AHH Thank Youuuu For Tagging Meee

And then there was nothing.

Is Thomas {Hewitt} Neurodivergent?

TW: Discussions of mental health, TCM-Canon-activities

____

I’ve headcanoned Thomas as neurodivergent, specifically with high-function/low-support needs autism {What would’ve  previously been diagnosed as Asperger’s} for quite some time now, which I brought up in a previous post. As someone who’s autistic, being diagnosed late gave me..mixed feelings. On one hand, I’m glad I was diagnosed. On the other; Feeling so isolated socially, being overwhelmed and “trapped” in my head without knowing why, and being so aggravated / anxious all the time made me feel like something was wrong with me. I literally imagined myself as a druid, elf, siren, and even an alien at times because I felt so ‘inhuman.’ I imagine Thomas felt and still feels this way, too. I mean, the most he was diagnosed with was ‘mental deterioration’, which for the time period, makes sense. Mental deterioration is often described as loss in memory, changes in mood, decline in intellectual functioning, social isolation, changes in thought, difficulty perceiving things, and so forth. Considering Thomas doesn’t speak, is very reserved, very much ‘in his own world’, and has had violent / destructive tendencies since a young age, the diagnosis makes sense. For the time period. First of all, Thomas has a very cluttered and inconsistent family life. Having a family member in the military is no easy trip; It takes a lot of mental energy to keep yourself together when they leave {coming from someone who’s father is in the military.} I spent a little under half my life without my dad, Thomas only spent a year without Charlie/Hoyt, but the impact is still there. Second of all, Thomas was and still is intensely ridiculed socially. The childhood pictures of people covering his face? He’s basically been told he needs to ‘cover it up’ his entire life. The only time we get to see his face {besides his reveal} is the pictures at Henrietta and ‘Kathy’s’ trailer. Even then, his face isn’t shown in that, you have to look it up. 

___

The ridicule most definitely caused image/confidence issues, as well as some social anxiety. I tend to get aggressive when I’m anxious {prior to my Lord and savior prozac}, which I think could be the case with Thomas. He can control himself, sure, but he still gets overstimulated. Surprisingly, he doesn’t seem to get overstimulated from loud noises and textures; But maybe those things bring him comfort. He’s very attentive with an almost heightened sense of hearing, which is surprising considering he basically breathes through his chainsaw. Especially at around 1:17:7-8 in the 2003 film. Bro whipped his head around so fast once he heard those rats. He does seem to shy away from touch, unless it's a necessity or something he initiates. This is incredibly clear at 1:09:15 during The Beginning 2006; When he comes in to amputate Monty’s legs with his new mask. When Luda Mae tries to touch him / his mask, he just..stares down and adjusts his jaw. He doesn’t lean in, he doesn’t acknowledge anyone; Just zones out almost. He’s there to get a job done, not to talk. I think this is a form of self-regulation for him: Just focus on what needs to get done, then we can go back to the basement. Speaking of the basement, I think that’s his preferred space. It’s the one place {besides his bedroom / sewing room} that feels like his. No one else comes down there, spare the victims which he brings, and Hoyt on occasion. Even then, it’s short and to the point; Hoyt’s a busy man, he doesn’t linger too long. Thomas gets to let loose and be violent. It’s like as soon as he opens that steel door, the mask drops {pun intended.} He gets to create, he gets to be violent; There’s no expectations for him. In the 2003 remake, he’s listening to the radio with a HEAD ON A PLATTER as well as bottled eyeballs, sets of teeth, jars of petrolatum, and all his little machinery n’ trinkets; He’s just working away with some metal music playing and his collectables sprawled out without a care in the world. That’s his space; His “safe room” if you will. And his sewing machine up in {what is believed to be} his room. 

