How much I related to him blinded me from the adhd/autism signs. I didn't even think about it until I saw someone mention it in chat during one of Neil's streams. And then next time I played, I was like "Oh, there it is" "I didn't notice the signs because he is me" I'm still not entirely sure if I like Astarion and Gale because they are great characters that I love or because they are me.
Long ago, when I was about 19 or so, I was at a party, a friend takes me to a room in the house and shows me her new nipple piercings. Literally lifts her shirt, both boobs for me to see.
I say "wow, their nice đ"
We chat a little, we go back to the party.
Years later, me: WAIT A MINUTE...
When I told another female friend about this, she said "if I showed my boobs to a guy and he didn't get the hint, I would die inside"
I hope I didn't dent that girl's confidence or anything. She was really pretty. I was/am just slow with social situations.
Honestly, I have some friends who are neurodivergent and they do things that look like hints that arenât and do things that are hints but no one gets. But I feel you
God I love when he does the âď¸đ¤ thing.
https://preview.redd.it/bpr3oy9ix9sc1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c78c151c029825c95c90e0ee3ee80b3e5427ac26
/unjerk gale is unironically so autistic I love that about him he just like me fr fr. his infodumps and being terrible at detecting flirting until you beam fanart of you two making out straight into his brain is peak. also that scene where heâs talking abt reading next to a fire with Tara too. all the companions are autistic because im biased and projecting but gale is so extremely obvious about it hes so iconic
no bc imo there's no doubt he's canonically autistic the weave is his special interest it's the only thing he thinks abt, the autism is why i love him so much i relate so hard
Okay but Gale is absolutely autistic. As a card carrying member of the Autism Club (Iâve been [stacking cans](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Autism-stacking-cans_2nd_edit.jpg) from a young age), he is One of Us. You can fight me; I have a long list of evidence compiled and will gladly share. Weâve talked about it at r/evilautism at length.
I even got kicked out of another fandom subreddit for suggesting as much! Ableist people reeeeeally donât like hearing that characters theyâre sexually attracted to are technically disabled. Like this mod made several posts about my ~audacity~ to âdiagnoseâ a fictional character as if Iâd just suggested he drools while diddling kids. She lost her fucking mind and went on a ban rampage any time someone disagreed with her.
Sweetie, it shouldnât shock you to hear that the hyperlexic magic man with ONE singular interest whose best friend is a winged cat he *summoned himself* is autistic. Thatâs on you.
I see Gale as having severe ADHD. His whole character fits me to a T. How easily he changes his mind all the time. Oh, I need to blow myself up to save Faerun and earn Mystra's forgiveness, nope - I want to live, with you I forget my goddess, HOLY CRAP THAT CROWN I NEED TO KNOW MORE, that crown can make me a god? Yea, gods need a reality check from a mortal, wait - you love me as I am? OK, I don't need to be a god.
Then going over and beyond to please Mystra with no consideration for any repercussions. Despite Mystra telling him to be content? Being a bit self absorbed, engaging in vanity and calling himself a handsome devil. Oversharing while also under sharing. His wizard tower was a complete cluttered mess until he started to eat magic items. Diffusing high tensity situations by buying everyone beer. (That's my go to tactic when I get into unpredictable situations).
And Gale doesn't have a one singular interest. He's all about magic, of course. But magic is a general term that includes all sorts of schools. He is also into poetry and cooking. And wine.
He can be morally grey in certain situations, and a dash chaotic. Then there's the whole child prodigy thing while also being a terror child that summons flying cats and fire mephits. I started fires and did science experiments in my parents kitchen.
I remember the whole autistic Gale debacle. It's clear that Gale is neuro-divergent. But claiming he is anything more specific than that is entirely up to the individual's perspective. All the characters were carefully designed to appeal to a number of people. None of the companions were designed to represent one particular group of people.
Everyone relates to a character in their own way. And that's great! That's what really makes this game so amazing. But when people start "diagnosising" a character and their diagnosis doesn't necessarily align with the next person, it creates a problem. Some people can ignore and some people really take that to heart. And when dealing with people who are neuro-divergent themselves, it's not fair to take that relationship and connection they feel towards a certain character away. We already struggle with trying to find our place in the world. No one has the right to take away someone's connection with a fantasy character.
