“all of them r autism honestly” How neurodivergence in the show What We Do in the Shadows is discussed in compilation videos and by fans in the comment section.

Abstract

In this thesis I discuss six compilation videos that share the creator’s interpretation of the characters from the show What We Do in the Shadows as neurodivergent. I examine what neurodivergent traits the creators of the videos represent in their videos, as well as how the commenters discuss the content of the videos. I conclude that the creators of the videos represent neurodivergence more diversely than popular media and that this is appreciated by the majority of the fan community that formed around the videos. The appreciative comments illustrate the strength and comfort that comes from a community that caters to and around neurodivergent people. Furthermore, I find that the conflicts within the community between appreciative and negative commenters arise from an unclear distinction between affirmational and transformational fandom and that this example indicates a need to blur the strict binary between affirmational and transformational fandom in fan studies. I argue for a more diverse representation of neurodivergence in popular media while concurring that more is needed for a change in the societal treatment of neurodivergent people.