___

Going back to his ‘social awkwardness / social isolation,’ Thomas likes to stare. Like, a lot. There's multiple shots in the 2003 remake {34:15-34:23, 34:55, 43:02, 1:11:49, ect} where he’s just..staring / observing. And that’s JUST in 2003. Obviously, he’s trying to see what Erin and other victims are doing, but he’s definitely hyper-aware of things. I brought this up in a previous post, and I’m bringing it up again; in the extended scene in part 2 {0:00 - 0:30}, where Bailey is tied under the table and starts screaming once she sees Thomas just..staring at her from the doorway. He’s doing what’s called ‘T-rex arms’ as well as fidgeting with his fingers which might be a form of self-regulation; ‘Cause lets be honest, he just got introduced to this new ‘way of life’ the previous night. He also just lost his job and killed someone the previous day. He’s a little new to this. #firstkillkindanervous

I think Thomas doesn’t understand, or maybe just doesn’t care / notice he’s doing it. Staring can be very intimate for people, and I guess Thomas is just a curious and cautious fella. And I get why, gotta make sure the family is okay, and nothing goes wrong. Anyway - I also previously discussed how Thomas could have Apraxia of Speech; Which if you didn’t know, is often found in autistic children. It usually progresses with speech therapy, but Thomas very obviously didn’t have that. Expenses + time period and rural areas don’t usually produce good outcomes for neurodivergent kids anyway. 

To wrap things up; I definitely think Thomas is neurodivergent. Even if he doesn’t have Autism, Apraxia of Speech is considered neurodivergent. I still firmly believe he has Autism {Level 1?}, but I’m always open to feedback and alternative ideas!

Much love, 🫀

Hiii - As an ode to my first post {Thomas' Medical Analysis}, I thought about making him a 'medical chart'.

Thomas my little microorganism

Not everything on this chart is canon {such as diagnoses dates}

The Basics

Thomas {Brown Hewitt} was born on the 31st {not canon} of August, 1939 - He is currently 34 years old, canon-timeline. Thomas is 6'5 and around 300-330 lbs / 136-150 kgs.

____

He has been previously diagnosed with:

Mental Retardation

Mental Deterioration

Deteriorating {Flesh / Facial?} Disfigurement | Interchanged with: Disfigurative Facial Disease

{Unreadable} Birth Defect {Assumed to be an Incomplete Unilateral Cleft}

Tendencies Towards Self-Mutilation

____

What His Skin Condition Could Be

Cutaneous Lupus {CLE}

Pustular Psoriasis

Severe Cystic Acne

Pustular Rosacea

I'm gonna make this very clear - as I did in the original Medical Analysis - Thomas does NOT have skin cancer. He would not survive. And even if he did, He'd be bed-ridden or severely weakened.

____

What His 'Mental Retardation / Deterioration' Could Be

Depression

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Autism / ASD {Most likely 'Level 1', also called 'Low-Support Needs', 'High-Functioning', Asperger's}

PTSD

Apraxia of Speech

____

Here's screenshots of the document I made for him 🤓

This is my autism on full blast vro 𓆣

working on asks and shitposts brb guys

maybe my love for antagonistic/military/slasher men is reflective of my dad's aggression throughout my childhood

and how I forget about it all when he makes me laugh

hmm...probably not

Thomas {Hewitt}'s Interests

From a gal who's hyper fixating on this franchise

So..I'd like to preface this by saying I do not live nor have ever lived in the Deep South or Midwest. BUT, I do visit the midwest often - which doesn't mean much but give me grace 😭🙏

____

Bone Collecting

I used to collect bones when I'd visit my grandparents up in the mountains - It was fun. I feel like he'd do the same {given his 'role'}. We already know he collects ears, teeth, eyeballs, even heads - and most definitely skin; So why not bones? He probably collected bones when he was younger - Maybe with Henrietta, if they happened to be close.

I like to imagine he has a box or shelf full of his 'collections'; He's got a whole museum in there I guarantee it. Some bugs, bones, bone fragments, hides, teeth, claws, rocks n' geodes, all sorts of naturally-occurring treasures.

