot of secrets & pain, you’re not alone. Autistic elder. Born 1953. That's 7 decades of American history twisting MY family. Check out ‘Slouching toward Montauk’. medium.com/artfullyauti... #ActuallyAutistic #ADHD #Poetry #MentalHealth
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
For #Medium readers... quick clip from one autistic elder's experience in the career track. Burnout ain't a bad week. It's a presence... that curls up beside you. Then, won't let go. If this resonates, click for the full article here: medium.com/autisticrn/s... #ActuallyAutistic #ADHD #auDHD
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
#ActuallyAutistic folks on #Spotify… I’m 73, still chasing dreams I may never catch. Especially that gut-deep need to matter as an autistic elder. This 41-sec clip is a taste. Click for the full Walmart-to-rage-to-hope story: open.spotify.com/episode/2pXn... #AuDHD #AutisticElder #Poetry
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
At 73, I'm still chasing dreams I'll never fully reach. The biggest? That gut-wrenching need to matter… For the full story… the Walmart moment that sparked it & the rage-to-hope ending… Head to #ApplePodcasts. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/7... #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #AutisticElder #Poetry
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
A few mutuals asked me to put this up native here. This is “Letting Go.” A 3-minute video from a longer piece About Walmart checkout lines, family harm, psych wards, dreams that refuse to die. Content note: language, trauma, performance pressure #ActuallyAutistic #Neurodivergent #Poetry
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
"Wanna know what could really change things happening in America right now...? A law making it a felony for a politician or a law officer... to lie." I know. Idealistic to the point of fantasy... but I'm posting this. just wanted your experience of it. #ActuallyAutistic
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
I'm autistic. I speak plainly and simply. Which of course makes most people suspicious... Average humans spend their time interpreting hidden motives. I speak out loud... to discover mine. Who designed these beings? Who gave them language? And why? Lol #ActuallyAutistic #auDHD #Neurodivergent
A dark-themed social media post from the account “theconcealedweapon” describes a communication gap between autistic and neurotypical people. The post begins with the heading: “What an autistic person says: ‘How long is it going to take?’” Below that, in smaller text, it explains what the autistic person means: “I want to know whether to activate my short term waiting mode where I just wait and do nothing else, or activate my long term waiting mode where I occupy my mind with something else. I fully understand that both are possibilities, and I have no problem whatsoever with either one, but I want more information so I can best adapt to the situation.” A final section, labeled “What neurotypical people hear,” reads: “I am impatient and demand that everything I want happen right now. Please scold me and publicly humiliate me for it.”
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
I can’t see faces. When I try to remember someone… even my wife… I see a shifting swirl of features. This is about being friends… when your brain doesn’t work the way the world expects. No inspiration porn. What it’s like. #ActuallyAutistic #Poetry johnnyprofaneknapp.substack.com/p/autistic-i...
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
#Medium folks aren’t afraid of a little vulnerability… and following it all the way inside. Full text + performance video: medium.com/artfullyauti... Do you struggle with “I know you… but I can’t place you” panic? Let's talk in comments... #ActuallyAutistic #ADHD #Neurodivergent #MentalHealth
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Cuz family… and the life after… leave marks on you. Some visible. Some not. I choose to wear them in plain sight… Shamelessly. How goes it with your family... and you? #ActuallyAutistic #ADHD #AuDHD #MentalHealth open.substack.com/pub/johnnypr...
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Family is complex for me. Autistic + ADHD... but shameless. Raw #SpokenWord. Estrangement, grief & living unapologetically anyway. (Content: Language, trauma + experiences of one #AutisticElder) What family complexity do you carry shamelessly? #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #Neurodivergent
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
#Medium folks read long... don't doomscroll short. I'm autistic. Time is force for me. A violent force... This #SpokenWord piece layers text & video for full immersion. Medium medium.com/artfullyauti... Also on subStack johnnyprofaneknapp.substack.com/p/every-cloc... #ActuallyAutistic #ADHD
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
#AltText Light typewriter-style text on a black background reads: “wanna know what’s autistic badass? feeling fiercely… without fear. next day feeling different… passionately. not giving one shit who notices.” #ActuallyAutistic #auDHD #ADHD
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
#AltText Light typewriter-style text on a black background reads: “wanna know what’s autistic badass? feeling fiercely… without fear. next day feeling different… passionately. not giving one shit who notices.” #ActuallyAutistic #auDHD #ADHD
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
#AltText Light typewriter-style text on a black background reads: “ wanna know what’s autistic badass? being different… in a world that doesn’t tolerate your... difference. and giving a fuck… anyways.” #ActuallyAutistic #auDHD
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
#AltText White typewriter-style text on a black background reads: “Stay weird. Stay fierce. Stay alive. We can pull this off.” Said to be words that get autistic elder Johnny Profane Âû out of bed… most mornings.
