Autistic Headcanon: Nick Angel
Nick Angel from Hot Fuzz has lots of AS traits. I’ma talk about ‘em!
The first thing is, Nick seems to have a difficult time reading facial expressions and body language, and therefore has a hard time knowing exactly how to respond in a given situation. His smiles are usually practiced/terse, polite, and given only when intuitively prompted. Whatever his emotion, his expression is usually mostly neutral.
Exhibits A, B, and C (there are others, too!):
Sort of alongside this, another trait Nick has is hyperlexia, where he almost always sounds formal/organized, and uses lots of words where fewer would do, like in his talk with Janine.
Another thing is, especially when feeling intensely stressed or cornered, Nick is prone to outbursts/meltdowns. He has one when the Andes talk about Nick “looking after a Church fete” and another when the Andes (huh…) ask Nicholas what he was doing in Leslie’s shop, the latter of which is in this gif (also showing Nick unwilling to make eye contact). I think I remember him being quiet/shut down during the talk with Frank Butterman toward the end of the film, also.
Nick parrots/chameleons gestures he’s picked up from watching Danny (sorry this is a rude gesture!). This is a common practice among AS folks.
Nick doesn’t really like to be touched. He jumps whenever Inspector Butterman sets a hand on his shoulder/elsewhere without asking, and Nick smacks Danny’s hand away after the “sea mine” scene. Don’t have a gif of that, but it’s right after this:
Nick also jumps at loud noises and sudden actions, which could be sensitivity to sound and sight (fast things). The only time he’s alright with touching Danny is after he’s fallen asleep and when Danny is injured later in the film.
There’s a few times Nick stims as well! I think he might be ambidextrous, and he apparently always carries pens with him? I assume he clicks them whilst idling on the job, if his hands aren’t in his uniform vest for a pressure stim.
Toothpick as an oral stim:
And in this scene he rubs his fingers together:
Lastly, uh, Nick is absolutely obsessed with his job as a police officer. It’s his special interest, as he’s told us. He has a great rote memory for police procedure and the Official Vocab Guidelines. He also has a routine (whether daily, on certain days, or often, we’re not sure) of running in the mornings and watering his peace lily. Nick is able to (hyper)focus for long stretches of time on paperwork that other officers find boring, even after his hand cramps up from writing. He’s very logical and analytical, and can be emotional and open around his friends (AS folks are not robots, though emotions can be difficult to communicate and read).
Honestly this isn’t even all the stuff I could use in this headcanon! I really love Nick Angel and maybe this is why. I’m seeing a counselor soon because I believe I might be on the autism spectrum, so… Doing research leads to headcanons. Hope you have a nice day!!
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