Sawyer is neurodivergent and you can't change my mind
Last year for Autism Acceptance Day, my good friend @pikatrainer99 and I did a collab post about Goh and our headcanon of being him autistic. Here's a link to that post if you'd like to check it out:
Since today is Autism Acceptance Day, this is the perfect time to look back on Goh’s iconic moments throughout Journeys and how they support
Today, we'd like to talk about Sawyer from Pokemon XY, another character who we both headcanon as autistic, and who means the world to me.
Let's start with his special interest, Pokemon battles. In all of Sawyer's appearances, we can clearly see his desire to learn as much as he can about battling and to grow stronger. He greatly admires strong trainers like Steven Stone and Ash. I mean, just look at how excited he gets when he hears that Ash had won five badges!
And that's exactly what he does for the rest of the series. He spends so much time studying and training that he manages to catch up to Ash within a just season's worth of episodes! But we'll get to that later.
Before going into detail about his most obvious traits, let's go over some of the traits that we only see for brief moments, starting with his sensory sensitivities. In episode 73, we see him getting visibly overwhelmed when the crowd around him, Ash, and Clemont suddenly starts cheering. We also see him shielding his eyes from Spritzee's Dazzling Gleam attack during his battle with Valerie. Note that he's the only one to react this way to both situations. I don't know about you, but I have yet to meet a single autistic person without some kind of hypersensitivity to noise, bright light, smell, texture, etcetera.
We also see in the following episode that he sometimes unintentionally gets too close to people when he's excited, not noticing their discomfort. We see this after Ash wins his gym battle with Valerie, and Sawyer is so beyond amazed and eager to learn from him that he momentarily forgets how to act "socially appropriately". Ash and his friends are visibly uncomfortable, but of course, because they're all so kind and supportive, they don't judge him for this 🥺
We also see in the first episode of XYZ that he's an amazing artist. And I mean, AMAZING! He can literally draw Squishy the Zygarde Core exactly how it looks in its official artwork, despite only having seen it for the first time that day! While not every autistic person has to have a talent like this, it's definitely not uncommon. Growing up, Pika and I both used to draw a lot, and our drawing skills were one of the few things we took pride in because of how much praise we got for it.
Now let's talk about one of his most adorable traits, which is his habit of saying, "I've gained some EXP!" Clearly he's into video games and enjoys feeling like he's in one, because this is definitely not something you typically hear in real life. This kind of escapism is quite common in autistic people, Pika and I included. In a world that's not built for us, sometimes imagining ourselves in a fictional world that we love can be really comforting and even inspiring in some cases.
You've probably noticed that Sawyer is holding his notebook in all of the last three screenshots, which is also something I'd like to get into. Not only is his notebook a crucial part of his character, but it's also a security item. Pika and I both have security items of our own, namely our phones and our favourite Pokemon plushies, which helps bring us a lot of much-needed comfort. In episode 75, we see just how panicked Sawyer gets when he temporarily loses his notebook, which quickly leads to him becoming depressed.
We know that he values his notebook deeply because it contains all he's learned on his journey, as well as an autograph from Steven Stone. But if you look deeper, it becomes clear that it's even more to him than that. He holds his notebook close to his heart, both metaphorically and literally. He hugs it after receiving approval from Ash (which I'll also get to later) Heck, he even attached his Key Stone to it! He cherishes this notebook like it's his baby, and we find that so adorable and relatable!
Okay, now it's time to get into what's arguably the saddest part of his character: his constant need of approval from others. Pika and I, as well as countless other autistic people, are no strangers to self-doubt, especially in a world where we can't meet a lot of people's expectations. Sawyer likely grew up feeling this way too, which would explain why he's always seeking Ash's approval, since Ash is the one he looks up to the most. Throughout the series, Sawyer's constantly trying desperately to catch up to him. What's even more heartbreaking is that even after he beats Ash, he still needs reassurance from him that he's become strong 🥺
And to make matters worse, he's constantly masking his frustration whenever he fails to beat Ash. The autistic community is definitely no stranger to masking either.
