Maude Rambles

You will need:

One container of instant sticky rice

7 mL (.24 oz) of soy sauce (usually about one packet)

Sriracha mayo

Salt (to taste)

Sesame seeds (optional)

1 nori sheet (optional)

Steps:

Cook the instant sticky rice in a microwave.

Transfer the cooked sticky rice into a bowl.

Add the soy sauce and stir.

Add salt to taste and stir.

Add roughly three drops of sriracha mayo and stir. (Drops of mayo? idk man. just not too much of it.)

Add sesame seeds and stir (optional).

At this point, you can enjoy this bad boy straight out of the bowl. But if you want, you can:

Cut or tear 1 nori sheet into strips.

Add roughly two forkfuls of rice onto each strip.

Roll 'em.

#1: Saiki Kusuo (The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K.)

Kusuo has the advantage of being able to read everyone's mind (and thus has no need to understand tone), but he mainly utilizes nonverbal communication (speaking through his telepathy).

He can also be overwhelmed by social situations despite being able to read everyone's mind, although he doesn't outwardly show these emotions-- another autistic trait.

Coffee jelly can also be interpreted as a safe food, as it's one that he eats very often, and gets frustrated when he wants it and can't have it.

(Extra points: I related to Kusuo before I knew I was autistic.)

#2-3: Arthur & Steve Claus (Arthur Christmas)

Last year, when I rewatched Arthur Christmas with my family (an excellent Christmas movie with good character arcs, by the way; you should watch it if you haven't), I came to the conclusion that Arthur might be autistic due to his social difficulties, heightened emotional responses, and what I read as hyper-empathy towards Gwen.

On a second rewatch this week, I also realized that Steve might also be autistic, which makes sense considering that he's Arthur's brother. Steve also has social difficulties and heightened emotions (though to a lesser extent than Arthur). In addition, he adheres to a very careful routine (which he gets rather upset about other people not following or respecting), and he has low empathy, which is not something that's "fixed" by the end.

#4: Ferb Fletcher (Phineas And Ferb)

I consider Phineas and Ferb to be the classic ADHD-Autism duo, with Phineas having hyperactive ADHD and Ferb being autistic (and semiverbal). Ferb's lack of expression, mostly communicating through nonverbal cues (except for his designated one line of dialogue per episode), and his laser-focused interest on his and Phineas's projects have cemented him as autistic in the minds of many fans, including me.

In addition, part of why he enjoys these projects so much could be that Phineas makes a plan and then does not deviate from that plan, allowing Ferb to trust the daily routine. Phineas doesn't need to ask Ferb what he wants to do today; if Ferb wanted to do something else, then he would simply do something else.

#5-6: Dipper & Mabel Pines (Gravity Falls)

Dipper and Mabel, like Arthur and Steve, show differing autistic traits; in fact, there's a good chance that both of them have both autism and ADHD. But since we're focusing on autism specifically, I'll point out the autistic traits of both.

Dipper shows some social difficulties and heightened emotional responses, as well as a special interest/hyperfixation on the supernatural.

Mabel, while seemingly showing more ADHD traits than Dipper, shows several autistic traits as well. She has similar heightened emotions and a few more difficulties with social cues than Dipper, and though she may seem a little all-over-the-place in terms of routine, she does in fact keep one, that being wearing sweaters every day even in the summer heat.

(Also, an honorable mention for Mabel, even though even any neurotypical 12-year-old would struggle with this: I heavily related to her struggle in Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future, in which an emotionally significant figure in her life (Dipper) expects her to be okay with a very big change that was suddenly sprung on her.)

#7: Sniper (Team Fortress 2)

So this one is a little more loose than the others, due to Sniper not having as much canon material as some of the other mercenaries.

Sniper's autistic traits could also be read as being due to his job; he's quiet, focused, and not very social or expressive, which could be due to spending hours alone waiting to line up his shots perfectly.

His occupation could be a factor, of course, but I personally choose to read him as autistic, particularly in his interactions with the other mercenaries; in the comics, he can be very blunt and to the point, and the most emotion he outwardly shows is when he literally dies (and then later, when he's reasonably distressed and angry about having died and been resurrected. By a former ally who joined the very people who killed him, no less.)

This has been today's edition of:

✨7 Characters I Think Are/Could Reasonably Be Autistic✨

I've heard it said that Romy is a "male power fantasy" because Rogue is the "forbidden fruit" that only Remy gets to have. But if anything, I see Romy as a female power fantasy. Consider: A man who is accustomed to charming his way in and out of every situation, who loves you despite knowing the relationship can never get physical in any capacity. Who yearns for you regardless. Who knows you're immensely powerful and could kill him if you wanted to (or even by accident) and yet stays near you just because he wants to be near you.