How do I tell the reader that my character is autistic in Fantasy?
I am a woman with aspergers and writing an autistic character has always been close to my heart. Fiera Allas, a fantasy powerhouse with immense power and sword skills has always struck me as autistic (possibly because of how much of myself I put into writing her) and I want more than just the few autistic people who may read my book to go "oh yeah she has similarities to me cool." I want to be able to give Fiera a name for something that affects her like that but this is, of course, a fantasy world. How do I make it clear to neurotypical readers without stereotyping a good character or calling her by the name "autistic."
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You'd need to highlight the challenges you think most typify the autistic experience. I'm an aspy my main personal challenge is reading body language, I have other issues but that's the one that has traditionally caused the biggest hassles. That's a common trait for those on the spectrum but by no means universal you need to look at the traits you find most telling and convey those. First person POV and internal voice are, to my way of thinking at least, going to be essential to this task. Most of the information you need to convey is in the form of the thoughts and feelings of the character being portrayed. Hopefully that helps you, don't be surprised if you can't get the effect you're looking for, a lot of people just won't get it unless you slap them in the face with the terminology, and maybe even then.
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/46206. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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I am not on the autistic spectrum, and I confess that it is not obvious to me to what extent and in what manner you plan to characterize your character. On the other hand, I think that your problem could be common to other types of characterizations.
To show that a character has certain features, for instance being on the autistic spectrum, there are some standard exposition tools:
Place the character in situations where that characteristic becomes obvious. Establish that in order to overcome a certain hurdle, you character would need a certain characteristic, and then show how they succeed. This is common to hero's journeys subplots.
Define the characteristic by comparison with the world standard. In particular, you first establish what the norm of your world is, or better what is already considered uncommon within the fantasy world, and then you show that your character is exceptional in that regard. For instance, if the character can run exceptionally fast, make them win a race against an opponent that is considered very fast by the standard of your world. This approach is very commonly used in the Nordic myths.
Give the character a companion that would be complementary to your character. If your character is very tall, give them a very short companion. If the character is strong and slow, the companion will be weak and nimble. (This is probably a trope in many adventure anime).
Make the character (and the reader) aware of the characteristic via internal exposition. For instance, a manuscript that explains the amazing powers possessed by certain individuals, even if they are currently unaware of them. A trope of teenager's superheroes.
Finally, and this is the frame challenge, don't use any of the above. Just be coherent in your writing. A reader that is keen and attentive to details may notice it. Most readers won't. They will notice unusual patterns, but may attribute them to what makes your character amazing. Doyle's Sherlock Holmes is a very good example of a character that is far from being neurotypical, yet, besides the occasional cocaine or opium intake, I believe that his behaviour is never attributed to any specific condition. The coherence across all the stories prompts readers to realize that he is different. They may even define him as a sociopath. Over all, they definitively root for him.
Let me suggest some examples how I imagine you could use these approaches in your context, in order:
Give a challenge that a neurotypical individual would fail. For instance, defeating a doppelganger monster (or a witch) that lures victim by enticing them with body language. Your character could have a higher resistance towards such type of traps.
Define a part of the world where people are very neurotypical. In this part of the world there is an enclave of people who are barely at the edge of the spectrum. Then your character arrives, and it becomes clear that she is far more unique than any person in this enclave.
Fiera Allas has a squire, his name is Little Brian, who is neurotypical to the excess. Most often he would just sit and stare at her in amazement, and describe to others how amazing she is, and how, even after all these years, in his eyes she is always unpredictable, and rightly so.
You character may find the manuscript describing the prophecy of Asp, the kindly Goddess, who gifted the world of individuals with unique skills. When she reads it, it becomes clear that she is one such individual.
Just be coherent in what makes her autistic. Over the arc of an long story, readers will become aware that she is not the usual neurotypical character.
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