Comments | corvuscornix: "Do people sometimes think you are smiling at the wrong occasion?"

corvuscornix

"Do people sometimes think you are smiling at the wrong occasion?"

Feb 27, 2010 22:02

Dear Journal,

I tried to get Avon to take this site's Aspie Quiz but he wouldn't oblige, curtly declaring it a pointless exercise and stalking off with his nose head held high. I do in fact have a lot of respect for that attitude, but... Not enough, it seems.

( ask a silly question )

avon, neurodiversity, blake's 7, aspergers

Comments 6

vilakins March 8 2010, 20:36:29 UTC

[grins at Avon's--and Vila's answers] I think I've done that quiz, and came out borderline. Quite a few people have pointed out Avon's Aspie-ness, and he certainly has a lot of the signs--but then so do I when in situations that make me uneasy and insecure (like where to put my arms).

I've had fun in the past doing various internet tests as Vila because he's in so many ways the opposite of me: extrovert, chatty, wanting to be around people.

Have you done Myers-Briggs / MBTI? Avon generally comes out as INTP, like me (though some say he's INTJ) and I think Vila's ENFP, N because of his intuition.

corvuscornix March 9 2010, 21:09:40 UTC

It is certainly my personal fanon that Avon is an Aspie - but then, you could say that this is my personal fanon about myself, too, so of course I'm horribly biased on the subject ( ... )

vilakins March 10 2010, 02:51:13 UTC

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that Avon isn't Aspie; I was just saying that I share a few of his mannerisms when I'm feeling ill at ease. It certainly does show that he feels that way most of the time. I wonder how Darrow did it so well, as he's not like that in person (in fact I don't like him much; he's sleazy and tells jokes that can get nasty). Perhaps he based Avon on a geek he knew. It's such a good and accurate portrayal of an Aspie, it has to be based on someone.

it is a question of frequency, I guess

Yep! I can see parts of myself in just about all descriptions of Asperger's and autism, but OTOH I'm good at things like reading expressions, knowing how people feel, etc. I did have to learn some of the social niceties as a teenager though, like it not being acceptable to either go off to my room, or take a book to someone's place to read if I was bored. :-P

Vila is a lot more open (thought we still know very little about his background and past) and he's fun to do tests as. I'm not sure why I like him so much when he's so ( ... )

corvuscornix March 10 2010, 20:48:26 UTC

Heh, I'm not defensive about my interpretations. I'm just a bit too fond of talking about them. At length. To anyone who seems even remotely interested. *blushes*

Avon's aspie-ness isn't the only reason why I like the character (I've always found self-irony hugely attractive, for one thing) but it’s true that I've never before come across a fictional character that I've been able to connect with on such a fundamental level. To tell the truth, I didn't even realise that it was possible. Now I'm wondering if this is how people who are a bit closer to the norm feel about traditionally "neurotypical" characters all the time. That would explain some things...

(I'll hasten to add that there are many ways in which I'm not like Avon, I certainly don't share his cynical attitudes or identify much with his particular emotional dilemmas - but I can definitely see where he's coming from.)

Fascinating as I find Avon, I wouldn't necessarily say that I like him better than Vila though. Vila gets a lot of emotional response out of me - it is ( ... )

Thread 6