Does Rin have Asperger Syndrome?

[ardiel]

Rin is indeed Rin.
What's more, the Rin that Rin is, is probably more Rin than the Rin that Rin isn't, and the Rin that Rin IS is just as much as the Rin that Rin is, if not more.

That sure is a lots of Rin in one sentence. Hope you know what you're doing.

Yes I know, but if you think about it, it is true, if we consider each of them to be stratified (and each 'is' to be also stratified)

e.g. the Rin [sub 1] that Rin [sub 2] is and soforth... but I can't really do subscript in order to display the significance.

Just treat it like a koan, I suppose.

[NoOne3]

Just treat it like a koan, I suppose.

Koan? I got you. What is the sound of no hands clapping?

[ardiel]

Just treat it like a koan, I suppose.

Koan? I got you. What is the sound of no hands clapping?

I suppose Rin would kn- wwwaaaait I see what you did there! LOL

[CallMeCrazy]

I completely agree with y'all. I have Asperger's Syndrome and another thing I've noticed is that I pretty much talk to whoever about just about anything. Most conversations are pretty much one-sided.
Also, I collapsed in high school in almost exactly the same way. Like, I just suddenly became aware of the overcrowding issue and just collapsed on the floor.
Anyway, just thought that I would throw that out there.

[Tualha]

At the risk of being pedantic: Rin, being a fictional character, will show whatever mix of characteristics Aura wanted her to. She certainly resembles someone with Asperger's in many ways. I found the scene where she and Hisao are talking in the art room, right after Nomiya chews her out, quite heart-rending; I know exactly how she felt in that scene, because I've been there, too. Asperger's varies a lot from one person to another, and I can't rule it out that some real person with Asperger's might be exactly like Rin. There are other conditions on the autism spectrum as well, of which she might partake. It would be interesting to ask Aura about the real-life models he based her on.

[Terrathel]

I never saw a psych in my life, I might have been diagnosed with that or a great deal of other things in my time... I always figured it was... well I hate to sound arrogant, but an advanced mind. I absorb information like a sponge, and can mush concepts together and connect the dots more rapidly than many I know. I can extrapolate meanings from body language, and text, and tell you about people without even speaking to them. I do have distinct trouble memorizing, especially if I can't convince my mind it's important, like... names, or... history..... or anything related to time, which doesn't really exist inside my head... and I never did homework, it was redundant and therefore pointless.

I would see and extrapolate things, try to talk about it, and nobody would see what I was saying, I figured they were too stupid. I would always lose people to the metaphors I used. And yes, I understood almost everything Rin said. at about 18-20 I had to install a filter on my words to 'dumb down' my speech so that people my age could understand me at all. At 21 (I'm 26 now) I forced myself to learn how to be sociable and to communicate on a friendly level, but still if I have nothing to say I say nothing. I've spent most of my time in my own mental bubble, never liked crowds, make me.... don't have a word for it, they... repel me? so I either leave or actively pretend I'm in a room that extends about 1.5 feet around me, the few times where people were crowded inside THAT room I nearly went ballistic.

Is asperger, a physical brain disorder, a chemical one or is it just another giant pile of BS that psychs use to label anyone who won't be 'normal?' Many people are afraid of people with actual personality quirks, so they label them. (actually asking, not a fan of most modern medicine)

[encrypted12345]

Is asperger, a physical brain disorder, a chemical one or is it just another giant pile of BS that psychs use to label anyone who won't be 'normal?' Many people are afraid of people with actual personality quirks, so they label them. (actually asking, not a fan of most modern medicine)

It concerns how the brain is "wired" (Too little white matter, so brain areas don't connect that well), so so it's a physical brain disorder. It's basically a milder form of autism.

.... Saying that Asperger's is merely a personality quirk is grounds for a huge flame war. Some who have it don't care, some who have it are burdened. I myself have been accused of having it (I sincerely doubt it.) and don't care, but others do. It's touchy.

