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a-spectacular-pigeon · 5 years

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I think the thing I loved most about Sir Terry Pratchett was that it always seemed like he had an unwavering sense of fairness.

I have no idea how all the awful things going on in the world seem to people who aren’t autistic, or even how they seem to other autistic people. But the thing that always sticks in my guts and makes me want to scream is how horribly unfair all of it seems.

It’s not fair that some people are born with everything and others are supposed to survive on nothing. It’s not fair that disabled people have to do so much more than abled people just to be deemed valuable enough to exist. It’s not fair that some people have to power to do whatever they want to anyone without facing any consequences.

And sometimes it feels like the world sees fairness as a childish idea. If I were to face the people continually fucking me over and tell them “that’s not fair” they would give a condescending look and tell me “life’s not fair”. We all got told that, over and over again when we were young. “Life’s not fair, and you should accept that and move on.” Again and again, stomping out that sense of justice and fairness a little bit at a time.

But when I read the Discworld books, it felt like they were saying “Life’s not fair, and you should be angry about that.” Life’s not fair, so you have to kick and scream and dig in your heels and make it be fair.

I never met the man personally, and I won’t pretend like I knew him, but he always seemed as angry as I was about unfairness. About poor people having to pay more than the rich to get by, about people who are different being treated like slime, about selfish people always having the upper hand.

There’s a bit in the Hogfather where Death talks about mercy and justice. He says to “take the universe and grind it down to the finest powder and sieve it through the finest sieve, and show me one atom of Justice, one molecule of Mercy.” He says that justice and mercy are not part of the universe, that there is no higher sense of fairness that will balance everything out in the end. And that’s why it’s our job to be fair. To be just, and merciful. Because if we don’t believe in those things, then how can they ever exist? If we give up on those things, how can we ever expect life to be better for anyone?

Sir Terry Pratchett is no longer with us, and that feels horribly, heart-wrenchingly, unbearably unfair sometimes. I would give absolutely anything to have him back in the world, to have the chance to meet him just once and tell him how frighteningly dark the future seemed to a depressed, autistic teenager when I read his work for the first time. That he gave me a little bit of hope to cling onto.

It’s 10am, and I’m grieving for a man I never met, who died four years ago, because life is strange. I like to think he’d appreciate that. Goodbye Sir Terry, thank you for everything

#Terry Pratchett #Long post #I have a lot of emotions right now #And I don't really have anywhere else to put them #So enjoy

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teddy-stonehill · 4 years

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I was tagged by @comradegrantaire to talk about 5 of my favorite male characters. It took me a while to put together the list and not have them all be Discworld characters lol

Sam Vimes

Vimes (from the Discworld guards books) is a very important character to me for several reasons.

1) He EXPLICITLY hates rich people and nobility and he’s so strongly anti-monarchy that MULTIPLE people in the series outright refuse to pursue possible claims they have to the empty throne of Ankh-Morpork because they know Vimes wouldn’t want them to lmao.

You may have heard of the “Vimes’ boots theory of socioeconomic unfairness,” where he talks about how the rich can spend less money than the poor by buying higher quality goods.

It’s just so rare to have such an openly working class hero in a fantasy series. That contributed to shaping my politics at an early age.

2) Sam Vimes as a character shows that you don’t have to be HAPPY to be GOOD.

In a culture that’s obsessed with positivity as a sort of virtue signaling, I think it’s so important to show that you can be a deeply depressed, cynical person and still have a strong moral center.

I grew up in a family where we all have various mental health problems, and general optimism and positivity is something that’s always been beyond all of us really. But Sam Vimes was important to me as a kid because he proved that you can be a cynic AND be kind, and that being depressed isn’t a moral failure.

I could write forever about why I love Vimes so much but I’ll end with a quote instead:

He hated games they made the world look too simple. Chess, in particular, had always annoyed him. It was the dumb way the pawns went off and slaughtered their fellow pawns while the king lounged about doing nothing. If only the pawns would've united ... the whole board could've been a republic in about a dozen moves. —Thud! By Terry Pratchett

Laius Thorden

Laius Thorden from Dungeon Meshi is weird. He doesn’t fit in with the standard values of his society, and he’s deeply interested in things other people find off putting.

But the things that make him weird are also the things that make him a hero. It’s because of his deep love of monsters that he has a chance of saving the dungeon and becoming its new master.