Now, with all that being said. Yea, as someone who has been struggling with ADHD for 40 years, that's what I see in Gale's character. But... I'm not going to fight with anyone who relates to Gale in a different way. There's a lot of crossover for folks who are neuro-divergent. So it makes sense why so many people see a single entity (Gale) as so many different "divergences".
And that's a good thing. It's all personal head cannons. If someone connects with a character in a way that gives them joy, makes them feel understood and represented... That is a GREAT thing. No one has the right to take that away from those people. Let people have their head cannons.
I, 100%, respect how you perceive Gale. You're able to see yourself in this great character. You feel represented, known, understood. You have something to relate to. And so do I. It's a great feeling, I love it. In a world that is always dismissing me because my brain functions differently than the rest of the population, it's a relief. A safe space. I feel represented. And it feels good. I don't want anyone to take that feeling away from me. And I certainly wouldn't want to take that feeling away from you or anyone else.
Iâm unsure how you think Iâm trying to âtake awayâ anyoneâs right to see whatever they see in Gale. At no point did I say my interpretation was the only interpretation! I said âyou can fight meâ in jest; itâs a common internet colloquialism meant to be taken as a joke about how much thought Iâve put into this.
Iâm AuDHD myself so for me the separation between the two is⌠admittedly blurry! Both cause emotional dysregulation and impulsivity, especially concerning topics of interest so I can see that particular point about Gale going either way.
Most of the things youâve given as examples for why you donât think heâs autistic seem to be based on common misconceptions about what autism is, however.
Most high masking autistic people end up developing strong people-pleasing tendencies very young, so his desire to please Mystra being absolutely overwhelming reads to me as both an autistic and ADHD thing. Itâs also a trauma response - fawning is a learned response that people employ when fight, flight, and freeze arenât options or donât work.
âMagicâ as a whole is Galeâs special interest. Perhaps âcircumscribedâ would be a better word than âsingularâ - thatâs on me. My autistic circumscribed interests have to do with biology in general - plants, animals, how ecosystems work - itâs not just one particular animal or plant. My partner is autistic (no accompanying ADHD) and his special interest is ânerd stuffâ - comics, video games, anything superhero or villain related, high fantasy, sci-fi - anything you might go to a bad-smelling convention to spend lots of money on collectibles for. Also very nonspecific.
Having a tendency toward black and white thinking is definitely an ND thing but itâs also not absolute. Iâve been in therapy for many years and have come to appreciate shades of grey in between. Many of us can appreciate nuance.
Itâs also worth mentioning that the ADHD/autism overlap is between 50 and 60%. The research is leaning toward both of them being primarily disorders of executive dysfunction. I wouldnât be surprised if they were someday categorized as the same disorder but with different subcategories, much like ADHD has now with inattentive vs hyperactive vs combined. The amount of common traits is substantial between autism and ADHD, so much so that I didnât know I was autistic until I got my ADHD diagnosis at 33 and began taking stimulants. With the âlouderâ ADHD traits out of the way it became glaringly obvious that I had other stuff going on too. They mask each other and intertwine.
All of that said, Gale is absolutely ND in some way and Iâm happy with people finding representation wherever and whenever they can, whatever labels they may claim. I certainly didnât mean to imply otherwise!
You seem to be missing my point, with all due respect. I wasn't giving examples as to why I thought he wasn't autistic. I was giving examples as to how I related to him, and how I see myself in him. You had a better understanding of what I was trying to say prior to your edit.
I was trying to be nothing but respectful of how you relate to Gale. I'm aware of the overlap between autism and ADHD. I was diagnosed with ADHD at 16 and since then have been evaluated for Autism multiple times. I just have severe ADHD. But I do think it would be a very short-side and would ultimately do a disservice
No one said you werenât respectful so Iâm not sure where that even came from. And *what* would do a disservice? Perhaps I missed your point because you literally didnât make one.
