autistic ianto? explain please! love this headcannon it is very dear to my
sure, ill talk about some of my autistic Ianto headcanons!! of course im def not an expert about autism so these are mostly my thoughts and feelings, but i feel like it’s well supported by canon
- So first, you’ll notice that Ianto keeps his expression blank most of the time, while also being incredibly formal, and then in other moments he’s very expressive and around certain people clearly not nearly as controlled. This is a big thing I did in the past as well as a coping mechanism when i wasn’t sure how people would want me to react and didn’t want to react ‘the wrong way,’ I would just keep any reactions off of my face.
- Being overly polite/formal is also something that’s common with autistic people, because it’s hard to pick up on social cues naturally so we learn how to be polite and stick to that very closely so as not to misstep accidentally.
- people on the spectrum are also sometimes known for being picky eaters, Ianto refuses to drink instant coffee, and Jack says that Ianto doesn’t eat enough vegetables, so Ianto’s compromise to this is ordering coleslaw, which is not really my first thought when it comes to nutritious vegetables. I like to imagine Ianto has sensory issues with a lot of vegetables, because I’m the same way.
- He enjoys routine, he likes being the one to make everyone’s coffee and he’s reluctant to have Owen doing it instead.
- it also seems like he has a few special interests: films, coffee and clothes. He always wears a suit despite the fact that it might be more convenient to wear something more casual (and also lies about his dad being a tailor). He grinds his own coffee beans and has an entire industrial machine for making coffee at the hub despite the fact that they’re are five of them. and he’s so passionate about seeing the old films and finds them beautiful.
- rsd (rejection sensitive dysphoria) is also something that’s common in people on the autism spectrum with Ianto i think his rsd manifests as him assuming people will reject him without actually giving them the chance to, he lies to people a lot, not just for that reason but i think it contributes
- also these are just anecdotal, but you can notice he acts differently when hes alone/around fewer people. he can be socially awkward and sometimes he shuts down and struggles to speak (with rihannon) or repeats an answer without explaining (in cyberwoman)
honestly there’s some more evidence for the stuff im talking about in the audio dramas but i’ve only listened to 1½ of them and also theyre pretty expensive so not everyone has heard them (like me)
and thanks for the ask!! i love autistic ianto too, its my brand now haha