And he’s really confident in his weirdness, too. He doesn’t let not fitting in make him feel at all worse about himself. He doesn’t care whag society thinks of him.

In my opinion, he definitely seems autistic coded, and I think it’s really cool to see a character like him get to be a hero without needing to change or give up whag makes him unique. He’s in the right, and the world should change around him, not the other way around.

James Flint

Captain Flint is the angry gay pirate seeking revenge on all of civilation that we all want and need.

For real, though, Flint’s character is such a good lense for exploring themes of how dominant society uses shame and the concept of monsters to keep people in line and punish those who step out of it. And no matter how much the world is against him, Flint refuses to back down or apologize for having loved another man.

He’s willing to give his all to wage a war against England, an impossibly powerful empire, for a chance to make a better world for people on the margins, people made into monsters by a racist, homophobic, sexist, classist society.

Black Sails is so good you guys.

Booster Gold

Booster Good will always be my favorite comic book character even though comics are bad and DC keeps fucking up his character. The heart of his story (during his best run) is just so compelling to me.

He starts out as a shallow glory hound who wants to be a hero for the fame and fortune. He’s a disgraced football star in the 25th century who steals a time machine and travels back to our day to become a hero.

But after suffering a major loss (the death of his best friend (*cough* lover *cough*) Ted Kord), he pivots to becoming a true hero and defender of the timeline. But because his enemies are time travelers, he specifically can’t let anyone know he’s a genuine hero or they’d travel through time to prevent his birth.

So the shallow glory hound persona becomes a SECONDARY SECRET IDENTITY. In order to become a true hero he has to give up on the chance of ever becoming famous or even respected. He has to make sure history will remember him as a loser.

That’s the good shit imo.

Thane Krios

Thane Krios is the only character I still refer to as my husband since I came out as a lesbian lmao

Listen, he’s a deadly assassin trying to atone for a life of killing before he dies of a chronic illness. He’s a sad widower who wants to reconcile with his son. He’s really devoted to his minority religion. He’s a weird lizard alien. How am I supposed to resist all of that???

I just love characters who are sad. You may have picked up on that.

—

That’s it! I’m not tagging anyone but you can do it if you want to. Might do something similar with female characters just for fun but we’ll see if I have the energy because this took up a lot of my day lol

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setepenre-set · 6 years

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Can u recommand some good books pls?

I DEFINITELY CAN!

(I’ve divided them up into categories, and included a short summary of each, so that you can choose more easily, and put the list under a cut, since it’s fairly long.)

Comedic Fantasy With Emotional Center

Small Gods by Terry Pratchett (part of the Discworld series; everything in the Discworld series is excellent. main characters of this one are a god stuck in the form of a tortoise and his last believer.)

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett (Discworld. Death has to take over the duties of discworld’s version of Santa Claus in an attempt to keep the world from ending.)

Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett (Discworld. Death gets fired and decides to live as a human—as near to human as he can, at any rate. eventually he has to battle the New Death to save the discworld.)

Guards, Guards! by Terry Pratchett (Discworld. Sam Vimes, leader of the disgraced and dying Ankh-Morpork City Watch, regains his self-respect and his interest in life as he works to solve a mystery of who is summoning a dragon and killing off citizens of his city.)

The Bromeliad by Terry Pratchett (small ‘nomes’ live secretly in this world, hiding from humans. the perpetually out-of-his-depth and put-upon nome Masklin finds himself in charge, tasked with leading them to safety and finding their way home.)

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (an angel and a demon tasked with seeing that apocalypse happens as scheduled decide to try to avert it instead. completely and utterly fantastic.)

Long Dark Teatime of the Soul by Douglas Adams (murder mystery involving Norse Gods, record contracts, and the Ultimate Bubble Bath.)

The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber (novella told like a fairy tale, full of wordplay and beauty and fun. this one just absolutely shines.)

The Gates by John Connolly (young boy, his dog, and an extremely minor demon try to stop the end of the world.)

The Infernals by John Connolly (sequel to The Gates, featuring the same characters.)

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (a young lady is cursed to be old, decides to become cleaning lady for a wizard rumored to be dangerous but actually just vain, overdramatic, and irresponsible. so very fun and romantic.)

Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien (a local peasant finds himself unwillingly roped into facing a marauding dragon.)