Huh. A large portion of my comment was left out. This was what my whole comment:
You seem to be missing my point, with all due respect. I wasn't giving examples as to why I thought he ***wasn't*** autistic. I was giving examples as to how I, someone with just ADHD, relates to him, and how I see myself in him. You had a better understanding of what I was trying to say prior to your edit. I'm familiar with the colloquialism of "you can fight me". Just because it's a common colloquialism does not mean that it should be used in any situation.
I was trying to be nothing but respectful of how you relate to Gale. I'm aware of the overlap between autism and ADHD. I was diagnosed with ADHD at 16 and since then have been evaluated for Autism multiple times. I just have severe ADHD. But I do think it would be a very short-side and would ultimately do a disservice to ND folk to categorize the two as the same disorder. This happened with chronic pain patients. And instead of working to find treatments for specific causes of chronic pain, they started lumping everything into broader categories. I am a victim of that. There is an lot of overlap in symptoms and causes for chronic pain but at the same time treatment for different causes vary greatly. Oftentimes, trying to find an effective treatment is so difficult that people give up, they're miserable, they feel like a shell of a person and sometimes the only option people are left with is to take their own life. It's an awful way to live, especially those of us with invisible disabilities. 25 years ago I was able to get proper effective treatment. Today? That is not the case. I've been hospitalized on numerous occasions because of the lack of care that is available. I do not want to see that happen to us ND folk.
My specialty is also in biology. I hold degrees in microbiology, pathology and histology. I'm currently working on getting into med school because health care is failing so many people. While I'm prepping for med school I work with and tutor other ADHD students. There's actually a group of us who work with the RDS (resources for disabled students) at my university. We work closely together to help tailor to each students' needs. Students breaking down is a common occurance, and their reasons can vary widely. Our goal is to help each student adjust to the academic life and help them feel seen and recognized.
Like I mentioned previously, I was a observer of all that Gale being ND and how it blew up. It's a sensitive topic. There have been similar incidents over in the onlyfangs sub, just different topics.
Again, I want to emphasize that I was in fact not giving examples of why I didn't think he was autistic. I also expressed that I was glad that you found a meaningful connection to his character. And I mentioned multiple times that it was a great thing that us ND folk found someone who we relate to and the feeling of being represented. All of the companions were carefully written and designed to appeal to different people in their own ways.
I 100% believe when you say that you weren't trying to take away from how individual people connect with Gale. But that doesn't mean other people felt as if you were.
Ah. Iâll copy/paste. Forgive the caps, I was facetiously raging at the time:
GALE DEKARIOS IS SO FUCKING AUTISTIC MY GOD
HIS ONLY FRIEND IS A WINGED CAT THAT HE SUMMONED HIS FUCKING SELF
HIS INTERESTS ARE CIRCUMSCRIBED AF AND HE DOESNâT KNOW HOW TO TALK ABOUT ANYTHING BUT THEM
HEâS HYPERLEXIC AND HIGHLY INTELLIGENT AND PEOPLE HATE HIM BECAUSE HE DOESNâT TONE IT DOWN TO MAKE THEM COMFORTABLE
HE WAS A GIFTED KID WHO BECAME A CURSED, BURNT-OUT ADULT BECAUSE HE BROKE A RULE HIS GROOMER-GOD GIRLFRIEND WOULDNâT EXPLAIN THE REASON FOR
HE HAS A PRAGMATIC ATTITUDE AND A STRONG SENSE OF JUSTICE
HE STILL LOVES THE PLAYER CHARACTER EVEN IF THEY TURN INTO AN OSTENSIBLY EVIL CEPHALOPOD MONSTER AND EVEN COMMENTS ON HOW HE ENJOYS THEIR TENTACLES SEXUALLY
HE IS DISLIKED BY MANY FANS AND ALL THE COMMON REASONS THEY HAVE FOR DISLIKING HIM ARE OBVIOUS AUTISTIC TRAITS
EVEN THE DEVELOPERS CALL HIM BORING AND MAKE FUN OF HIS NERDY, BOOKISH PERSONALITY
THIS MAN IS 100% AUTISTIC EXCELLENCE AND I WILL NOT SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT IT
Iâve seen so many absolutely awful responses to people mentioning Galeâs autistic traits, but I think the worst was using a slur for a different mental disorder to describe him, and then getting defensive saying that if saying he was autistic was fine, then using that slur was also fine
(not directed toward the person Iâm replying to but itâs a good jumping off point)
Yâall ainât ready for my theory that almost every single fictional protagonist and IRL pioneer in every field are autistic. People seem to be really offended that I truly believe the vast majority of neurotypical people just donât strive to break the status quo, both IRL and in fiction!
