Autistic Simon Headcanons
Tw: talk of meltdowns and referenced ableism
Simon 100% has been masking his entire life; Eden wasn't exactly kind to you if you stood out in a way they didn't like, so he learned from a young age not to do/say anything perceived as 'weird'.
Living with the Egos was like going from a Christian boarding school to public. Everyone is some flavor of neurospicy, and no one really cares about masking. Poor guy has no idea what's happening.
Thankfully someone takes pity on him, sitting him down and having The Talk™
"So, your brain is spicy" "ok?"
Several Wikipedia pages later, Simon finally has an explanation for why he is the way he is.
Once he starts indulging in those instincts, Simon engages in several stims. Including but not limited to:
Echoalia. (Seen several times in the movie) He mimics voices and repeats phrases after they're spoken, sometimes the phrase becomes a permanent vocal stim. For example, someone shows him Mark playing Minecraft and he proceeds to mumble "Remembrenate" for the next few weeks. (Totally not projecting)
Bunny thumps! Idk if this has an actual term, but it's basically thumping your foot like a cartoon rabbit. He sees it in a movie, tries it once, and now he does it whenever he's frustrated or bored. But only the left foot. The right foot doesn't make good thumps.
Clicking his tongue. Usually when Simon is bored or excited about something. You can pretty easily tell if Simon is nearby; you can hear him clicking a lot as he wanders. Yandere calls them his "Dolphin chirps"
T-Rex arms!!!! Look at this guyyyy!!!
They used to only come out when he was really really scared, but now he finds that it's quite comforting to hold himself that way. Heck, the entire Manor looks like a prehistoric museum exhibit with all the T-Rex arms.
Chewing! I could definitely see Simon having an oral fixation. He chews like a teething puppy; his mouth and lips, his fingers, his shirt collar, his hair when he was younger. The Egos put a stop to that pretty quickly. They introduce Simon to chewlery, and it's love at first sight.
I think he'd be fascinated by stim toys. It'd take awhile before he gets over the whole "In a grown man, I don't need toys!" thing.
"Hey Si, I got you a kaleidoscope!" "A kaleidoscope? I'm not 5-omg wait shapes and colors-"
I think Simon would love these in particular. I can see him twisting them all around and maybe taking a lil nibble if no ones looking
Paper stars would become his favorite thing to make. Maybe Stan shows him how to fold them, and he's absolutely enamored. Little tiny stars that he can make out of pretty paper and put in jars to keep?? And he can give them to his family friends??
Hc that Simon is severely touch starved, but also very touch averse. Touch was never a good thing where he came from, so it's pretty firmly cemented in his mind that touch=bad. And yet he wants it so so bad. Especially in a place where someone is always hugging or holding hands, where people are generally very cuddly with each other. After much debate, they combat this with weighted plushies and blankets!
Bonus points if it's one of those Warmies that you can throw in the microwave to heat up! The perfect compromise until Simon is more comfy accepting physical contact.
Sometimes words are too much for Simon. He wants to talk! The words just get caught in his throat and end with him frustrated and the other person not knowing how to help. Eric(who I could see being an avid Bluey fan) suggests a Yes/No button. That way Simon can still communicate without straining himself.
Once Simon begins to unmask, however, he also becomes more susceptible to meltdowns. He's had them before; or, well, the stifled versions that manifest in anger. The first time he actually can't hold back and has a full meltdown?
Screaming, crying, blubbering, the works. Overstimulated hand flaps and pacing until he collapses and just wails. He's never cried like this, even in the Sub. He's upset, embarrassed, he feels like a toddler throwing a tantrum, and yet he can't stop.
He's not easy to talk down; once he's reached that point he's been on the brink for at least a few days. The best thing to do is just stay in the room with him(not touching, touch hurts!) and remind him to breathe as he slowly calms himself.
Once he's calm, he's usually exhausted mentally and physically. It's 50/50 whether he'll let you near him or not, but even if he doesn't, make sure you don't have anything going on that afternoon. Poor guy does not want to be left alone; isolation makes it too easy for him to lose himself in his own head.
A surefire way to help him feel better is with his safe foods. Veggies like cucumbers are always a good option, with the added benefit of helping to rehydrate him after all that crying!
Simon often needs to be reminded that the others have been managing their neurospice much longer than he has, and that him having meltdowns isn't a sign that he's doing anything wrong. He just needs patience and love. Both of which he finds in abundance in Markiplier Manor.