Comedy

All of the P.G. Wodehouse books, particularly the Jeeves and Wooster series (wonderfully fun and lighthearted comedy set vaguely between the edwardian era and the 1920’s. Rich, cheerful, and kindhearted Bertie Wooster has a habit of accidentally getting engaged to girls he has no desire whatsoever to marry; his clever valet Jeeves gets him out of trouble every time.)

With One Lousy Free Packet of Seed by Lynne Truss (hilarious and surprisingly touching at the end. lots and lots shenanigans. really fun.)

Romantic Comedy

Cotillion by Georgette Heyer (romantic comedy, fake relationship, regency era.)

When a Man Marries by Mary Roberts Rhinehouse (romantic comedy with a stolen jewels mystery plot. cast of characters stuck in a house together.)

Romance

These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer (historical romance with intrigue and comedy. The main character crossdresses and, to me, reads as genderqueer. The love interest is basically a villain who accidentally becomes the hero. I LOVE IT.)

Her Every Wish by Courtney Milan (regency romance novella. hero is bisexual. subplot about bicycles being scandalous. this is the one that I have Roxanne give Megamind in Code: Safeword.)

The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan (regency romance, the last in the Brothers Sinister series, all of which are good. main character reads as autistic. her love interest is younger than she is; they’ve secretly presented her groundbreaking scientific work as his, so that people will take it seriously.)

When a Scott Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare (regency romance; main character has social anxiety and made up a fiancee years ago to get out of her impending social season. but now a man with the same name has shown up claiming to be this fiancee, and intending to marry her.)

Mystery

Behold, Here’s Poison by Georgette Heyer (1920’s murder mystery with comedy and romance. The characters are wonderful.)

Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie (murder mystery featuring elderly heroine Miss Marple, who seems fluffy and harmless but is really a sneaky, nosy, and terribly sharp woman. I love her.)

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (murder mystery featuring detective Hercule Poirot. intricate and enjoyable.)

Death Comes As the End by Agatha Christie (murder mystery set in ancient egypt. both the mystery and the historical features are extremely well executed.)

Difficult to Categorize

Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story by Leonie Swann (A group of sheep decide to solve the mystery of who killed their shepherd. Funny and moving. The point of view is amazingly well done.)

Watership Down by Richard Adams (A group of rabbits set out on a journey to establish a new home. The worldbuilding and characterization are fantastic.)

Kiln People by David Brin (science fiction mystery. amazing worldbuilding. One of the main characters is a robot who, due to a slight malfunction, has developed a personality and will of his own.)

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion (A love story set during the zombie apocalypse, between a young woman named Julie and a zombie known as R, who isn’t quite as dead as zombies are supposed to be. Horrifying and romantic and uplifting.)

Dreams of Sex and Stage Diving by Martin Millar (Main character Elfish is basically the living embodiment of ‘fuck you’. She’s a guitarist on a mission to claim the name Queen Mab for her—just at present nonexistent—band from her ex-boyfriend Mo.)

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt (a young woman in the medieval era gets lost in the forest and nearly dies. When she meets Death, though, she convinces him to postpone her demise—she claims that love is stronger than death, and he tells her that if she can prove it by finding her true love within one day, he will spare her life. Full of joy and sorrow and love.)

The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury (A group of children go on a fantastic trip through time with a mysterious man called Moundshroud in an attempt to save the life of one of their friends. Fun and dark and beautiful.)

The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson (An epidemic wipes out all of the adults in the world. Ten year old Lisa Nelson bands together a group of survivors and shapes them into a new society, with her at its head. Satisfying.)

Fantasy

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley (Gorgeous worldbuilding, kidnapping, romance, magic, and adventure.)

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (The last of the Unicorns goes on a quest to find out what happened to the rest of her species. Fun and frightening and hauntingly beautiful.)

Transformation by Carol Berg (The Emperor’s New Groove for grown-ups. Formerly a magician and currently a slave, Seyonne finds new meaning in his life when he and careless, proud Prince Aleksander work together to defeat the demonic forces that threaten the kingdom. Slavery and freedom, loyalty and friendship. Intricate worldbuilding.)

War For the Oaks by Emma Bull (Urban fantasy. Eddie has just broken up with her boyfriend, and, in the process, broken up the band they both played in. She has enough problems of her own, without getting dragged into a war between the Seelie and Unseelie courts of the Fae.)

Young Adult Fantasy

So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane (Young adult fantasy adventure. Preteen protagonists Kit and Nita journey into a terrifying shadow world to fight a dark entity. One of my favorite depictions of magic of all time.)