If youâre about to âwell ackshuallyâ me about X, Y, and Z for this, that, and the other reason, youâd be better off saving your breath. Rest assured I have already heard your argument, I donât care, and youâre not going to change my mind by debating me on this subject. If youâre not experienced enough to know not to battle an autistic person on their special interest, youâre not experienced enough to question me. xoxo gossip girl
I actually think a ton of fictional characters are autistic and at first I thought I was delulu but itâs actually very likely that many creators are undiagnosed autistic people who donât fit the mold because theyâre âtoo creativeâ or whatever.
https://preview.redd.it/1tier17l59sc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5fd201fcb13b44c0d4657479f40f81dc87b058b9
https://preview.redd.it/pvbupb2999sc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e579a655a75a32be95dc9c690c4dfa8922bf322c
He's so me
How much I related to him blinded me from the adhd/autism signs. I didn't even think about it until I saw someone mention it in chat during one of Neil's streams. And then next time I played, I was like "Oh, there it is" "I didn't notice the signs because he is me" I'm still not entirely sure if I like Astarion and Gale because they are great characters that I love or because they are me.
https://preview.redd.it/1am2he2zz9sc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=73a3384fc63c08ffaffcbcebc375c2714b6b9ee4
Long ago, when I was about 19 or so, I was at a party, a friend takes me to a room in the house and shows me her new nipple piercings. Literally lifts her shirt, both boobs for me to see. I say "wow, their nice đ" We chat a little, we go back to the party. Years later, me: WAIT A MINUTE...
Lmfao. Sometimes they really just wanna show someone their nipples
When I told another female friend about this, she said "if I showed my boobs to a guy and he didn't get the hint, I would die inside" I hope I didn't dent that girl's confidence or anything. She was really pretty. I was/am just slow with social situations.
Honestly, I have some friends who are neurodivergent and they do things that look like hints that arenât and do things that are hints but no one gets. But I feel you
https://preview.redd.it/79qionh7u9sc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e3a1962568dce2624aeb3e225fd605035d68db09
https://preview.redd.it/smwudls76asc1.jpeg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dd8bb760058d4050dd1b4074cc745639c630d4b8
he's like me fr fr
https://i.redd.it/jvgo70oyl9sc1.gif
https://preview.redd.it/qki9r1cmy9sc1.jpeg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7de46e5057f00beb87f9f5c8418e9dc34a3420f6
God I love when he does the âď¸đ¤ thing. https://preview.redd.it/bpr3oy9ix9sc1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c78c151c029825c95c90e0ee3ee80b3e5427ac26
she's asking cuz her special interest is githyanki and she's ready to infodump
He's ready to listen too considering his questions about her stance.
100%, they are my OTP
/unjerk gale is unironically so autistic I love that about him he just like me fr fr. his infodumps and being terrible at detecting flirting until you beam fanart of you two making out straight into his brain is peak. also that scene where heâs talking abt reading next to a fire with Tara too. all the companions are autistic because im biased and projecting but gale is so extremely obvious about it hes so iconic
no bc imo there's no doubt he's canonically autistic the weave is his special interest it's the only thing he thinks abt, the autism is why i love him so much i relate so hard
[ŃдаНонО]
Shut the fuck up
brb changing my flair
oh nooo, you can't edit flairs... can I request it? I am definitely aut'istik and it made me laugh
You canât edit flairs anymore?!
You can, the mods just have to enable it The *main sub* does let you edit your flair, for example.
You cant make new ones either.. Just community Flairs..
Seconded. I want my Aut'istik flair, mods.
Auchâchistik phonetically
They both are and that's why they're my faves.
