Hi guys!
Currently, I'm co-writing a TRPG campaign in which one of the main NPCs has Asperger's Syndrome and I'm hoping to ask someone who has been diagnosed with it (or something similar) some questions about how the character might act. Below is a short description of the character as well as some behaviors and ideas we've had.
Disclaimer: I am aware that it might seem as though he is constantly forcing himself to suffer. This is a main theme in the story alongside many other characters. One of the focuses is evaluating the loss of self in the pursuit of money and power. Overall, I wanted to look into the negative effects of capitalism on the world and the sacrifices people make to conform to it. The majority of the story will focus on his growth from this negative position he's starting in. What I've written below was intended to serve as a foundation to begin creating. It is not meant to show his true self, rather the distorted version the business structure of the continent has formed him into.
Augustus Ward is a Firbolg CEO that lives in a hyper-capitalist, industrialist fantasy world. The continent itself is undergoing its own industrial revolution (about 60 years in compared to our history). Ward is intended to have Asperger's Syndrome while also maintaining a distance and poor understanding from his own internal self. He was about 30 years old when he began his climb through the industrial business structure and, in doing so, forced himself into a constant state of discomfort in order to succeed. Most of this discomfort stems from his lack of understanding of himself.
I am very aware of the risks of depicting aspies as having no empathy. I wanted to write Augustus as not understanding himself internally and thus putting himself into high anxiety positions in order to succeed. His character arc centers on him learning to reconnect with the people around him rather than continually seeking wealth and power. It's not that he doesn't care about people, but that he's convinced himself that others should be more like him to succeed/survive in the capitalist world they live in. He has effectively kept himself in a place of discomfort by ignoring his internal dialogue and warning systems in order to follow his main fixation, his business.
My main questions stem from his behavior. I wanted to write him as being authentic to himself while also being respectful. As he is currently, he's very blunt/honest, quiet unless spoken to or unless he needs something, constantly on alert, hyper-focused on his business, and has a hard time reading others or gauging their reactions. Moreover, with the last point, he's essentially given up on trying to read others and that feeds into his brute honesty. He's focused on conserving time and promptly getting from point A to point B. A main facet of his character growth will be learning more about the main characters and other NPCs and growing his emotional intelligence so that he can be kinder to himself, his workers, and the world around him.
So far some tendencies that he has in how act and present himself are as follows:
- Little to no emotion in his voice when speaking with others.
- This variation of Firbolgs has larger, animated ears that can move. One of his stims is his ears flapping if he's in a state of discomfort or anxiety. Additionally, he stamps his feet and rubs his thumb over his stopwatch in other situations.
- He has a hard time maintaining eye contact and he'll look past the person instead of in their eyes. As he rose through the corporate structure, he trained himself to ignore his discomfort in order to present himself as a professional. -- Please read disclaimer --
- His blunt honesty has burned bridges while also given him the perception of being stern and unapproachable.
- When he gets overwhelmed, he can have a meltdown in which he lets out his aggression on those that work below him or with him.
- As the story goes on, other NPCs will help ease him into socializing and actualizing his wants and needs. This will arise in platonic and romantic relationships. For example, his future love interest will express that they'd like to be more intimate and Ward will then begin to transition into a closer relationship with them.
My main goal with this post is to get some insight and thoughts on what I've written above. I truly just want to make an authentic and respectful character. This is my first time attempting to write a character with ASD.
Thank you for your time!
Chattwick
Currently, I'm co-writing a TRPG campaign in which one of the main NPCs has Asperger's Syndrome and I'm hoping to ask someone who has been diagnosed with it (or something similar) some questions about how the character might act. Below is a short description of the character as well as some behaviors and ideas we've had.
Disclaimer: I am aware that it might seem as though he is constantly forcing himself to suffer. This is a main theme in the story alongside many other characters. One of the focuses is evaluating the loss of self in the pursuit of money and power. Overall, I wanted to look into the negative effects of capitalism on the world and the sacrifices people make to conform to it. The majority of the story will focus on his growth from this negative position he's starting in. What I've written below was intended to serve as a foundation to begin creating. It is not meant to show his true self, rather the distorted version the business structure of the continent has formed him into.
Augustus Ward is a Firbolg CEO that lives in a hyper-capitalist, industrialist fantasy world. The continent itself is undergoing its own industrial revolution (about 60 years in compared to our history). Ward is intended to have Asperger's Syndrome while also maintaining a distance and poor understanding from his own internal self. He was about 30 years old when he began his climb through the industrial business structure and, in doing so, forced himself into a constant state of discomfort in order to succeed. Most of this discomfort stems from his lack of understanding of himself.
I am very aware of the risks of depicting aspies as having no empathy. I wanted to write Augustus as not understanding himself internally and thus putting himself into high anxiety positions in order to succeed. His character arc centers on him learning to reconnect with the people around him rather than continually seeking wealth and power. It's not that he doesn't care about people, but that he's convinced himself that others should be more like him to succeed/survive in the capitalist world they live in. He has effectively kept himself in a place of discomfort by ignoring his internal dialogue and warning systems in order to follow his main fixation, his business.
My main questions stem from his behavior. I wanted to write him as being authentic to himself while also being respectful. As he is currently, he's very blunt/honest, quiet unless spoken to or unless he needs something, constantly on alert, hyper-focused on his business, and has a hard time reading others or gauging their reactions. Moreover, with the last point, he's essentially given up on trying to read others and that feeds into his brute honesty. He's focused on conserving time and promptly getting from point A to point B. A main facet of his character growth will be learning more about the main characters and other NPCs and growing his emotional intelligence so that he can be kinder to himself, his workers, and the world around him.
So far some tendencies that he has in how act and present himself are as follows:
- Little to no emotion in his voice when speaking with others.
- This variation of Firbolgs has larger, animated ears that can move. One of his stims is his ears flapping if he's in a state of discomfort or anxiety. Additionally, he stamps his feet and rubs his thumb over his stopwatch in other situations.
- He has a hard time maintaining eye contact and he'll look past the person instead of in their eyes. As he rose through the corporate structure, he trained himself to ignore his discomfort in order to present himself as a professional. -- Please read disclaimer --
- His blunt honesty has burned bridges while also given him the perception of being stern and unapproachable.
- When he gets overwhelmed, he can have a meltdown in which he lets out his aggression on those that work below him or with him.
- As the story goes on, other NPCs will help ease him into socializing and actualizing his wants and needs. This will arise in platonic and romantic relationships. For example, his future love interest will express that they'd like to be more intimate and Ward will then begin to transition into a closer relationship with them.
My main goal with this post is to get some insight and thoughts on what I've written above. I truly just want to make an authentic and respectful character. This is my first time attempting to write a character with ASD.
Thank you for your time!
Chattwick