General Foraging

In TCM 2003, Thomas is seen wearing rings which I doubt are his {though, they fit him pretty well}. He probably stole them from a victim - And he most definitely kept that engagement ring from Kemper. He'll take clothes, jewelry, books, photographs, toys, drawing utensils, wildflowers, bugs, abandoned artifacts, anything he likes really. He'd go HAM in a thrift shop, trust. I've been to thrift shops in the midwest - They are gold; Lots of old pictures, some racist things {which I do NOT thing are gold}, old jewelry, lots of gemstones, bones, license plates, clothes {obviously}, letters, toys, paintings / posters, vinyls, CDs, furniture, old guns, bullet shells, all kinds of forgotten treasures. I think Tommy would like it if the store was empty..

Sewing

This one's obvious - Thomas uses sewing as a form of catharsis; A way to transform himself just as he transforms the scraps of leather. We see his sewing machine in his room, along with mannequins and mannequin heads; Indicating sewing is something he does often. I doubt he only makes mask - Maybe casings, potential jewelry; He'd definitely make something for his partner or a close friend..not so much the family considering they aren't..the most grateful or encouraging.

His {The Family's} Animals

Despite his busy schedule, I'm sure Thomas likes to spend time with the animals on the Hewitt property. The canon animals {that we've seen so far} include Monty's dog {unnamed canonically}, three pigs, and a few chickens. Now, I know there's gonna be a crowd that spews "But Thomas worked in a slaughterhouse!! He wouldn't take kindly to animals!1!1!1!!" Just because I eat meat doesn't mean I don't adore animals - The meat I eat is from a dead animal. I'm quite literally eating its cooked carcass. Thomas is doing the same - Only he's doing the dirty work firsthand.

I don't know how connected he'd be to Monty's dog - considering that dog is with Monty all. the. time. - But he'd be really connected to the 'livestock'. The pigs don't seem too old - not piglets per se but not fully grown either. I assume Thomas or Luda Mae collect the eggs, meaning Thomas sees the animals quite a lot. He doesn't seem like the type to show too much physical {or verbal} affection - But his primary executions are through observation and care. {I headcanon his love languages as acts of service and quality time; Though he appreciates receiving words of affirmation.} He keeps the animals clean, well-fed, and healthy; Whilst occasionally spending time with them outside his daily chores.

Music

Okay, so ! I've been contemplating Thomas' music taste for a bit now, {previously posted about it} and I have a few inklings I'll try to share:

I've seen many people headcanon Thomas as a 'Kernel' {unofficial name for a Korn fan}; And while I love Korn myself, I don't see Thomas in the same light. Maybe he'd like some of their songs, but I envision him as an occasional nu-metal listener. Type O Negative reminds me of Tommy a lot - Don't know why. I don't think he'd listen to them a TON - But more often than Korn, maybe. If we look back to TCM 2003 from 37:10 to 37:20, Thomas plays something of the metal / rock genre. More heavy-metal than anything in MY opinion. Let's forget about timelines for a minute whilst we walk through this.

I previously stated that Thomas would potentially like bands such as Mortician, Alice In Chains, maybe SoundGarden, Metallica, Black Sabbath?, Pantera, Cannibal Corpse, Megadeth - Bands similar to these as well. This might be controversial but I don't think Thomas would mind country music. Hell, I think he'd listen to some Johnny Cash or The Highwaymen if it came on - Some classic, soulful country. It's not like his momma blasts it or anything...

Continuing on the family note; Skynyrd. That's all I have to say.

In all actuality; I'm sure Hoyt's music taste rubs off on Thomas a bit - I'm sure Thomas prefers metal, but he'll listen to rock just the same. Maybe a little Elvis, Skynyrd, AC/DC here and there; He's not too fussy.

____

Anway, ramble ramble, yappa yappa; This has gone on long enough - But I'd happily make more if the people want it {😈🙏}

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Take care 🫀

btw I'm not hating on script writers at all - I apologize for my aggressive tone 😭 I love both those franchises either way

if a horror/slasher movie ends with the killer in the back seat {of the victim's escape car} when a victim "finally" escapes, it automatically pisses me off - Why is it acceptable as a writer to end a 'horror' movie with the lamest, easiest-to-write ending?? Cmon now, it's so boring and unrealistic.