Which Witch by Eva Ibbotson (The Great Evil Wizard Arriman has decided to take a bride! The members of the local witches’ coven are invited to a contest—whichever witch performs the most dark and wicked act of black magic will be Arriman’s bride. The young witch Belladonna is absolutely smitten with Arriman, and desperately wants to win the contest. The only problem is that Belladonna is a white witch.)

Megamind: the Novel by Lauren Alexander (A little darker and a bit more grown-up than the movie; still incredibly fun. It features additional scenes from Megamind and Roxanne’s developing romantic relationship.)

Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde (Teenage Kerry is in the wrong place at the wrong time, and ends up being taken captive by a group of people who are holding another person captive as well—a young man they insist is a vampire. Kerry thinks they’re crazy, and helps the boy escape…but it turns out they were actually right. And now she’s being held captive by a vampire on the run.)

Young Adult

Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going (Depressed teenage protagonist Troy almost commits suicide, but is stopped by a homeless teenager named Curt, who is also a local punk rock legend. Curt convinces Troy to form a punk band with him, featuring Curt on guitar and Troy on drums…even though Troy can’t actually play the drums. funny and angry and deeply moving.)

The Undertaker’s Gone Bananas by Paul Zindel (Thriller. The misfit teenage protagonists are convinced that their neighbor murdered his wife, even though no one believes them. They set out to prove it.)

Older Children

The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Bernard (Recently orphaned, the disagreeable young Mary arrives at her uncle’s house—a house full of secrets and mysteries.)

A Little Princess by Francis Hodgson Bernard (Young, precocious, and strange Sara Crewe is sent to boarding school. When her father dies unexpectedly, leaving Sara a penniless orphan, the Headmistress forces Sara to work as a servant. Strength in adversity, the power of imagination, and an eventual happy ending.)

The Egypt Game by Zilpha Neatly Snyder (A group of children secretly play at being ancient Egyptians in a deserted lot. This one really captures the dangerous, wild, and intense feeling of childhood.)

Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix (adventure with young girl as heroine. genuinely creepy and exciting and so clever. my great-grandmother loved this one, too.)

The Witches by Roald Dahl (Young boy and his grandmother happen upon a convention of terrifying, evil witches.)

The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischmann (Spoiled Prince Brat and his whipping boy Jemmy run away together, much to Jemmy’s annoyance. Adventure and friendship.)

Trapped In Death Cave by Bill Wallace (An adventure story with a secret map, a hidden cave, and an evil plot.)

#books #book recs #Anonymous

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yeoldecryptid · 1 year

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This month makes me uncomfortable. Let’s ignore the gross stuff and talk about my autism headcanons.

Otto Von Chriek: I find the whole ‘everyone expects vampires to do this one harmful thing’ very reminiscent of certain elements of ABA therapy. Plus, his special interest is photography and at one point he makes stimming motions when he’s excited. Of course he’s autistic.

Havelock Vetinari: I think he masked his way through his adolescence (and possibly to this day) and in the process memorized how neurotypicals will react to everything, which he now uses to run the city. Also, he strikes me as the type of person who wouldn’t talk until well into preschool age, and then casually start speaking at an adult level. Also also, the whole ‘warn me before you crack a joke’ line is kind of telling.

Sherlock Holmes: I know there’s a lot of debate on this, and I absolutely understand why, as he could easily be used by the ‘autistic genius’ school of media production. But honestly, the original books have always been a celebration of different types of minds to me, and they really helped me out when I was younger. So for that reason, I’ve had this headcanon ever since.

The extra ‘maybe not autistic but definitely neurodiverse’ section:

Dr. Seward (Dracula): Because he heavily uses a phonograph before they were anywhere near cost affective, and claims writing is more difficult, dyslexia.

Lucien/Lucienne (Sandman): There’s just something about the way they think that is funky.

#autism #discworld autistic power moves #havelock vetinari #lord vetinari #otto chriek #otto von chriek #sherlock holmes granada #sherlock holmes #dracula daily #dracula #sandman headcanons #the sandman #lucienne the librarian #lucienne #lucien sandman #lucien the librarian

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datsderbunnyblog · 2 years

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I just read through your entire Discworld autistic power moves tag and I am delighted. That's all, just wanted to let you know you made me smile a lot.