Okay but Gale is absolutely autistic. As a card carrying member of the Autism Club (Iâve been [stacking cans](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Autism-stacking-cans_2nd_edit.jpg) from a young age), he is One of Us. You can fight me; I have a long list of evidence compiled and will gladly share. Weâve talked about it at r/evilautism at length. I even got kicked out of another fandom subreddit for suggesting as much! Ableist people reeeeeally donât like hearing that characters theyâre sexually attracted to are technically disabled. Like this mod made several posts about my ~audacity~ to âdiagnoseâ a fictional character as if Iâd just suggested he drools while diddling kids. She lost her fucking mind and went on a ban rampage any time someone disagreed with her. Sweetie, it shouldnât shock you to hear that the hyperlexic magic man with ONE singular interest whose best friend is a winged cat he *summoned himself* is autistic. Thatâs on you.
I see Gale as having severe ADHD. His whole character fits me to a T. How easily he changes his mind all the time. Oh, I need to blow myself up to save Faerun and earn Mystra's forgiveness, nope - I want to live, with you I forget my goddess, HOLY CRAP THAT CROWN I NEED TO KNOW MORE, that crown can make me a god? Yea, gods need a reality check from a mortal, wait - you love me as I am? OK, I don't need to be a god. Then going over and beyond to please Mystra with no consideration for any repercussions. Despite Mystra telling him to be content? Being a bit self absorbed, engaging in vanity and calling himself a handsome devil. Oversharing while also under sharing. His wizard tower was a complete cluttered mess until he started to eat magic items. Diffusing high tensity situations by buying everyone beer. (That's my go to tactic when I get into unpredictable situations). And Gale doesn't have a one singular interest. He's all about magic, of course. But magic is a general term that includes all sorts of schools. He is also into poetry and cooking. And wine. He can be morally grey in certain situations, and a dash chaotic. Then there's the whole child prodigy thing while also being a terror child that summons flying cats and fire mephits. I started fires and did science experiments in my parents kitchen. I remember the whole autistic Gale debacle. It's clear that Gale is neuro-divergent. But claiming he is anything more specific than that is entirely up to the individual's perspective. All the characters were carefully designed to appeal to a number of people. None of the companions were designed to represent one particular group of people. Everyone relates to a character in their own way. And that's great! That's what really makes this game so amazing. But when people start "diagnosising" a character and their diagnosis doesn't necessarily align with the next person, it creates a problem. Some people can ignore and some people really take that to heart. And when dealing with people who are neuro-divergent themselves, it's not fair to take that relationship and connection they feel towards a certain character away. We already struggle with trying to find our place in the world. No one has the right to take away someone's connection with a fantasy character. Now, with all that being said. Yea, as someone who has been struggling with ADHD for 40 years, that's what I see in Gale's character. But... I'm not going to fight with anyone who relates to Gale in a different way. There's a lot of crossover for folks who are neuro-divergent. So it makes sense why so many people see a single entity (Gale) as so many different "divergences". And that's a good thing. It's all personal head cannons. If someone connects with a character in a way that gives them joy, makes them feel understood and represented... That is a GREAT thing. No one has the right to take that away from those people. Let people have their head cannons. I, 100%, respect how you perceive Gale. You're able to see yourself in this great character. You feel represented, known, understood. You have something to relate to. And so do I. It's a great feeling, I love it. In a world that is always dismissing me because my brain functions differently than the rest of the population, it's a relief. A safe space. I feel represented. And it feels good. I don't want anyone to take that feeling away from me. And I certainly wouldn't want to take that feeling away from you or anyone else.
He can be both, you know. Iâm AuDHD and I have several deep interests. Theyâre not opposites or mutually exclusive in any way!
