Top 5 characters from the show that u believe could be autistic
Source: I’m autistic
(My explanations below)
Jade
- Unintentional or not this is probably the best representation of an unmasking autistic person I’ve seen in my whole life
- She’s not good socially, she doesn’t know to connect with most people, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t good AT people. There’s a whole episode about how she knows details about everyone because she listens, but that doesn’t mean she knows how to actually bond with those same people
- Insanely practical and rules-focused, to the point where she can accidentally hurt feelings. Low empathy queen.
- Seriously if I had a button and could make one disventure camp character canon autistic it would be Jade because she’s so textbook autistic to me
- Also her special interest is turtles. Of course.
Alec
- Okay I’m not gonna excuse his neglect of his wife and son with autism just hear me out hear me out-
- Like Jade, low empathy and practical mindset. Similar to Jade, doesn’t always (ALWAYS) seem to realize how his actions effect other people (like he seems genuinely hurt when Ellie doesn’t fuck w him after he used her to ruin Jake’s life like…) (but let’s be clear he usually knows exactly what he’s doing-)
- Reading is his special interest to the point where he fully tunes out the outside world when he’s focused (NOT AN EXCUSE FOR LETTING HIS SON STEP IN GLASS BUT I’M COLLECTING CLUES HERE)
- Why he’s able to bond so easily with Fiore and not his own son. He’s just not mentally able to connect with someone that doesnt match his wavelength, and Fiore just so happens to be able to (that child is so mentally ill but that’s a ramble for another post)
- Let’s be real nothing can excuse the fact that Alec lowkey a terrible person and that’s why I love him as a character. But like, ‘undiagnosed autistic man who’s pretty good at masking so no one’s realized it including himself’ would explain like at least 60% of his behaviors
Gabby
- Okay let’s be so fr Gabby could have a whole section in the DSM dedicated to her but let’s not worry about that-
- Hyperempathic autistic, cares about everything so much all of the time to the point where it drives her crazy. She feels things so strongly and she is incapable of putting a lid on it
- Animals are her special interest of course
- Stim queen she makes a lot of big dramatic movements this is her stimming #trust
- She doesn’t really know how to act around people. Often acts in odd and unnerving ways that seem so normal to her, because why wouldn’t they?
- Has a very specific internal moral code that she refuses to budge on. That’s autistic miss
- Gabby’s got a lot going on in that beautiful brain of hers but I definitely thing autism is one ingredient of the cocktail
James
- I’ll die on this hill-
- Poor social skills + low empathy. Pulls moves that hurt feelings and is genuinely confused that feelings are hurt over it
- Self centered but I argue it’s not an ego thing but it’s an autism thing. He literally struggles to view the world in a lens outside of his point of view. It’s because of the autism TRUST
- The S2 remake only added more fuel to this fire. Bro had NO FRIENDS except for his sister. That was an autistic guy who learned how to mask
- On masking: I think James is the best example of it. He plays the part of an egotistical smug jerk because social media told him that’s the role he should play (interpreting rules too literally = autism trait). He masks as this TikTok fuckboy but he also masks poorly because we can all see the actual awkward affectionate dorky guy he really is
- It’s not that James isn’t emotional because he certainly is, but he also handles emotional situations with a certain autistic practicality? Like when he says ‘Aiden do you trust Karol over me’ and Aiden’s like ‘to be honest James yes I do’ James is clearly hurt but understands why Aiden would think that and doesn’t take it personally, just proves that Karol is backstabbing Aiden and doesn’t lord it over him even a little bit
- I could write a whole dissertation about James and autism but for now I’ll leave it at he and Aiden are autistic/bpd couple rep 🙂↕️
Karol
- Ok so I alluded to this with Gabby but many autistic people have ‘justice insensitivity’ wherein they have an internal logic and struggle to stray from this code of ethics
- Karol is like textbook example of this. She feels so strongly about her internal logic that nothing can ever sway her opinions on anything. She’s such a stubborn hater in a way I fear only an undiagnosed autistic women could be
- I know she’s inspired by the Karen archetype but take my hand and view it through the autistic lens with me. She complains so potently about camp accommodations because she is overstimulated and needs that to change immediately or she’s having a category 8 meltdown and making that everyone’s problem
- Bad with people. Obviously. Great with animals. Her special interest. She and Gabby should talk.
(If these seem like generalizations pls know I’m basing these off my own autistic experiences 🙏)