Aww this is so lovely, thank you. It's a really fun way to engage with the series in general, for instance Vetinari's whole intimidating too-much-eye-contact thing is so much funnier under the assumption he's autistic, like "Oh, you allistics like eye contact, do you? We'll soon see about that..."

#thanks for the ask!#havelock vetinari #discworld autistic power moves #gnu terry pratchett

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datsderbunnyblog · 2 years

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I've just read one of your posts where you listed Discworld’s Best Autistic Power Moves and at the end you mentioned that you also wanted to do an ADHD edition. Not sure if you ever did one, if so I haven't found it - but my first thought was, Moist von Lipwig could make it into that list. I don't know that much about neurodiversity though so I can't say for sure if he might have ADHD. But I was recently thinking about Moist, can't even say anymore what exactly it was that I thought of aside of that the phrase "him and his ADHD brain" appeared in it and I found that phrasing quite funny first but it also started to sound really fitting.

The ADHD power moves post never materialised because I have ADHD and I forgot lmao. But yes you're absolutely right, Moist is definitely a candidate, I also have a very long anon ask sitting in my inbox about how Juliet Stollop has ADHD that I haven't reblogged yet purely because I STILL haven't finished Unseen Academicals (I know, it's been like a year now, it's ridiculous).

But if anyone wants to drop suggestions in my inbox please do so, I have my own ideas of course but my weak point here is that my memory of some of the books just isn't good enough so help would certainly be appreciated!

#discworld adhd power moves #gnu terry pratchett

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datsderbunnyblog · 2 years

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Do you have anything about Vetinari being neurodivergent?

I certainly do. I never sat down and wrote a post justifying why I think Vetinari is autistic (although I absolutely could) but I did write a Discworld Autistic Power Moves post and Vetinari features in that quite a lot, plus a cute little post specific to echolalia

My brain isn't working well enough to write a whole new post any time soon though, there will be more at some stage! Check out the Discworld Autistic Power Moves tag and maybe add to it if you like.

#thanks for the ask #havelock vetinari #gnu terry pratchett

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datsderbunnyblog · 3 years

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Ahhhh that sweet, sweet echolalia. Tincture. Tinc-ture.

#discworld autistic power moves #havelock vetinari #feet of clay #gnu terry pratchett

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datsderbunnyblog · 3 years

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Discworld’s Best Autistic Power Moves

Vimes pretending not to understand things

Carrot pretending not to understand things

Vetinari pretending not to understand things (Going Postal)

"If you stick a broom up my arse I could probably sweep the floor, too," said a voice. Moist realized it was his. His brain was a mess. It had come as a shock to him that the afterlife was this one. Lord Vetinari gave him a long, long look. "Well, if you wish," he said, and turned to a hovering clerk. "Drumknott, does the housekeeper have a store cupboard on this floor, do you know?"

Drumknott joining in with Vetinari pretending not to understand things (Going Postal)

"Oh, yes, my lord," said the clerk. "Shall I--"

Vetinari asking for warning when Moist is joking (Going Postal)

“Oh, I’m sorry, I hadn’t realized,’ said Lord Vetinari, turning back to Moist. ‘Do tell me if you feel obliged to make another one, will you?’

That time Vetinari demanded a stim toy (The Science of Discworld IV)

“Lord Vetinari looked around and said, ‘Shouldn’t I have a gavel? You know, one of those things judges bang on the table. I feel quite naked without one.’

A gavel was acquired from somewhere at speed and handed to his Lordship, who banged it once or twice in a kind of happiness.”

[See also: Vetinari playing with Leonard’s post-it note in Men At Arms, Vetinari playing with the ice in his inkwell in The Truth]

Vimes keeping his office really cold

Vetinari keeping his office really cold

Carrot taking advantage of the fact that his literal thinking is common knowledge (please see: every single book Carrot appears in)

Sybil deploying Sarcasm™️ (The Fifth Elephant)

‘I think I recognize the type, yes,’ said Sybil, with an irony that failed to register with Sam Vimes until some days later.

The entire concept of the Thieves’ Guild is the single most autistic thing I’ve ever heard in my life

“Crime was always with us, he reasoned, and therefore, if you were going to have crime, it at least should be organised crime... That way, everyone could plan ahead, said Lord Vetinari, and part of the uncertainty had been removed from the chaos that is life.”

Sybil knitting and darning and cooking, despite being the richest woman in the city, because it’s What Good Wives Are Supposed To Do

Sybil getting angry at Serafine von Uberwald because she was Rude (The Fifth Elephant)

“Sybil strode towards the Baroness and grabbed her. ‘You never answered a single letter! All those years I wrote to you!’

