#nesta archeron is autistic coded

[fenrysmoonbeamswife]

Masterpost #2

Topic: Nesta Archeron is autistic coded

Black and white thinking

This is a case of seeing things in a very right or wrong, no inbetween way, and struggling with abstracts and grey areas and this is how I would describe Nesta's way of viewing almost everything.

Eg. The way she acts towards Elain and Feyre in ACOTAR, it's practical and very clear to her.

"But I knew that Nesta would buy Elain time to run. Not my father, whom she resented with her entire steely heart. Not me, because Nesta had always known and hated that she and I were two sides of the same coin and that I could fight my own battles. But Elain, the flower grower, the gentle heart, Nesta would go down swinging for her."

Nesta knows that Feyre doesn't need her and that she's capable of fighting her own battles. She sees this in a very black and white way and doesn't waste time pretending because it's very simple to her. In this instance, Elain needs her and Feyre doesn't. Therefore, she directs all of her attention on Elain.

Nesta always dedicates herself fully to one issue and the thing that has to be done, the practical thing. She doesn't half ass it, she doesn't split her attention between two things when one is absolutely necessary and the other isn't.

Now, this doesn't mean that she sees Feyres protection as unnecessary or doesn't care about Feyre. You can even see that Feyre herself doesn't see it that way, Nesta just knows how capable Feyre is and how Elain is the one who needs protection in this case. While Nesta is quite an emotional person, when it comes to things like this she sets that aside and it's all from a completely practical sense. You could even argue that her emotions actually fuel her practicality to an even greater extent. I would also say that Feyre actually sees it this way as well.

Not understanding/caring about social niceties

This ties in with the previous point. The socially acceptable response to Feyre looking after herself is to pander to her (we even see this in the fandom villainize Nesta for not doing this) and offer help even when it would be rejected or hinder what Feyre is doing. Which it would be, I mean, Feyre doesn't need Nesta's help and I believe she would tell her that. People seem to view this situation as one sided but I think it's very clear that both Nesta and Feyre have the same views on their living situation.

We should remember that when Feyre started hunting Nesta did try to help. She asked Feyre to show her how to hunt (because that was the practical choice) and then when it turned out that she was no good at hunting but that Feyre was very good, the next practical move was for Feyre to continue doing the work that she was good at and for Nesta to do the work in the house which she was good at and was also necessary for their living. Nesta understands this and she doesn't feel the need to waste time when she knows the answer and she knows what's required of her. The offer to continue helping to hunt might be the more polite/socially expected thing to do or an expected way to show that she cares but societal expectations are what dictate that this is how you show you care and to Nesta it's impractical and not what they need so it's an empty and pointless gesture. Logic shows her that Feyre can take care of herself so Nesta focuses on where she's actually needed and where she can actually help. In this case that's protecting Elain and doing the more domestic work.

However, when Feyre does need her and Elain doesn't, Nesta does everything in her power to help Feyre while leaving Elain.

Eg. When Tamlin takes Feyre, Nesta leaves Elain and goes to save her. This is not exclusive to Elain, this is just an example, it's just how Nesta is. It's the same when she protects Cassian in ACOWAR, when she shares her story with the high lords, when she becomes the human emissary. Nesta doesn't waste time protecting those who can protect themselves, she puts all her focus on protecting those who can't.

Black and white thinking .2

Nesta's black and white thinking also applies to how she views the world and the people around her.

Eg. The way she views her father. Her resentment and hatred for him are completely full on, he did bad so he is a bad person. She wants nothing to do with him and it's as simple as that. He allowed her to be abused, he let their mother die, he let them starve, he doesn't try and he neglects them so she hates him completely and utterly.

And don't get me wrong, these feelings are completely valid. I'm not saying this is wrong of her, it's just how she is and I'm totally on her side.

Easily manipulated

This is also why it's so easy for a narcissist like Papa Archeron to manipulate her in ACOWAR, which is a really common autistic experience. It's very common for autistic people to be manipulated and to be around abusive people.

When things are in simple good and bad, black and white terms, they're easy for Nesta to work out. Her father is bad, he doesn't do anything to contradict that and there are no good and bad actions there's just bad. Then we see she struggles with the grey area when things seem to change. Her father brings ships to help them and then dies defending her, supposedly, and this makes it more complicated, it's not as clear cut. Now he's good and bad and there's "evidence" for both and she can't handle it. She feels confused and upset and she can't place her own feelings, which is actually also an autistic trait, because things can't be put in a black and white box anymore. There is a lifetime of bad but this last act is good which challenges the absolute way she views things. Suddenly he isn't an absolute and she can't process it, that on top of this final act being extremely manipulative results in all of that shame that we see her experience. This manipulation mixed with her black and white thinking causes the blame to turn into self hate rather than be placed where it rightly belongs.

Black and white .3

Nesta deals in these black and white extremes for almost everything. It's yes or no, the word maybe doesn't really exist to her.

"What happened to Tomas Mandray?" I asked, the words strangled. "I realized he wouldn't have gone with me to save you from Prythian." And for her, with that raging, unrelenting heart, it would have been a line in the sand.

Before, Nesta said that she loved Tomas. It's debatable whether that was actually true but she was going to marry him and move out and then she completely changes her mind because of how she views this action. She has a set view on right and wrong and immediately draws that line in the sand with Tomas when he chooses the "bad" or "wrong" action. It completely changes how she sees and feels about him because she functions based on absolutes, no grey areas. This is how she views the world and the people in it. She sees going to save Feyre as the only option, it's the right thing to do so it's the only thing to do and when he doesn't do that or align with that he's completely changed to her.

Even with Rhysand we see that she doesn't like him as a person, he's arrogant and an asshole and she does not like him, end of story. But, that practical side of her acknowledges that he is a good ruler (debatable👀) and has done a lot for his people. She can acknowledge both the good and the bad here because it's still black and white. Rhysand as a person is bad, Rhysand as a ruler is good.

TBC

[highfaelucien]

Can u imagine if sjm hadnt been a coward and had written Nesta as explicitly autistic and not just autistic coded? God. The power. The revolution. The ICON.