#also i obviously am of a similar opinion re: parentheses

[gonzoclock]

hey! i really like your characterizations of peter and tom (im assuming for tom) as psychopaths, and as someone who loves to write diverse neurotypes (its just more interesting + rep is always awesome) i just gotta ask: how do you find unbiased stuff when it comes to heavily stigmatized disorders (i.e. psychophathy, antisocial personality disorder, narcissism, etc.)? or do you not research them (in which case, what do you do? i've considered consulting r/askreddit...)?

anyways sorry if this is confusing to read, i love myself some parentheses, and i love the fics of yours ive read so far! (i'll get around to all of them eventually). thanks :)

I'm so glad you like them! They're definitely two of my favorite guys to write haha. (I say like I don't love writing all of them)

Anyways, to answer your question: unbiased research is hilariously (in a sad way) hard to find. I do rely on a lot of anecdotal experiences (such as Reddit) when I have some questions regarding specific instances, or specific things people with said neurotypes would like to see represented, but… honestly, Wikipedia and the DSM5 are my main sources. Both of which obviously have their issues, and I like to double-check when I feel like a somewhat ridiculous statement is presented as fact, but they also lay out things relatively clearly and without too much fluff (or obvious bias).

My best advice, though, is to prioritize the character over whatever neurotype they have. That's not to say discount it, not at all--but in my experience, writing the character as a character first and foremost is going to be the best way to do it. Tom and Peter are both psychopaths (at least, that's how I would label them), but they're still very different characters with very different motivations. Everyone is unique, and just because some people fit under a certain umbrella doesn't make them the umbrella itself. At least, that's how I go about it.

Thank you for the ask! Hopefully that answered your question :D