It's not until the episode after his Kalos League battle with Ash when we finally see Sawyer breaking down. All those hours of training to catch up to Ash only led to him losing again in their most important battle yet. He was devastated, but he couldn't show that in front of Ash out of fear of being judged. Once he and Sceptile were alone, however, Sawyer was finally able to let out all the built-up frustration. And oh boy, was it emotional to watch...
But being the resilient trainer he is, Sawyer quickly dried off his tears and reaffirmed his desire to become stronger.
It takes a lot of strength to bounce back from something like this. I also went through a lot of inner turmoil around the time XYZ was airing. But seeing Sawyer bounce back like this inspired me to keep going, and make it through the rest of that year with Sawyer as my main source of comfort.
Needless to say, I see a lot of myself in Sawyer, and so does Pika. Not only is he relatable, but his story is also a great reminder that no matter how bad things feel in the moment, we can always make it out the other side. This is an important message for a lot of people, especially within the autistic community.
Even after all these years, I still find lots of comfort in Sawyer, and I know that'll last for many more years to come 💚
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i thought i should do one of these since I hadn't done them in a while and I tell you when I saw that last column of this table I ran with it LMAOOOO 😭
I love me a Pikachu episode, so you already know that this is one of my favourites in the series.
In fact, this and the next two eps are genuinely ones that I love.
But first - Pikachus.
Starting off in our usual place of Cerise Labs this episode with a nice shot of Goh's Pokedex. It's certainly looking a lot fuller than some of mine...
Ash has also definitely perked up a bit since his battle with Bea and is back to his regular self. He asks Goh : "You're gonna catch more, aren't you?" as he notes how "hopping" (interesting adjective there) the park is.
Ash, did you really just ask that question to Goh of all people?
Of course he's gonna catch more.
As expected, Goh replies "Of course" so guess what this episode will be about.
In response to Ash's question on who Goh is planning on catching next, Goh says: "any Pokemon I meet"
Raboot is like: "yep, here we go."
Ash is like: "I shoulda known."
Putting aside the thoughts of catching Pokemon for a second, they're inside eating snacks. Goh remarks on Ash and Pikachu's relationship, stating that they're good friends as they share snacks with one another.
That's cute and all, but can we please look here at Raboot and Sobble. They are adorable and I love them.
What, pray tell, are Ash and Pikachu doing? Why are they trying to pull the snacks they are eating out of each other's mouths? There's more in the basket!
Goh is looking on at this, quite frankly, odd display and this is the moment he suddenly announces that he is going to catch a Pikachu as his next Pokemon.
Was that moment really the catalyst for this decision?
Goh's annoucement is so sudden that it shocks Raboot and Sobble and nearly causes Ash and Pikachu to choke to death on their snacks.
"That was awful quick!"
Was it? Was it really? Truth be told, I would have caught a Pikachu ages ago if it were me.
I'll be honest, I've never really understood Ash's reaction here. He seems shocked by this, like he's surprised this idea crossed Goh's mind. It is very clear that, even in the anime, Pikachu is a popular Pokemon and it isn't exactly the rarest Pokemon in Kanto. Sure, you don't find them on every street corner, but they're common enough that plenty of trainers will have one.
Believe it or not, Ash, you're not the only person to own a Pikachu.
"If I wanna catch one of every Pokemon then I've gotta catch a Pikachu too, am I right?"
"Yeah...I guess so, but..."
But what, Ash? Seriously, why is he so unsure about this?
"Looking for Pikachu, are you?"
Excuse me, Cerise, how long were you there waiting to come in? Feels like he was just waiting for the perfect moment to interject as Goh and Ash tried to figure out where the Pikachu were hiding.
"I recently received information about a sighting of an outbreak of Pikachu."
Very convenient.
Can I go, please???
This is literally my reaction when the words "outbreak" and "Pikachu" are said in the same sentence.
"An outbreak of Pikachu? I'm there!"
Me too, Goh. Me too.
So we then get the opening credits and the title Gotta Catch a What?! is read out as normal. However, why is it Goh who is the one to say 'a What?!' when it has been Ash that has been the one to come across that way prior to title sequence. It always strikes me as odd and I always think it should be the other way around with Goh sounding enthusiastic at the start of the title and Ash sounding shocked at the end.