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
🧵 My mind gets twisted in the details of who said what at what time and at which angle. I hold on to this... on this lack of spoons day... ICE doesn't belong there in the first place. Renee doesn't deserve death in the second. 1/2 #Minneapolis #ICE
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
🧵 I feel like it's time to stop being clever. and fucking do something. and I don't mean memes... or cute hats and signs. #Minneapolis 1/
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
White text in black background reads, *wanna know what is autistic badass? Telling the truth directly. without hostility. Swearing and anger? Common as dirt. Honest communication is fucking rare."
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
Close-up color photo of an older person in a dark hat, half their face in warm sunlight and half in shadow, with shimmering leaf shadows across their skin; to the left, short orange text reads “Be more me. / My fiercely neurodivergent… me. / Taken 7 decades to rediscover me. / Still digging out from not being... me.”
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
I forgot the #alttext. Here 'tis.
Black‑and‑white abstract illustration with frantic, gestural linework in a diagonal, vortex‑like composition. A suggested figure emerges in upper middle of a male in a hat, suit & tie. A dense dark tangle with a circular “eye” anchors the lower left; another dark ring with a faint face floats at upper right. Lighter scratched lines sweep through the center. The style is expressionist and reminiscent of Franz Kline and Cy Twombly, evoking sensory overload and inner psychological chaos.
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
never thought of the illustration possibilities til 2018. just the soothing, in the flow intensity of process never thought of myself as an artist either. that was something special. done by special people with special secret powers. not me. just another cool kids table i'd never get to sit at.
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
🧵 Well... I didn't see THAT coming. A few people had questions about this scribblecore image for "My Friend Billy." So I thought I'd share it with the #alttext. Ballpoint pen on paper. With glitchy digital wash. Full spoken word piece: open.substack.com/pub/johnnypr...
Black‑and‑white illustration of an old gravestone in a small rural cemetery. A tall, narrow 19th‑century headstone stands in the center, rounded at the top and slightly leaning, so it almost feels like a tired body rather than a simple marker. Any original inscription is worn away or not shown. On the left, a sugar maple tree frames the stone; its trunk and foliage are built from dense, scratchy ballpoint lines. In the upper right, a few smaller gravestones and another tree appear more faintly, suggesting the rest of the village graveyard.The whole image is drawn in restless pen strokes over a pale digital watercolor wash, so there are no flat whites—everything shivers with layered marks and soft gray tone. The technique echoes engraving or scratchboard, but with a looser, more anxious energy and automatic writing markings. Visually, it connects to the themes of “My Friend Billy”: a grave that is clearly old, yet still vibrantly present, like a memory that refuses to fade; grief that doesn’t resolve neatly; and the sense of a friend who remains upright and alive in the mind long after the body is gone.
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
About 400 or 500 in two different sites in Bedford, Indiana. About 13,000 population. Not bad. #NoKings
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
Honestly, I hope for the best. Fighting the fear. Stay safe. Stay weird. Stay fierce. #NoKingsInAmerica #Neurodivergent #ActuallAutistic
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
Caption anyone? .
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
🧵 “There… there. that smudge in the sky.” UFO Cult. Chooses Suicide. Thirty‑nine bodies in matching Nikes. A short from a live reading—faith, grief, and what families do with impossible signs. What do you think they saw in the sky? #Autism #AutisticAdult #SpokenWord 1/2
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
How would YOU communicate thru a short-circuiting transistor radio? Plain language becomes revolutionary. My live piece explores dancing close to the edge of the noise. #WritingCommunity #SpokenWord #ActuallyAutistic #ADHD #AuDHD #DisabilityPoetry #WriteSky #MentalHealth #Neurodivergent
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Johnny Profane Âû @johnnyprofane1.bsky.social · 06/09/2025
From the Amazon book, “every clock is a handgun pointed at my head”, songs of autistic innocence… and experience. #ActuallyAutistic #AutisticElder a.co/d/gDD1tqb
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