#autistic abed

[crushedcoffeecups]

tumblr where are the fanfics where the study group responds to the fact that Hickey literally handcuffed Abed to a filing cabinet? actually physically restrained him. just coz he was mad. as well as Jeff slapping Abed when he was spiraling? and literally saying "you try and get him to be normal without abusing him". just coz he was mad. and Jeff choking Abed out. just coz he was mad. why is Abed receiving this level of abuse. hasn't the man been through enough. i need fix-it fics. tumblr please

[randomshit657]

The other day I saw a post that was like the 101 Rap is literally just Troy and Abed stimming together and I literally can’t stop thinking about it.

Like I feel like Abed would use Echolia a lot and I don’t know I feel like the two of them could spend over an hour just parroting words back to eachother with different inflections.

Like I doubt they even notice it sometimes like during study group one of them will find a word that feels nice in their mouth and one of them would say it out loud and they’d spend the rest of the time repeating that word.

I also feel like when Annie is really focused she’d unintentionally get in on it.

I’m just imaging the scene of the two of them parroting words with Annie subtly murmuring the words underneath her breath, and the rest of the study group trying not to lose.

I also feel like depending on the day Jeff would egg them on. Like he’s keep track of the words they like to repeat and say it at random times throughout the day because he know they’ll have to repeat it.

Anyway-

[conanssummerchild]

idk how to do these kind of textposts im still learning ☹️, the green text bubbles r abed the white ones r troy

[ieatadoptmepets]

the fact that abed is canonically the only sane person in the group speaks so much. fuck yeah, the only sane guy in a group of neurotypicals is the autistic

[simpforsix]

watching community for the first time and every time abed is on screen i am filled with so much joy. 

as an autistic person i so rarely see myself represented on screen. i knew about the background of abed’s character before, how he was written by dan harmon who found out he was autistic because of writing his character. but i didn’t expect to feel so seen. 

usually i have to seek out autistic rep, like when i watched heartbreak high after seeing clips and analysis of their autistic character quinni (who was also amazing rep and made me feel seen). i have to seek it out so i know what to avoid, like the good doctor or pretty much any autistic character popular amongst allistics who think autism speaks is a good organization. so many characters i’ve seen lauded as good autistic rep have been hurtful, stereotypical, or just don’t represent my experiences, even if they are good representation. in a sitcom, especially from the era of community, i don’t expect to see good representation. i expect to see characters like sheldon cooper, who are autistic-coded in a way meant to mock autistic people and reinforce stereotypes, and who feel foreign to me.

but abed? holy shit, i was not expecting to almost cry about him when i first saw him. he is so clearly and unapologetically autistic in a way i wish i could be. he’s blunt, he doesn’t always get jokes, he’s awkward, and he’s so much like me. the way he observes others and picks up their mannerisms in ways allistics can’t comprehend is so relatable. the way he runs through different scenarios to learn how to act and react is exactly what i do before pretty much any social interaction. and the way he relates everything back to his special interests? i’ve never seen that side of autism represented on screen. i do that so much, and for so long i thought i was just rude or weird, when in fact i was just autistic and that’s how i relate to and understand the world. abed sees the world through his autism. it impacts every aspect of his character.

(also his special interest in inspector spacetime is literally me with my special interest in doctor who)

he’s also not the typical savant we see in media! i’m so tired of those depictions, since they make me feel like a failure. i failed most of my classes because of i’m autistic. i can’t handle all the homework or exams, and i can’t analyse things in a neurotypical way which often means allistics give me lower marks. but even though i’m not academically gifted, i’m still smart, and some of that is because i’m autistic. i’m really good at logical analysis, at music, and i know so much about my special interests. and it’s the same thing with abed! he’s not some academic genius who was a child prodigy and aces every class. but, like me and the other autistic people i know, he’s smart in other ways. he’s good at analysing people, at filmmaking, and is also super knowledgeable about his special interests. his value goes beyond his intelligence, unlike so many savant caricatures who are only used as human supercomputers. 

i also love the way he interacts with the other characters. they’re all weird in their own way, and abed doesn’t stick out. sure, he’s awkward and sometimes says the wrong thing, but he’s not devalued for that. i don’t like how he’s sometimes mocked for autistic traits, but luckily it’s few and far between and not triggering like other media has been for me. the other characters also stand up for him, like jeff getting into a fight during the christmas ep in season one, instead of laughing along. he’s also not treated like some poor child in need of saving by the allistics. autistic people are so frequently infantilized, and most media only encourages that. they also directly challenge that notion in the show, with the other characters worrying about abed’s sex life only for it to be revealed that abed fucks. 

