disclaimer: i am absolutely neurotypical, i don't have any autism spectrum disorders, and i'm not a doctor. all my arguments and comparisons are based solely on information from online sources and my own guesses. it's unlikely Toby Fox intended this exact meaning for the character's behavior, so this is headcanon.
first, some general terms, which i'll explain in more detail later:
Autism is a disorder resulting from abnormal brain development and characterized by a severe and pervasive deficit in social interaction and communication, as well as restricted interests and repetitive behaviors. in simple terms, it is a condition characterized by a predominantly withdrawn inner life, active withdrawal from the outside world, and poor emotional expression.
Alexithymia is a psychological disorder characterized by difficulty identifying, understanding, and verbally describing one's own emotions and feelings, as well as interpreting the emotional states of others. in simple terms, it means "no words for feelings."
autism isn't an acquired disorder, but we don't really know how ghosts are "born", so even the fact that it's congenital, in my opinion, doesn't hurt. alexithymia isn't a disease or a diagnosis, but rather a nervous system disorder or personality trait. i won't delve into the medical part any further.
Autism
• lack of social interactions;
• impaired mutual communication;
• limited interests and repetitive behavioral patterns.
other aspects, such as food selectivity, are also common in autism but are not significant in diagnosis
let's go over three points
• lack of social interactions
Napstablook generally differs from their cousins (Mettaton, Mad Mew Mew) in that they're not particularly sociable. during their very first encounter, the ghost attempts to ignore the human, feigning sleep. also, in a call to Undyne, she mentions that Napstablook refused to fight her, despite being incorporeal. in their final call to Mettaton, they conclude by adding that they "didn't want to talk for so long" and hang up. based on these characteristics, and the fact that nothing is mentioned about interacting with Mad Dummy/Mad Mew Mew or Shyren during the events of the main game, it can be concluded that Napstablook genuinely doesn't interact much with anyone.
• impaired mutual communication
also, as noted in the previous point, Napstablook rarely interacts with anyone. therefore, mutual communication (the process of constant communication, exchange of information, and so on) will be disrupted, if not completely absent.
• limited interests and repetitive behavioral patterns
throughout the game, Napstablook's behavior and interests were shown to be very narrow: relaxing in the Ruins, lying on the floor after dinner, caring for snails, making music, watching MTT… even before Mettaton left for fame, they spent a lot of time together watching television. speaking of TV, if you visit Napstablook's house after opening the barrier or choose not to lie on the floor, a description of the television will appear stating that the only button that is in perfect condition is the channel changer. this implies that Napstablook only ever watches MTT. this devotion to activities that all their relatives abandoned demonstrates the ghost's limited interests and repetitive behavior.
the following descriptions also apply to this point:
individuals with autism exhibit a variety of repetitive or restricted behaviors, which are categorized:
• compulsive behavior is the deliberate adherence to certain rules, such as arranging objects in a certain way (a cobweb in the corner of the room, old electronics).
• the need for uniformity, resistance to change; for example, resistance to moving furniture, refusal to be distracted by others' interference (a reluctance to be material, pretending to be asleep).
• ritualistic behavior is performing everyday activities in the same order and at the same time, such as following a fixed diet or dressing ritual (resting in the Ruins, lying down after a snack, caring for snails).
• restricted behavior is narrowly focused, in which a person's interest or activity is directed, for example, toward a single TV program or toy (music, MTT show, caring for snails).
a person with autism is unable to fully engage in social interaction and often lacks the intuitive ability to sense another person's state of mind that typically occurs in others. …children are less likely to demonstrate the ability to understand social situations, are less likely to spontaneously approach others, respond to their emotional displays, or imitate their behavior, engage in nonverbal communication, or take turns with others. at the same time, they become attached to those who directly care for them.
this point also falls under the following category
Alexithymia
• difficulty identifying and describing (verbalizing) one's own emotions and the emotions of others;
• difficulty distinguishing between emotions and bodily sensations;
• decreased ability to symbolize, particularly fantasy;
• focusing primarily on external events, to the detriment of internal experiences;
• a tendency toward concrete, utilitarian, logical thinking with a deficit in emotional reactions.
alexithymia occurs in a significant proportion (up to 85%) of people with autism spectrum disorder. all of these characteristics may be present to equal degrees, or one may predominate.
during the true pacifist route, it is Napstablook who interrupts a battle between a human and Mad Dummy, forcing the latter to flee. upon arriving on the battlefield, Napstablook apologizes, thinking they interrupted their conversation. Mad Dummy, before being hit by acid rain, was laughing and shouting that they and the human would fight forever — certainly loud enough to indicate the situation they were in, but Napstablook still doesn't understand it.
on the same true pacifist route, after opening the barrier, you can wander the world and talk to all the monsters you've encountered so far. if you approach Napstablook, they'll tell you that during the battle with Asriel, seeing the white light, they did nothing and simply closed the curtains, preferring to remain in their house. any normal monster would have panicked, but the ghost clearly didn't know how to react in such a situation, so they decided to run away from the problem.
