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reclusivebookslug · 9 months

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Bella Swan is Autistic: An Analysis

(Disclaimers: I enjoy Twilight in spite of its problematic elements, not because of them or in ignorance of them. There are as many different ways to be autistic as there are autistic people. Many allistic people will relate on some level to some aspects of the autistic experience; this does not make them autistic. This is all just my opinion, based on my experience as a late-diagnosed, low-support-needs autistic woman. I am aware this is not a brand-new original idea.)

I reread Twilight (I think for the first time since getting diagnosed 4 years ago) and I found a bunch of things I relate to Bella about. Below the cut is a list of some of her autism-related character traits with quotes for textual evidence. The links lead to articles explaining how these traits relate to autism. The list is ordered chronologically based on page number of the accompanied quotes. Page numbers are based on the paperback edition with ISBN-13: 9780316015844. A backslash in a quote signifies a paragraph break. I’ll update if I read any of the other books or rewatch the movies and anything new comes up.

Bella has trouble regulating her emotional expressions: she has to put conscious effort into how she presents herself

"I'd always been a bad liar" (p. 4). "For some reason, my temper was hardwired to my tear ducts. I usually cried when I was angry, a humiliating tendency" (p. 25). "I had never been enormously tactful" (p. 31). "'My face is so easy to read -- my mother always calls me her open book'" (p. 50).

Bella is shy and a bit socially awkward: she avoids attention for fear of embarrassment

"Charlie wasn't comfortable with expressing his emotions out loud. I inherited that from him" (p. 7). "Mr. Varner... was the only one who made me stand in front of the class and introduce myself. I stammered, blushed, and tripped over my own boots on the way to my seat" (p. 17). "To my dismay, I found myself the center of attention for the rest of the week" (pp. 68-69).

Bella feels different from other people: she doesn’t know how to connect with others and feels pressure to fit in

"I didn't relate well to people my age. Maybe the truth was that I didn't relate well to people, period. Even my mother, who I was closer to than anyone else on the planet, was never in harmony with me, never on exactly the same page. Sometimes I wondered if I was seeing the same things through my eyes that the rest of the world was seeing through theirs. Maybe there was a glitch in my brain" (pp. 10-11). "I answered honestly, instead of pretending to be normal like everyone else" (p. 47). “'My mind doesn't work right? I'm a freak?' The words bothered me more than they should -- probably because his speculation hit home. I'd always suspected as much, and it embarrassed me to have it confirmed" (p. 181).

Bella has a unique sense of humor: other people don’t get her jokes and she doesn’t get other peoples’ jokes

"'You don't look very tan.' / 'My mother is part albino.' / He studied my face apprehensively, and I sighed. It looked like clouds and a sense of humor didn't mix. A few months of this and I'd forget how to use sarcasm" (p. 16). “Bella was being unintentionally funny” (p. 367).

Bella finds comfort in routine: the change in routine from moving was difficult for her, and she felt better once the new routine became familiar

"I fell into the pattern of the familiar task gladly" (p. 33).

Bella is academically gifted: she finds assignments easier than her peers do, she has already read the books assigned in her English course

"'Were you in an advanced placement program in Phoenix?' / 'Yes'" (p. 47).

Bella enjoys being alone: she is introverted and enjoys solitary activities

"In a lot of ways, living with Charlie was like having my own place, and I found myself reveling in the aloneness instead of being lonely" (p. 54). "I've never minded being alone" (p. 241).

Bella has motor difficulties: she is clumsy, uncoordinated, accident-prone, and bad at sports

"Possibly my crippling clumsiness was seen as endearing rather than pathetic, casting me as a damsel in distress" (p. 55). "My sense of direction was hopeless; I could get lost in much less helpful surroundings" (p. 136).

Bella has special interests: Edward and books

"... no one else was as aware of Edward as I always was. No one else watched him the way I did" (p. 69). "I was sitting in my room, researching vampires. What was wrong with me" (p. 135)? "... they didn't know how preoccupied I could get when surrounded by books; it was something that I preferred to do alone" (p. 156).

Bella is perceived as different by others: a history of social exclusion is hinted at, Edward’s mind-reading doesn’t work on her

"'It's better if we're not friends,' he explained. 'Trust me.' / My eyes narrowed. I'd heard that before” (pp. 74-75). "He enunciated every syllable, as if he were talking to someone mentally handicapped" (p. 83). "'My mom always says I was born thirty-five years old and that I get more middle-aged every year'" (p. 106). ".'.. maybe your mind doesn't work the same way the rest of theirs do. Like your thoughts are on the AM frequency and I'm only getting FM'” (p. 181). "'You're not like anyone I've ever known. ... / ... 'I have a better than average grasp of human nature. People are predictable. But you ... you never do what I expect. You always take me by surprise'" (p. 245).

