Autistic Garnet

by InterNutter

manicpixiedreamcecil:

I personally believe that Gem neurology is as a rule similar to autistic neurology. But only Pearl is usually singled out as being autistic (and sometimes Peridot), which I find problematic because 

1. they’re pretty damn pale as far as Gems go, and autism is HIGHLY underdiagnosed in people of color (though Pearl is coded as Asian, a lot of fans read her as white, which is also bad but another story for another time) 

2. they’re the “prissiest” of the gems, I guess. the awkward ones who don’t adapt well to human things. which is just kind of gross because it reinforces the narrative that there’s only one kind of autistic when in reality, it’s a spectrum. 

but this is not about them. this is about Garnet.

facts about Garnet: 

  • Likes things on her head/shoulders

    • I’ve had a headcanon for AGES about her pressure stimming with Steven on her head, especially since we’ve seen that she makes a choice for him to be there. 
    • Liked wearing the birthday crown/cape, not taking it off even when others commented on it
  • Likes other kinds of stimming! 
    • Meat Beat Mania is lots of flashy lights and rhythmic movements–totally stimmy! And she got addicted to it really easily. 
  • Not good at small talk. Like, at all. 
    • “They are bleeding. Oh no, they are dead.” 
    • In general, doesn’t talk much unless she has something to say. 
    • Tends towards terse, functional answers without a lot of flowery exposition. 
  • Light-sensitive!
    • Wears her sunglasses even around the house, even after Steven’s dealt with the whole third-eye thing. 
  • Bad at expressing emotions
    • Fairly monotone as a rule; definitely has the least tonal variation of the four. 
    • Especially early on, changes facial expressions so little that the other Gems are shocked when she grins. 
    • Gets better at expressing specifically happiness over time. 
      • Probably mirroring Steven, as that’s his default emotion!
    • Definitely has a lot more emotions than she lets on, as both Sardonyx and Sugilite are highly emotional. 

Now please enjoy Garnet stimming. And send me your Garnet headcanons! 

I’ve been reading all the gems as somewhere on the ASD spectrum [apologies for the nypical labeling, but common terms etc.]

Pearl is most definitely the “high-functioning”/Aspergers’ gem, approaching social situations through a lens of anthropology. She has the casebook comorbid OCD and ADD which can take over her functioning capabilities.

Garnet is the nonverbal/minimally verbal ASD person, with Sapphire being the one who shuts completely down in times of stress. Ruby is the one who has meltdowns and gets stuck in an emotion until something comes along to shake her out of it.

Amethyst is the kind of ASD kid who lashes out because she doesn’t communicate what’s going on inside her head. She expects people to understand her because she understands her and then becomes angry when they don’t. She also has comorbid OCD as evidenced by her hoarding. She’s picked up or learned the bad habit of masking her emotions with aggressive behaviour.

I dunno about Steven. He wears his heart on his sleeve a lot. Maybe that’s a sign, too.