after defeating Mettaton, Napstablook is the first to call the show; they're in front of the television at the time, so they can clearly see the emotions on their cousin's face. it's clear from the robot that he's feeling guilt, sadness, and regret, and before Napstablook can hang up, he says, "WAIT, BLOO-." despite this behavior, Napstablook still hangs up, likely thinking that Mettaton doesn't want to hear from them or that they're wasting too much of his time. this further proves that they don't understand the emotions of others and doesn't know how to respond accordingly.
based on all these behavioral characteristics, my headcanon for Napstablook's autism and alexithymia is quite reasonable.
that's all ( •◡-)-♡
art by @dailyblooky character from @tsunderswapofficial
proving that i'm Napstablook's #1st fan and collecting all the possible facts that are known about Ser Scratch ( ¬ᴗ¬)
COMMON
• Ser Scratch is a DJ and host of the most popular radio show Ser Scratch Music [SSM]. Their body was created by their friend Undyne, Ser Scratch was formerly a ghost named Napstablook. Mettalot is their cousin.
• they will have "old-timey" characteristics.
• Undyne will be acting as Ser Scratch's cheerleader. their relationship will be the opposite of Mettaton and Alphys' in Undertale.
• Ser Scratch's only known line at this point is "oh no…" from a sketch on ts!wiki.
• their ghost form is identical to Napstablook's appearence in Undertale.
• Ser Scratch has only three fingers.
• on July 4, 2017, Ser Scratch's old design was included in TS!UNDERSWAP fansong called "13th Friday Blues - Mechanical Swing And All That Jazz."
• Ser Scratch will not have an ex form. instead, they will have something "different than one would expect."
• Ser Scratch's old design was called "sir scratchalot", used he/him pronouns, and had a more "masculine" appearance.
• They will be the 4th boss of the game.
• They had a conflict with Muffet, where they and Mettalot made the bakery more attractive to buyers, but turned away long-time customers.
• They sponsor a Nicecream stand at the festival in Starlight Islands.
DEEP DIVE
• Ser Scratch clearly has a lot of money, as Muffet called them Mettalot's "rich buddy" during her hangout.
• Ser Scratch, according to the developers, has their own club. it could be either a radio studio or an entertainment complex like the MTT hotel.
• Ser Scratch's design, the developers say, combines aspects of a "combat robot," aspects of music, and some older computer technology.
• Moderato! was supposed to be Ser Scratch's OST . the developers said they plan to remake it, but most likely a separate soundtrack will be used.
• in TS!UNDERSWAP, the relationship between Ser Scratch and Napstablook is fundamentally different from Undertale's Mettaton and his ghost form — Ser Scratch is more like a persona instead of an identity for Napstablook. developers say, that Ser Scratch and Napstablook can technically be considered separate characters.
• according to the developers, NEXUS will be longer than Core, and Ser Scratch will (most likely) be the final boss there.
• Ser Scratch and Mettalot most likely interacted even after Napstablook became corporeal, as Muffet describes "conniving leecher, alongside his rich buddy" ruining her bakery.
• it was most likely Ser Scratch who first offered Muffet cooperation, since she asks Chara, would they turn down the opportunity to expand a business that someone rich offered.
• at the end of the September 2024 progress report, there is Chara in Ser Scratch's costume.
SPECULATIONS
please note: all of the following suggestions are not confirmed, the developers have not given any hints, and all assumptions are just possible thoughts.
• there's speculation that the battle with Ser Scratch will be somehow connected to rhythm games. i doubt Undyne will force them into battle, but due to Undertale's green soul mechanics, a rhythm game implementation is entirely possible.
• Ser Scratch may be able to support small businesses: after the Grillby's restaurant chain expanded, Grillby's moved to Boreal Bluffs; SSM also sponsors Nicecream stand on Starlight Islands, and earlier, Muffet's Bakery.
• Ser Scratch probably can't eat or drink because they don't have a physical mouth and it only exists on screen.
• it's likely the conflict between Ser Scratch and Muffet isn't as clear-cut as it currently appears. Muffet told that they and Mettalot made her bakery more attractive, but drove away her old customers. more information should emerge in the future, as will the relationship between Ser Scratch and their employees/colleagues.
• perhaps in contrast to Mettaton from Undertale, Ser Scratch knows about Undyne's secret.
• Ser Scratch will most likely act more confident because they are "playing a persona." perhaps they will have impostor syndrome?
• my guess is that they decided to cut ties with Mettalot because they decided they had different goals. Ser Scratch simply wanted to pursue music, while Mettalot had always been focused on public performances. this assumption is the least certain, as their relationship would likely be radically different from the relationship between Mettaton and Napstablook in Undertale.
OTHER
• i have Ser Scratch's blog on telegram! it's not in English, but you can check it up anyway.
• Ser Scratch already has their first pairing: with Sweet from DELTARUNE. the crossship is called tomacheese/radiomusic, and artists @gr777n and @nemni-watermelonous (@hatagilyermo and @NemniMeepsMelony on telegram) often draw art based on them.
• first Ser Scratch edit is made by me. second too, but i didn't publish it since i didn't like i...