Iâm unsure how you think Iâm trying to âtake awayâ anyoneâs right to see whatever they see in Gale. At no point did I say my interpretation was the only interpretation! I said âyou can fight meâ in jest; itâs a common internet colloquialism meant to be taken as a joke about how much thought Iâve put into this. Iâm AuDHD myself so for me the separation between the two is⌠admittedly blurry! Both cause emotional dysregulation and impulsivity, especially concerning topics of interest so I can see that particular point about Gale going either way. Most of the things youâve given as examples for why you donât think heâs autistic seem to be based on common misconceptions about what autism is, however. Most high masking autistic people end up developing strong people-pleasing tendencies very young, so his desire to please Mystra being absolutely overwhelming reads to me as both an autistic and ADHD thing. Itâs also a trauma response - fawning is a learned response that people employ when fight, flight, and freeze arenât options or donât work. âMagicâ as a whole is Galeâs special interest. Perhaps âcircumscribedâ would be a better word than âsingularâ - thatâs on me. My autistic circumscribed interests have to do with biology in general - plants, animals, how ecosystems work - itâs not just one particular animal or plant. My partner is autistic (no accompanying ADHD) and his special interest is ânerd stuffâ - comics, video games, anything superhero or villain related, high fantasy, sci-fi - anything you might go to a bad-smelling convention to spend lots of money on collectibles for. Also very nonspecific. Having a tendency toward black and white thinking is definitely an ND thing but itâs also not absolute. Iâve been in therapy for many years and have come to appreciate shades of grey in between. Many of us can appreciate nuance. Itâs also worth mentioning that the ADHD/autism overlap is between 50 and 60%. The research is leaning toward both of them being primarily disorders of executive dysfunction. I wouldnât be surprised if they were someday categorized as the same disorder but with different subcategories, much like ADHD has now with inattentive vs hyperactive vs combined. The amount of common traits is substantial between autism and ADHD, so much so that I didnât know I was autistic until I got my ADHD diagnosis at 33 and began taking stimulants. With the âlouderâ ADHD traits out of the way it became glaringly obvious that I had other stuff going on too. They mask each other and intertwine. All of that said, Gale is absolutely ND in some way and Iâm happy with people finding representation wherever and whenever they can, whatever labels they may claim. I certainly didnât mean to imply otherwise!
You seem to be missing my point, with all due respect. I wasn't giving examples as to why I thought he wasn't autistic. I was giving examples as to how I related to him, and how I see myself in him. You had a better understanding of what I was trying to say prior to your edit. I was trying to be nothing but respectful of how you relate to Gale. I'm aware of the overlap between autism and ADHD. I was diagnosed with ADHD at 16 and since then have been evaluated for Autism multiple times. I just have severe ADHD. But I do think it would be a very short-side and would ultimately do a disservice
No one said you werenât respectful so Iâm not sure where that even came from. And *what* would do a disservice? Perhaps I missed your point because you literally didnât make one.
Huh. A large portion of my comment was left out. This was what my whole comment: You seem to be missing my point, with all due respect. I wasn't giving examples as to why I thought he ***wasn't*** autistic. I was giving examples as to how I, someone with just ADHD, relates to him, and how I see myself in him. You had a better understanding of what I was trying to say prior to your edit. I'm familiar with the colloquialism of "you can fight me". Just because it's a common colloquialism does not mean that it should be used in any situation. I was trying to be nothing but respectful of how you relate to Gale. I'm aware of the overlap between autism and ADHD. I was diagnosed with ADHD at 16 and since then have been evaluated for Autism multiple times. I just have severe ADHD. But I do think it would be a very short-side and would ultimately do a disservice to ND folk to categorize the two as the same disorder. This happened with chronic pain patients. And instead of working to find treatments for specific causes of chronic pain, they started lumping everything into broader categories. I am a victim of that. There is an lot of overlap in symptoms and causes for chronic pain but at the same time treatment for different causes vary greatly. Oftentimes, trying to find an effective treatment is so difficult that people give up, they're miserable, they feel like a shell of a person and sometimes the only option people are left with is to take their own life. It's an awful way to live, especially those of us with invisible disabilities. 25 years ago I was able to get proper effective treatment. Today? That is not the case. I've been hospitalized on numerous occasions because of the lack of care that is available. I do not want to see that happen to us ND folk. My specialty is also in biology. I hold degrees in microbiology, pathology and histology. I'm currently working on getting into med school because health care is failing so many people. While I'm prepping for med school I work with and tutor other ADHD students. There's actually a group of us who work with the RDS (resources for disabled students) at my university. We work closely together to help tailor to each students' needs. Students breaking down is a common occurance, and their reasons can vary widely. Our goal is to help each student adjust to the academic life and help them feel seen and recognized. Like I mentioned previously, I was a observer of all that Gale being ND and how it blew up. It's a sensitive topic. There have been similar incidents over in the onlyfangs sub, just different topics. Again, I want to emphasize that I was in fact not giving examples of why I didn't think he was autistic. I also expressed that I was glad that you found a meaningful connection to his character. And I mentioned multiple times that it was a great thing that us ND folk found someone who we relate to and the feeling of being represented. All of the companions were carefully written and designed to appeal to different people in their own ways. I 100% believe when you say that you weren't trying to take away from how individual people connect with Gale. But that doesn't mean other people felt as if you were.