Bella has sensory differences: she notices and is bothered by things others don’t and aren’t, she engages in sensory-seeking and sensory-avoiding behavior when stressed

"'People can't smell blood,' he contradicted. / 'Well, I can -- that's what makes me sick. It smells like rust ... and salt" (p. 100). "I put in my headphones, hit Play, and turned up the volume until it hurt my ears. I closed my eyes, but the light still intruded, so I added a pillow over the top of my face" (pp. 129-130). "'You're always crabbier when your eyes are black ... I expect it then' ... 'I have a theory about that'" (p. 171). “For three and a half hours I stared at the wall, curled in a ball, rocking” (p. 425).

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twilightishot · 11 months

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It’s autism month so happy autism Bella, Charlie, and Renesmee!

#twilightishot #the twilight saga #thetwilightsaga #twilight saga #twilight fanfiction #twilightsagaedit #twilight revival #twilight au #bella swan is autistic #bella swan #charlie swan #Charlie swan is autistic #renesmee #renesmee cullen #Renesmee is autistic #autism #autistic renesmee #autistic bella #autistic charlie

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beta-adjacent · 7 months

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Gonna be totally fr I’m watching twilight rn and have no idea what’s happening bc there aren’t any subtitles but there’s something so sad about the autistic bella hcs and how she chooses to be with these vampires who endanger her life again and again bc she feels more attuned to them than her peers

#twilight #bella swan is autistic

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pinkieloveheartpastel · 1 year

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People making fun of Bella swan and Edward specifically for not showing facial expressions, having facial twitches, doing lip biting, stuttering, clinging to each other, being extremely reserved… mmm… it’s giving ableism.

The idea that a character isn’t a character because they don’t show emotion, whether through their face or through their voice, is very much ableism. Characters are allowed to look and be cold and standoffish. There are people like that in real life. Not everyone needs to show facial expressions or express themselves dramatically, and to expect them to do so is very much ableism.

Not to mention, pushing all of the problematic shit aside, I find myself relating to bella on a specific level as an autistic person, because we’re both extremely reserved and don’t like hanging around other people, but when we like someone we’re very clingy, we both have blank faces (because why do I need to fake my expressions? If I don’t feel something, I don’t feel it), we both stutter A LOT, and we both have very limited interests. AND WE ARE BOTH CLUMSY AS HELL!!! THE MOST AUTISTIC TRAIT OF THEM ALL!!!

Not to mention, her suddenly going from this calm, and almost emotionless character to becoming extremely angry when that Jacob thing happened in Breaking Dawn Part 2 is a very very VERY common trait for some autistic people.

We can express ourselves in ways that seem very overly dramatic and even exaggerated, and cartoonish to allistic people. I’ve done it many times. It’s a thing. And people laughed because they thought I was joking… every time I express myself even a little bit, people find it amusing. As if I’m just faking it.

So yeah… BELLA SWAN IS AUTISTIC!!!!!

(This doesn’t mean I suddenly like the characters. I still hate them very much, and I still don’t like the story. I’m just very passionate about calling out ableism, and begging people to realize that neurodivergent people exist.)

#twilight #ableism #autistic characters #bella swan #bella swan is autistic #edward cullen #edward cullen is autistic #autism

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edwardsdeathcabcd · 8 months

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Reasons autistic Bella is canon and real and true

Charlie: "I don't know if she's going to get over it– I'm not sure it's in her nature. She's always been such a constant little thing. She doesn't get past things, doesn't change her mind." So Bella has always been this resistant to change

In twilight, there's the occasional mention of her fidgeting when she's nervous, but in midnight sun, edward notices her stimming so many times. it seems like her usual habits are tapping her toes, playing with her hair and wringing her hands

She tries to mirror those around her & copy their tone, even when she's uncomfortable, because she thinks that's just How You Socialize (telling Eric that she also wants to go to comic con despite her having no idea what it really is, her talking very politely and casually about Edward's hunting habits, etc etc)

Poor motor skills

Horrible at evaluating risks / consequences

When she's feeling overwhelmed and needs sensory input she puts on headphones and listens to the same album on repeat for several hours at max volume

Covers her ears for most of the baseball game

Often unaware of her tone when she's speaking. There are moments in twilight where she's like "'xyz,' I said with as much enthusiasm as I could muster," that, in midnight sun, are changed to "'xyz,' she murmured, sounding unsure even as she said it." (The most hilarious example of this is "Go team!" vs "Go team?" in the baseball scene lol)

#autistic bella swan #bella swan #the twilight saga #twilight #midnight sun #edward cullen #twilight blog #charlie swan #tts #bella #autistic bella #mine

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dogbunni · 1 year

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You know how nendo can't have his mind read because he doesn't think. But what if it wasn't the case? What explanation would you give?