his friendship (or romance) with troy is especially great. as an autistic person, i’m so tired of being expected to change so that people like me. because people do like me, autistic traits and all. a real friend, like troy, will listen to your infodumps. they’ll engage with your interests, and they’ll support you even when you have less socially acceptable traits, like a fear of change. they get to be super nerdy and weird and they don’t judge each other, because they’re being nerdy and weird together. like abed, i found it really hard to make friends, and i still only have a small group of friends, but i prefer it that way. the group wouldn’t be the same in his absence, because he brings value as a character. 

i appreciate abed’s awkwardness, the way he doesn’t dampen his autistic traits for the comfort of others. he doesn’t have some “character growth” arc where he learns to be more allistic. his autism isn’t a character flaw, it’s just another aspect of who he is. 

i also think it’s important to note that abed being arabic and muslim breaks stereotypes about autistic people. it is only recently that our wider society has begun discussing the lack of diversity in autism representation and it’s impacts. most autistic characters are cishet white men. this is based in the notion that the majority of autistic people are cishet white men, which comes from the history of only testing on cishet white boys and creating the diagnostic tools based on them. autism can present differently outside of that group, and it also creates bias in diagnosis. even though abed is still a cis man, being a poc breaks down the stereotype of white men being the only ones with autism. he also offers representation to a wider group of people, even now. while i’ve seen a bit more rep for autistic white women, the rep for autistic poc (especially woc) remains fairly nonexistent. 

on the topic of canon, i personally think abed is canonically autistic. it’s referenced a couple of times in the show, though it isn’t directly confirmed or denied. but considering dan harmon’s story, i think it’s clear that the autistic-coding is intentional. a character doesn’t have to outright say the words “i am autistic” for it to be canon. he has so many autistic traits that it is undeniable, and with dan harmon writing him i think it’s safe to say that he’s canonically autistic. keep in mind that this is my personal opinion and that other autistic people may have other opinions, all of which are valid. the debate of canon is complicated and everyone has different definitions. 

i wish there were more characters like abed. characters who are impacted by being autistic yet exist beyond that. characters who speak to an autistic audience, who are written by autistic people. autistic characters who are diverse, who are likeable, who are smart, who are capable.

seeing abed made me so emotional. i want more autistic characters who make me feel seen. i want more autistic characters who make me feel human.

[milesasinmorales]

Abed is the best autistic representation ever

[greendeanwinchester]

here's a quick doodle that's very bad. Enjoy!

I was trying to draw this one and it didn't work that well...

[meatyliver]

hyperfixations went from starwars (anakin skywalker) to dc (batfam) to starwars (grogu/mando) again to mental disorders (and the possible ones i may have I DO NOT CONDONE SELF DIAGNOSIS) to gravity falls (trans dipper) to me maybe being a different gender (trans meaty liver) to community (ABED) like one gay hamster wheel of interests

[ruecrownblorbos]

my favourite official abed tweets

[idrewagiraffe]

i made this with my own blood sweat and tears

[sneezingisnotnormal]

My favourite thing about Abed Nadir is the fact that he is a HORRIBLE filmmaker.

Like I feel like when you think about autistic people, you think of people who are insanely good at their special interests and they’re bad at everything else. That’s the stereotype, and as an autistic person, I just kind of assumed that everyone else was just insanely good at their special interests.

But a special interest is just something you’re obsessed with. That doesn’t mean you’re good at it.

Abed cares about film as a medium so much that it is the way he processes and interprets reality. His opinions on movies and tv shows are thought out and long. He knows everything about everything when it comes to film.

And yet he’s absolute shit at actually doing it. With the exception of the documentary episodes, every piece of film we see from Abed is mediocre at best. He knows everything that goes into a good movie, but he can’t quite put the pieces together right.