The Baroness stared at her in amazement, as people so often did when struck with Sybil’s non sequiturs.”

Vetinari and Vimes developing a whole system of non-verbal communication (Thud!)

“He gave Vetinari the look which said: if you take this any further I will have to lie.

Vetinari returned one which said: I know.

‘You yourself are not too badly injured?’ the Patrician said aloud.

‘Just a few scratches, sir,’ said Vimes.

Vetinari gave him a look which said: broken ribs, I’m certain of it.

Vimes returned one which said: nothing.”

Vetinari and Vimes also using Very Blunt verbal communication in the same conversation (Thud!)

“’What would you do if I asked you an outright question, Vimes?’

‘I’d tell you a downright lie, sir.’

‘Then I will not do so,’ said Vetinari, smiling faintly.

‘Thank you, sir. Nor will I.’”

William de Worde very carefully rephrasing things so that he’s Not Technically Lying (The Truth)

Drumknott standing up to Vetinari on the matter of paperclips (Unseen Academicals)

"’I was wondering if I could just add something, sir,’ said the secretary solemnly.

‘The floor is yours, Drumknott.’

‘I would not like it thought that I do not buy my own paperclips, sir. I enjoy owning my own paperclips. It means that they are mine. I thought it helpful I should tell you that in a measured and non-confrontational way.’

Vetinari looked at the ceiling for a few moments and then said: ‘Thank you for your frankness. I shall consider the record straightened and the matter closed.’

‘Thank you, sir.’”

Throw the book at him, Carrot. (Guards! Guards!)

(More to be added as they occur to me, in my usual chaotic way, please do feel free to add your own. ADHD Edition coming soon, stay tuned!)

#discworld autistic power moves #discworld neurodiversity #havelock vetinari #sam vimes #carrot ironfoundersson #sybil ramkin #rufus drumknott #william de worde #gnu terry pratchett

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datsderbunnyblog · 3 years

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Is Susan sto helit Autistic ?

(I'm low on spoons so this'll be a collection of annotated quotes rather prose with embedded quotes, and isn't my best work.)

"... she was brilliant in the same way that a diamond is brilliant, all edges and chilliness."

(Soul Music) This is how intellectually gifted autistics are usually perceived by the allistic world.

"She got on with her education. In her opinion, school kept trying to interfere with it."

"Susan hated Literature. She’d much prefer to read a good book."

(Soul Music) Again, we often don't get explanations from teachers about why we are studying the things we are, and we are often punished for inquisitiveness and not being able to infer the relevance without clear guidance.

"There were lessons later on. These were going a lot better now she’d got rid of the reading books about bouncy balls and dogs called Spot. She’d got Gawain on to the military campaigns of General Tacticus, which were suitably bloodthirsty but, more importantly, considered too difficult for a child. As a result his vocabulary was doubling every week and he could already use words like ‘disembowelled’ in everyday conversation. After all, what was the point of teaching children to be children? They were naturally good at it."

(Hogfather) Susan isn't interested in teaching children What Children Are Supposed To Know, or indeed How Children Are Supposed To Behave. Again, Susan is interested in teaching them things that she considers Useful, based on how she views and interacts with the world.

Susan was sensible. It was, she knew, a major character flaw. It did not make you popular, or cheerful, and– this seemed to her to be the most unfair bit – it didn’t even make you right. But it did make you definite.

(Thief of Time) Susan is direct in her speech and has a strong sense of justice, both of which are very definite autistic traits.

(On a separate note, the acknowledgement that the sense of justice doesn't make you right is an interesting and incredibly important, often-overlooked point. The strong sense of justice is often exploited on the Roundworld to trap white autistic men in alt-right spaces and to indoctrinate them. Justice doesn't always evolve beyond "This is what I personally deserve". It needs careful nurturing to get any further.)

She could see things that were really there*… *Which is much harder than seeing things that aren’t there. Everyone does that.

(Thief of Time) This is a nice little parallel with Pratchett's witches, and with his concept of First Sight and Second Thoughts, which again are very definite autistic traits.

So yes, in a nutshell, Susan Sto Helit is autistic.

#thanks for the ask!#susan sto helit #discworld autistic power moves #soul music #hogfather #thief of time #discworld neurodiversity #gnu terry pratchett

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