Anyway...back to the actual episode:
PIKACHU HAVE BEEN SPOTTED!!!
But they aren't so easy to catch and Goh is learning that simply throwing a Pokeball isn't going to land in an easy catch today...
However, I do think it's hilarious that these two menaces just laugh at Goh as he gets hit in the face with one of his own Pokeballs.
"Aww, they ran away." Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Ash. Do you want to make sure your friend on the floor is okay, though?
Thankfully, someone takes notice as this little Pikachu comes over to check whether Goh is okay. She even offers him a berry!
(Ash, Pikachu, Raboot and Sobble, you're all bad friends
(i didn't mean it sobble ok?))
Because this Pikachu is the nicest Pikachu in the whole goddamn world, she also offers berries to everyone else too. Look how happy Sobble and Raboot are!
The new Pikachu goes over to Ash's Pikachu before proceeding to wipe some berry off of Ash's Pikachu's face. Look at his little blush! I think he might be developing a crush...
Too engrossed in watching the cuteness that is these two Pikachu, Goh kinda forgets why they're there in the first place, so Ash gently reminds him that he can catch it if he's quick about it. Ash's Pikachu also looks a little shocked, as if he, too, forgot why they were here (he was just enjoying the company). The other Pikachu looks very happy to be caught.
Also, I love Ash's face here: his little smile as he watches Goh catch Pikachu.
"Pikachu has been registered to your Pokedex" the best sentence ever to exist.
Goh goes in for a hug with his new friend, and in traditional Pikachu style -- she thunderbolts him. It's a rite of passage.
"That's pretty much how Pikachu say hello. You'll get used to it pretty fast." Ah, spoken like a true expert on the matter.
(I'm sure Pikachu don't actually thunderbolt their trainers like this all the time, I'm pretty sure it's mostly just Ash's Pikachu because he gets a kick out of it sometimes. That, or Ash usually does something that warrants it. Probably mostly the latter, tbh. I think Goh's Pikachu might just have been a little over-excited here).
At least Goh's Pikachu is apologetic. Ash's Pikachu is very much normally not.
Anyway, Goh's Pikachu wants them to follow, so they follower her to a rocky area and...
OH MY GOD, I'VE DIED AND GONE TO PIKACHU HEAVEN.
Now this - this - is my idea of Paradise.
Look at them all!
"We heard that there was a Pikachu outbreak, so we were here in a flash". James, you took the words right out of my mouth!
Oh yeah, Team Rocket are here too. But don't worry about them for now - LOOK AT ALL THE PIKACHU!!!
We find out that all the Pikachu have gathered here so that they can look for Thunderstones (do you think this is, like, a wild Pikachu ritual or something?). A few of them start finding stones and evolving into Raichu. Goh's Pikachu is one of the ones to find a Thunderstone and she shows it to Ash's Pikachu. He reacts exactly how you would expect:
which is to say that he puts as much distance between himself and that glowing green rock as possible like it's some form of Kryptonite.
And, I get it, Pikachu doesn't want to evolve but you can see here that he really does not want to evolve. Obviously, this is something that has come up several times over the years, going way back to his initial battle with Lt. Surge when the idea of Pikachu evolving was first mentioned. There's been a few close calls and refusals since, but I think this is the one that you can see just how much Pikachu dislikes the idea of evolving. This isn't: "nah, I don't want that, thanks" it's: "get that glowing green rock the hell away from me right now". Even Ash seems a little surprised at how strongly Pikachu is reacting here.
Meanwhile, Goh's Pikachu doesn't quite understand which possibly suggests that all Ash's Pikachu said was "get that thing away from me" with no form of explanation. So, because of that, a small chase breaks out with both Pikachu running around Ash with Ash's Pikachu becoming increasingly more panicked as this goes on.
Both of them go behind a rock and the evolution light shines before a male Raichu pops out.
Yeah...they really wanted us to believe that it happened, didn't they?
"You didn't - did you?" He is genuinely worried that Pikachu might have just evolved.