And that’s why he’s the most relatable autistic character I’ve ever seen. He’s not some prodigy that can pull a movie out of his head in 5 seconds like it’s nothing. He’s just a guy who’s trying to get better at something. Give me more autistic characters that are completely mediocre at their special interests. Let me be autistic and also just a bit of a dumbass please

[crushedcoffeecups]

i just really appreciated that in community they displayed that Abed is aware of the assumptions people make about him due to his autism, and how he can use that to his advantage. speaking like a broken record to get out of answering Chang, and especially lying to Hickey to try and get out of the handcuffs show that Abed is aware that there are certain expectations on him, and he shows no moral issue with deceiving people within those expectations for his benefit. it just feels really realistic and relatable. i think often that autistic characters with strict rule following tendencies are overrepresented, as well as autistic characters with seemingly no moral compass. i like that Abed is represented to have a moral compass, albeit slightly different from the norm, and follows his own set of rules. i don't know how to explain it but they just made the neurodivergent experience of creating your own rules and moral code on how you logically think things should feel accurate when they wrote Abed. i just think there is something about the way that Abed uses other peoples assumptions about him to his advantage in a still moral way that neurotypical people have a hard time understanding.

[randomshit657]

Community HeadCannons because I can

Abed

- This is canon but is Autistic

- When overwhelmed or having trouble speaking he’ll use the word “cool” for every answer. Like to mean yes, no, okay, etc. (once again borderline canon.)

- Has dyscalculia

- Had ARFID

- Bisexual and Agender

- Hate watches Supernatural and Greys Anatomy

- Hyper-empathic when it comes to inanimate objects

- Let’s Annie paint his nails

Jeff

- Has narcissistic personality disorder specifically covert narcissism

- Bisexaul

- Has ADHD

- Practices “Winger Speech’s” in the bathroom mirror

- Knows sign language

- Would most definitely listen to Dad Rock

- Views both Abed and Annie as younger siblings (just pretend all the Jeff/Annie stuff never happened. It always seemed weird to me)

- Makes sure he watches every movie Abed references (although he’ll deny that until the day he dies)

- Goes to Pride with Abed, Annie, and Troy (although they have to practically drag him the first time, but now he goes all in)

Troy

- Has ADHD literally no doubt in my mind

- Transmasc

- Gay and on the Asexual Spectrum

- Still believes in The Easter Bunny, The Tooth fairy, etc

- Loves stuffed animals but only has one very raggedy one from his childhood

- Religious Trauma

- Would try to do research on Autism, and Islam to try and understand Abed better but would keep getting distracted and get so frustrated he started crying. Annie would end up reading the stuff to him and helping him understand it.

- Loves the color purple

- Has always wanted a dog and is constantly bringing home strays

- Not really about him but when Troy gets Top Surgery Abed would drive him home and take care of him while he healed

- Listens to cheesy pop music

Annie

- I was going to say Audhd but what if she was misdiagnosed with ADHD as a kid but actually had Autism so that’s where the whole adderal addiction came from.

- Lesbian but with a lot of internalized homophobia

- Has always wanted a pet snake

- Has taken multiple self defense classes

- Is really into true crime

- Celebrates every year of sobriety one way or another (as she gets more comfortable with the group she invites them and they celebrate together)

- Loves heavy metal music and classical music

- Is surprisingly good at art

- Is the one who introduced Abed to Greys Anatomy

- Writes fanfic

Britta

- Transfem

- Exclusively listens to indie music

- Is secretly a Broadway nerd

- I honestly don’t have that much for her

Shirley

- Starts of as homophobic but as she gets to know everyone she starts to question whether her religion is entirely right about that point.

- She becomes a huge ally. Would wear a free mom hugs shirt to pride.

- Is the mom of the study group

- Her purse is pretty much magically whatever you need she has it in there (that includes stim toys, and noise canceling head phones for Abed and the other neurodivergents)

That’s it :))

[conanssummerchild]

i know abed wasnt at his best in bondage and beta male sexuality but when he says hickeys comic looked like a chicken and hickey shouts that its a duck and abed goes "uh oh." i love that my son <33

[driaswrld]

higuruma who likes wine. i'm thinking he likes it almost as dry as his coffee but he's very appreciative of the fruity undertones — like you can tell the mood he's in based on the wine he's bought.

he wins a case and he already has a bottle of pinot noir open and waiting for when you finally get home, tie loose and manspreading on the couch, hair tousled and a small dopey smile (yes he started without you but don't worry, he's sure you can keep up)

or maybe he's lost a case and you're pouring him a third glass of california cabernet in the warm bathtub, soap bubbles on his frown lines, arms wrapped tight around you while you straddle him, his teeth grazing your shoulder (he's literally just a brooding baby, hold him pls)

either way, he fucks you idk why i was talking ab the wine. idk anything ab wine. basis is he fucks you while wine drunk really.

[murdockiplier]

"allistic actors shouldn't play autistic characters" this, "cishet actors shouldn't play queer characters" that. do you want danny pudi to be out of a job ??? do you ??? is that what you want ???