firstly, I love this question I'm frothing at the mouth to answer it. here is an unrelated image of my cat

secondly, I have been thinking about this for about a week straight now. personally Id love it if nendo was an honorary member of the psychickers.

like, he has no usable powers per se, but his psychic ability is to nullify the effects of psychic powers. it's an "always on" thing that he's not conscious of, so he doesn't know he has an ability or that psychics are real until saiki clues him in. (I have a lot of Thoughts about how that would go down, maybe best left for a fic in future? side eye emoji)

in my HC this ability would also prevent aiura from reading his future, and toritsuka from seeing his guardian spirit, so I am closing my eyes and putting my fingers in my ears about all the canon that contradicts that. lalalalalala can't hear you don't care, my boy is a psychic EMP device

something else I think would be interesting enough for a fic would be nendo slowly learning how to control this ability once he knows he has it. so that eventually, he can project a kind of nullifying dome around him, and anything in it is unaffected by psychic powers. like Bella in fucking. breaking dawn. where's that one post comparing nendo and bella. the similarities here are uncanny.

#i get that its a comedy but nendo never thinking has never made sense to me #my boy is stupid but he isnt brain dead #im just too autistic to accept that bit of comedy logic #he's bella swan your honor #nendo posting #dogbunni diary log #saiki kusuo no ψ nan #nendo riki #nendou riki #nendou saiki k #the disastrous life of saiki k.#saiki k

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them-bo-dacious · 8 months

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i relate to bella swan on a spiritual level for got the autism from my father and the bpd from my mother. who wants to be my AuADHD alice?

#autistic bella swan #borderline bella swan #autistic alice cullen #adhd alice cullen #neurodivergent bella swan #neurodivergent alice cullen #bellice #alice cullen #bella swan #twilight #headcanon #my headcanons #me core

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iameatingrocks · 4 months

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if Bella swan had access to Spotify premium and AO3 she would’ve been fine

#rip bella swan you would’ve loved boygenius #Bella swan #autistic Bella swan #vampires #twilight #twilight Bella #twilight Bella swan #boygenius #Spotify #textpost

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killiel · 2 years

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I think this sums it up

#bella swan #beau swan #autism #twilight #this is coming frOM AN AUTISTIC PERSON OK DONT @ ME BC I HAVE COMFORT CHARACTERS #headcanon

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esmeisamilf · 2 years

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#guess wich one is autistic #if you said both you are right #autistic bella #edward cullen #bella swan #team edward #bella x edward #twilight renaissance #alice cullen #carlisle cullen #esme cullen #new moon #eclipse

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babybabyaphrodite · 2 years

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hm. i think, as a woman, vampires being so perfect only to be so broken just hits so right. to be beautiful and forever young and captivating. to be marred with trauma and have your soul covered in blood that you can’t scrub away and be such a cheap imitation of true humanity when deep down you are just an animal looking for what will satiate the gnawing need you can’t quite place.

i can always draw parallels where i want, but this feels specifically potent. ofc i’m drawn to media ab seeing & accepting someone as being perfect & debased.

#i’m sure non-women can feel this way too! i just think it’s a different exp growing up identifying as female #ppl in my tags keep telling me i’m autistic so mayb thats part of it too idk i don’t have time to unpack that #i read a life changing fan fic & that inspired this #it was v non-canon but it held such good balance between gore-revulsion-fear & beauty-softness-desire #vampires #twilight #twilight renaissance #twilight revival #alice cullen #cullen family #edward cullen #jasper hale #rosalie hale #esme cullen #bella cullen #carlisle cullen #emmett cullen #bella swan

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ginnywings · 10 months

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bella swan c:

always i thing that she is a weird person. idk, reading again books, i believe that she is ASD.

it's not a headcanon, it's true (?.

commissions are open on dm!

follow me on linktr.ee/ginny.wings

#twilight saga #twilight #art #artists on tumblr #woman artist #instagram #twitter #bella swan #the twilight saga #stephenie meyer #fanart #twilight fanart #books and reading #illustration #isabella swan #aesthetic #autism #neurodivergent #autistic woman

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pinkieloveheartpastel · 1 year

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And a lot of people criticizing Bella Swan’s behavior often say shit like “Why does she do *autistic traits*??? Why can’t she just be normal??? Why is she so weird???”

It’s all just ableism.

Let characters be weird. Let characters be off. Let characters be not-normal.

#twilight #ableism #autistm #autistic characters #bella swan is autistic #bella swan

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graceallisonsworld · 9 months

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omg i can’t BELIEVE what the public did to bella swan. like omg she’s literally just a girl??? shes the most realistic representation of a 17 yr old autistic girl ive ever seen in media ever (im a 17 yr old autistic girl)

#she’s literally me #me and the vampire boy i pulled by being autistic #twilight #edward cullen #bella swan #autistic rizz

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bimboyaoi · 1 year

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