Could you imagine if he had? What an anticlimax that would have been...
Of course, there was no way that they were ever going to have Ash's Pikachu evolve, so a moment later, he reappears still being chased by Goh's Pikachu with the Thunderstone.
"Well, it's not yours."
*sigh of relief* "Looks that way"
Now, correct me if I'm wrong (I have seen all the anime, but it's been a while for the earlier seasons), but I think this is the first time we really get a glimpse of how Ash feels about this. Now, it might be just because Ash was worried that Pikachu would land up evolving against his will (he's always been very much of the mindset that Pokemon should be able to evolve when they want to) but, at the same time, I think some of the relief comes from the fact that Ash may not want Pikachu to evolve at all. Over the years, we have seen him offer the evolution to Pikachu and he's always been clear that it's Pikachu's decision. However, I would argue that there's a part of Ash that doesn't want to see Pikachu evolve. Of course, if that day ever came and Pikachu did decide that that was what he wanted, then without a doubt, Ash would support that decision and go out of his way to find a Thunderstone, but I also think he would miss Pikachu being Pikachu.
This is a scene that's played comically, but I do think it offers some good insight into how they both feel about this topic.
The good thing is, they're very much on the same page.
"But if Pikachu uses it, it'll get stronger, won't it? I thought Pikachu wants to evolve."
It's a fair point but I love how downright offended Pikachu looks as if Goh was magically supposed to know this information before this point. Now, an argument could be made for Goh assuming that evolution was just something that Pikachu wanted without knowing everything but, the reality is, this world does put a lot on things like the power of evolution and that evolution=strength. In some ways, Ash's Pikachu (and others like him: such as Ash's Bulbasaur or Dawn's Piplup (and arguably even Chloe's Eevee)) are anomalies in this regard. They want to get stronger as they are.
"No way. My Pikachu has always wanted to get stronger as a Pikachu." (To Goh's Pikachu) "I'm sorry, since Pikachu feels that way, we don't need it. Thanks"
In hearing this, Goh's Pikachu does a U-turn and decides to give Goh the Thunderstone to look after. She's clearly taken onboard what Ash has said about his Pikachu and is starting to realise that there are different ways of getting stronger.
"I think it's the best thing for everyone to evolve when they want to." HARD AGREE. I actually love this line so much. It encapsulates Ash's entire philosophy on the subject and suggests that everyone learns and grows differently. Pokemon are not all the same and they get stronger in so many different ways and at different paces.
The same, of course, can be said for humans.
Team Rocket finally make themselves known to the Twerps. I genuinely love how Goh's Pikachu is just completely oblivious to what's going on and the fact that, clearly, her new trainer and friends are not exactly fond of these people...
I mean she climbs a cliff just to give them berries during the stand off.
She is very sweet though
This never fails to make me laugh. What do you mean Goh just runs up this cliff with no issues? How did he do that?
"They're the bad guys..."
"Pika?"
She has no concept of what a 'bad guy' is.
So, Team Rocket then bring out a Pikachu car (gimme) and start sucking up all the Pikachu.
The Twerps then follow to where they have gone with all the Pikachu they have now stolen and, as is the norm, get into a battle with Jessie and James who bring out Buneary and Mincchino, respectively.
WHO'S THAT POKEMON?
IT'S PIKACHU!!!!!
Okay, but honest talk here - what is that picture? Is that the best they had? Sure, I get that they wanted to use a female Pikachu here but are you seriously telling me that well over a decade into gender differences amongst Pokemon this is the best picture of a female Pikachu they had?
(it's like raboot's anime pokedex picture all over again...)
Back to the battle and Mincchino goes for Raboot, who dodges and Sobble gets hit instead
NO, SOBBLE. NO!!
Goh, why would you tell Raboot to dodge when he was right in front of Sobble!
Poor Sobble.
More and more Pikachu are being sucked up at this point and Ash's Pikachu decides to play hero, saving another Pikachu from being caught. In doing so, he obviously gets sucked up instead.
Now that Team Rocket have the chosen one, they disappear into the smoke.
"Where'd they go?"
