HEADCANON / EXTRA-SENSORY, or, ORIHIME INOUE IS AUTISTIC
While I’ve still yet to add a full character biography to this blog, I wanted to take the time to address one of my most personally important headcanons; that being, Orihime is on the Autism Spectrum, and she’s got a number of character traits (especially with regards to extra-sensory perception) that are directly tied to this. To that end, I want to expand more specifically on how these effect certain narrative choices in my portrayal, as I rely heavily on sensory perception for Orihime in particular.
REIATSU PERCEPTION; While it was established early on in canon that Orihime’s ability to detect Ichigo “by smell” was a reference to her budding ability to sense reiatsu (without realizing it), reiatsu is still something she describes to others and herself as a certain “smell”. That being said, everyone’s reiatsu carries a different “scent”, and will thus be described accordingly if the situation permits. As a general baseline:
SHINIGAMI tend to smell vaguely like sweat and must.
HOLLOWS tend to smell like dust and cold air.
QUINCIES tend to smell clean and pure to the extent of being harmful; think a hospital that was just cleaned.
FULLBRINGERS tend to be likened to the tickling/bubbling feeling of smelling a freshly opened can of soda.
Of course, there are other factors (such as power augmentation, or even personality) that would affect the perception of “reiatsu scent”.
AN UNUSUAL TASTE IN FOODS; One of her more popular character quirks. I stand by my belief that she is technically proficient in terms of cooking or baking, but due to the way her sensory processing works, she tends to favor eating unusual things and food combinations.
MALADAPTIVE DAYDREAMER & TENDS TO ZONE OUT/FORGET HER SURROUNDINGS OFTEN; I doubt either of these need much of an explanation or further justification —she does both of these in canon, though more notably earlier in the series.
HYPER EMPATHY; Perhaps one of her greatest character-defining traits, Orihime is an emotionally intelligent and deeply intuitive individual. She feels everything incredibly strongly, often times being the one to cry when those around her are hurting, but too stubborn to do it themselves.
Even her OUTGOING PERSONALITY could be informed by this headcanon, in that there’s been multiple instances in canon where she hasn’t necessarily “read the room”, but charges in regardless and gets along with others quite easily.
SPECIAL INTERESTS; Baking, sewing, comedy, astronomy.
COMFORT ITEMS; Her hairpins, as well as her stuffed bear Enraku.
This said, please be advised that many of these traits are based off the way they manifest in me personally (in addition to just being frankly obvious in canon), and that this is merely one facet of the Autism Spectrum.
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