[Shockproof Jamo]

My understanding is that Asperger's is a neurological disorder. In layman's terms, your brain's wiring is imperfect in places, especially where social skill and motor skills are concerned.

It would be interesting to ask Aura about the real-life models he based her on.

I doubt that he's gonna say anything about this. And maybe it's the smart thing to do. Asperger's still carries with it some very negative connotations. Lot of people still see it as nothing more than the next trendy disease that "lazy people" invoke whenever they wanna take the easy way out. "Lol, Assburger", and such shit. Who would want to be burdened with that? Or label something of theirs with that? It's a nasty label.

I think we are meant to decide this for ourselves. Personally, if not Asperger's, I feel that Rin most definitely has at least something comparable. The way her story was written, it made pretty clear that her lack of arms was the least of her problems. In that respect, it would've been really nice to learn something more about Rin's earlier history pre-Yamaku. I think that Rin is, at least, a candidate for AS.

[Tualha]

It seems to me that often, Asperger's is one of those things that's only a "disorder" because of other peoples' attitudes and the social environment - it doesn't cause problems in and of itself, the way, say, diabetes does. People with Asperger's are a small minority and most people couldn't care less about accommodating our needs, so we have to accommodate them, instead. It's kind of like being gay in the 1950s, or black in the 1930s (in the U.S.). It's only a problem because the majority makes it one.

Granted, Rin is an extreme case, she has serious communication difficulties, but even in her case we can see that a fair number of her problems stem from other peoples' expectations and impatience.

[Tyroki]

Yes, I would say Rin does.

I could identify with her so darned much... it was absolutely incredible how much so.

[Dr. Robotnik]

No. I fucking hate all of these retarded threads about every singe god damn character that's quirky/socially awkward asking if they have Aspergers. Do you think, in today's society, where nobody but trained psychologists know jack shit about autism, that a writer could make a character that maybe kinda has Aspergers? No, no they can't. If she had Aspergers, it would be completely fucking obvious, and that goes for every other fictional character as well.

/thread.

[Terrathel]

Update: I asked in the 'ask' thread. Aura said there was no person of direct inspiration for Rin's personality. so I doubt the mental condition is intentional..... Which makes it really creepy that Aura just invented a character that thinks and says stuff so close to the way I do.....

[Tualha]

Update: I asked in the 'ask' thread. Aura said there was no person of direct inspiration for Rin's personality. so I doubt the mental condition is intentional..... Which makes it really creepy that Aura just invented a character that thinks and says stuff so close to the way I do.....

Well then, I would guess that Aura started out wanting to create a character who was kind of weird and had a hard time communicating, and unconciously and unintentionally ended up basing her on people he had known who were like that, i.e., people on the ASD spectrum, whether anyone knew they were or not. Any character is going to be based on one or more real people, it's not like you can create a realistic human character in a vacuum.

[shinimochi]

She has Savant Syndrome.

[ubergeneral]

Update: I asked in the 'ask' thread. Aura said there was no person of direct inspiration for Rin's personality. so I doubt the mental condition is intentional..... Which makes it really creepy that Aura just invented a character that thinks and says stuff so close to the way I do.....

Well then, I would guess that Aura started out wanting to create a character who was kind of weird and had a hard time communicating, and unconciously and unintentionally ended up basing her on people he had known who were like that, i.e., people on the ASD spectrum, whether anyone knew they were or not. Any character is going to be based on one or more real people, it's not like you can create a realistic human character in a vacuum.

this is what I think too. I think many times characters that we end up having discussions like this one about are baised off of real people the author knew that really did have aspbergeres.

What does that mean? Could they have it? Possibly. But in the end this is a fictional character, not a real person. A person can have a diagnosis. Anything towards a fictional character is just an interpretation.

The more I think about it, the I think she does, even if it wasn't intended. When I came here way before the final release. I found some comfort but really that much, because I didn't feel like I could totally relate. KS exceeded my expectations in it's delivery of content and even more we got Rin who in some ways was like me.

In the end I feel much can be learned from this, about people and how they want others to see them.