Not gonna lie, I've no idea. They quite literally vanished. Yes, there is a trail of smoke leading into the sky but, man, that was a quick getaway. Honestly, we all know it, but their talents are genuinely wasted as part of Team Rocket. Think of all the success they could have - in literally any other field - if they hadn't made it their life's mission to capture this 10-year-old's rodent friend.
We see Team Rocket land somewhere else. They're happy with their haul of Pikachu (understandable, even if I don't agree with the method of capture) and the fact that the Twerp's Pikachu is amongst them.
"So, which one is the Twerp's Pikachu?"
Are you seriously telling me that that you've been following this Pikachu around for two-and-a-half decades and you can't recognise it? I'm disappointed, Team Rocket, I really am.
So now Goh is struggling to get up this cliff. What kind of weird energy burst did we see earlier on?
Ash? Raboot? Wanna help him out, maybe?
Eventually, they find Team Rocket and continue their battle from before. Sobble even gets in on this too!
Just to clarify, when I say they continue the battle, what I really mean by that is Goh continues the battle. Ash decides to wind up Mincchino instead apparently by running around as if they're playing some strange game of tag.
Ffs, Ash, you are not a Pokemon. Where are your other Pokemon, anyway? What is it with this series and Ash leaving his Pokemon behind. He literally has five Pokemon at this point and yet - apparently - only brought Pikachu.
(unless they are in fact with him and Ash just decided it was his turn to play pokemon. wouldn't put it past him)
"Don't sweat the small stuff and fight!" The small stuff? You mean the part where you are asking a Pokemon to, essentially, beat up a (defenceless, mind) human child?
Okay.
As the only Pikachu left who hasn't been sucked up into the Pikachu box, Goh's Pikachu has one final tool up her sleeve after her attempts at freeing her friends weren't met with success. Knowing that this is her only option, she calls for Goh to throw her the Thunderstone which she uses to evolve. At the moment, she isn't strong enough to save everyone and this is a way she knows will make her stronger.
I guess, essentially, it's a kind of sacrifice; especially since earlier she seemed on board with the idea of getting stronger as a Pikachu first.
The newly evolved Raichu gathers the rest of the Raichu and order a big Thunderbolt, breaking the box and setting all the Pikachu free.
Now there are Pikachu flying everywhere and it is a beautiful sight to see!
Now free, Ash's Pikachu takes the lead and organises the rest of the Pikachu into a coordinated march of pika-chu, pika-chu, pika-chu towards Team Rocket, which, in all honesty, probably wouldn't be out of place in a horror movie. The repetitive nature and the synchronisation of it all is, I have to say, a tad unnerving.
Once they come to a stop, they all jump on each other's heads (with perfect balance!)
"Now's our chance to really use Thunderbolt!"
It was a big Thunderbolt.
So, to conclude, with Team Rocket thoroughly Thunderbolted, it's back home to Cerise Lab where Raichu is definitely settling in well.
I love how she just gives berries out to everyone. She just wants to make everyone happy.
And that makes me happy, too.
Episode Round Up:
You may have been able to tell but I love this episode. Any episode where there are this many Pikachu is a top-tier episode in my book.
There is a part of me that wishes Goh had caught a Pichu and evolved it all the way up, but I understand that they probably wanted to avoid both of he and Ash having Pikachu's (which is probably why they still have Goh's Pikachu evolve into a Raichu in this episode). Still, he should have caught a Pichu at some point so he could register the entire evolution line.
I don't really have much else to say about it, to be honest. There are lots of Pikachus; therefore, I love it.
Still thinking about how 40 minutes ago I said to @sinnohanvulpix "I'm having a new baby", refering to my freshly bought Espeon plushie for my plushies collection, and she replied with figuratively or literally…?, thinking that I'm having a real baby instead 😂
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In case anyone's wondering, I am continuing to post chapters every day for my new fanfic, Sawyer's Adventure: The Galar Glory. The reason I haven't been sharing them here over the past couple days is because Tumblr hasn't been letting me share the links properly. If you guys would like to stay updated on the chapters going forward, I'd suggest following me on AO3 so you can get notified when they come out.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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