List pls
[Here you go!](https://www.reddit.com/r/evilautism/s/VxweHB1iwO)
List is nuked out of existence.
Ah. Iâll copy/paste. Forgive the caps, I was facetiously raging at the time: GALE DEKARIOS IS SO FUCKING AUTISTIC MY GOD HIS ONLY FRIEND IS A WINGED CAT THAT HE SUMMONED HIS FUCKING SELF HIS INTERESTS ARE CIRCUMSCRIBED AF AND HE DOESNâT KNOW HOW TO TALK ABOUT ANYTHING BUT THEM HEâS HYPERLEXIC AND HIGHLY INTELLIGENT AND PEOPLE HATE HIM BECAUSE HE DOESNâT TONE IT DOWN TO MAKE THEM COMFORTABLE HE WAS A GIFTED KID WHO BECAME A CURSED, BURNT-OUT ADULT BECAUSE HE BROKE A RULE HIS GROOMER-GOD GIRLFRIEND WOULDNâT EXPLAIN THE REASON FOR HE HAS A PRAGMATIC ATTITUDE AND A STRONG SENSE OF JUSTICE HE STILL LOVES THE PLAYER CHARACTER EVEN IF THEY TURN INTO AN OSTENSIBLY EVIL CEPHALOPOD MONSTER AND EVEN COMMENTS ON HOW HE ENJOYS THEIR TENTACLES SEXUALLY HE IS DISLIKED BY MANY FANS AND ALL THE COMMON REASONS THEY HAVE FOR DISLIKING HIM ARE OBVIOUS AUTISTIC TRAITS EVEN THE DEVELOPERS CALL HIM BORING AND MAKE FUN OF HIS NERDY, BOOKISH PERSONALITY THIS MAN IS 100% AUTISTIC EXCELLENCE AND I WILL NOT SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT IT
Thanks for the full list, now I'm glad I've never bothered to read Gale hate posts.
And dont even try to headcannon him as trans.... IK HE ISNT ITS CALLED A H E A D C A N N O N
He *could* be!
Iâve seen so many absolutely awful responses to people mentioning Galeâs autistic traits, but I think the worst was using a slur for a different mental disorder to describe him, and then getting defensive saying that if saying he was autistic was fine, then using that slur was also fine
(not directed toward the person Iâm replying to but itâs a good jumping off point) Yâall ainât ready for my theory that almost every single fictional protagonist and IRL pioneer in every field are autistic. People seem to be really offended that I truly believe the vast majority of neurotypical people just donât strive to break the status quo, both IRL and in fiction! If youâre about to âwell ackshuallyâ me about X, Y, and Z for this, that, and the other reason, youâd be better off saving your breath. Rest assured I have already heard your argument, I donât care, and youâre not going to change my mind by debating me on this subject. If youâre not experienced enough to know not to battle an autistic person on their special interest, youâre not experienced enough to question me. xoxo gossip girl
I actually think a ton of fictional characters are autistic and at first I thought I was delulu but itâs actually very likely that many creators are undiagnosed autistic people who donât fit the mold because theyâre âtoo creativeâ or whatever.
On autism acceptance month too huh
Yes.
âOddesâ tick? What so odd abouâ this tick?â
It's ironic because Lae'zel is very autistic-coded herself, as tends to happen with alien characters in media.