TW: ableism
[name_f]Rhianne[/name_f] ’ [name_f]Annie[/name_f] ’ [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] O’Toole (27) is Chuma’s keyboard and pianist, as well as the fellow remaining founder alongside [name_m]Flint[/name_m]. Having inhabited the alt. scene since the proud age of 13, Annie’s nonconformity is something of a comfort to her: she often felt she didn’t fit in growing up, and this intensified when she was diagnosed with autism at the age of 17. While she had an answer for why the world was challenging in different ways for her, what ensued then was people making baseless assumptions, which led to her facing a brief crisis about where to go next in life.
When [name_f]Annie[/name_f] went to see her school’s careers counsellor, her feedback was basically a dismissal of her abilities, and she was so disheartened, she considered withdrawing her college applications until her mom convinced her otherwise. Annie’s mom raised her two daughters’ as a single parent and wanted them to aspire more than she did growing up, so seeing her firstborn almost drop everything because of ignorant, patronising feedback was upsetting, and she managed to convince [name_f]Annie[/name_f] to pursue a degree in music studies and production, as she originally hoped.
Knowing that [name_f]Jenika[/name_f] faces sibling drama is something [name_f]Annie[/name_f] struggles with, as she and her sister have always had a strong, supportive relationship, without theatrics or warring over attention. Due to how people reacted to her diagnosis, [name_f]Annie[/name_f] did briefly distance herself from her sister - not wanting to ‘embarrass’ her - but this didn’t last for long, and she’s ever grateful for the support, understanding and encouragement she’s received. It does mean she’s not entirely certain what advice to give, but she’s still always happy to provide a listening ear to [name_f]Jenika[/name_f].
@ElisabethJulie
jumping on the tagging train!