"Oh, but Tae, slasher films are unrealistic in their nature!1!" no shit, dawg - but you cannot convince me that the "killer suddenly appears in the backseat and kills the protagonist to allow for another potential movie" isn't the worst ending you've ever seen.

How did they get in there? How did the victim not see their {usually} fat ass in the back seat? {I'm looking at you, Thomas Hewitt and Jacob Goodnight}. What the actual fuck. HOW DID THE KILLER NOT GET HURT AT ALL IN THE CAR CRASH? {if it crashes}

PLEASE stop using this as an acceptable ending. Put more thought and effort into your scripts, PLEASE

thank you for coming to my ted talk

Hi Tae, I was wondering if you could tell us how Thomas would react if a victim (reader) who's cornored or meets him for the first time stare into his eyes for a moment, taking all the details in, to then tell him that he has beautiful eyes. It dosen’t matter if he looks at then angrily or with a dark gaze. They still thinks they are beautiful. Like a gem or the sky on a sunny day.

I figured you could answer this easily since you know the Hewitt family so well and it's pretty much an easy question.

oooo I love this!!

I think he'd be very confused and taken back which would cause him to pause for a bit - He's in his own head a lot. This gives the victim more time to escape but as soon as you move he's right back in the game. (Or..with a little "family motivation")

__

"You're beautiful." You don't know why you said it - Why you felt it. All you knew was that it's true: He was beautiful, at least to you.

The cannibal paused. Beautiful? Such words were never used to describe him, not even once. The most praise he'd gotten was on his work ethic, never on his appearance.

His expression tightened, what was left of his nose wrinkled, his eyes squinted as his eyebrows closed in. It doesn't make sense - You're lying. You were just trying to catch him off guard, break down his walls; Escape.

Don't be tempted, son. These women are something else.

That's what Charlie had told him one time - Back in what were supposed to be his high school years. There were always pretty girls with infectious smiles and loud laughs that made him turn his head. He liked the way their hair was done, how creative they could be in accessorizing. He liked their lips and the way they framed their smiles. The fantasy would break as soon as they saw him. He'd be staring at them, distracted from his work at the slaughterhouse or at the community center his momma worked at. The girls would stiffen - They were disgusted with him. Afraid.

Why're you staring? - Can I help you?

He didn't have the tools to answer those questions. His answer wouldn't make anything better; In fact, it'd make it worse. They weren't asking out of genuine curiosity, they wanted to deter him. His freakish nature and abnormal behavior. Momma taught him not to stare, but, why could they stare? No one told them not to, he was a macabre one, that's for sure.

In a matter of seconds, his head replayed the compliment you gave to him. Beautiful. He was beautiful.

It felt good. Odd, peculiar, abnormal, but so damn good.

Say it again. Just one more time; Please?

Of course, he couldn't say that. He didn't say that. And he didn't want to.

Thomas restarted the chainsaw, revving it loud enough to drown out his irrational thinking. You didn't mean it. You couldn't have.

You jolted back, frightened, but yet, still determined.

"Beautiful, beautiful eyes." You whispered shakily.

He threw the chainsaw to the ground, frustrated and confused. If you didn't mean it, stop fucking saying it!

"What's taking so damn long down there!" A voice called out from upstairs. "Tommy, stop stallin' and cut her up already!"

Hoyt stomped down the stairs, his eyes meeting the corner you were trapped in. "Oh, Christ, Thomas. Get a grip on yourself."

"What? Did she butter you up all nice and sweet, huh?" Hoyt called out condescendingly. He didn't view Thomas as "ugly" necessarily, but Hoyt knew a thing or two about survival. Never let your guard down. Ever.

Tommy looked between the two of you, frustrated, confused, overwhelmed. He wasn't teary-eyed but he was damn close. Still, his anger shadowed his confusion as he picked up the chainsaw once more, starting it up as the two of you locked eyes.

"There you go...attaboy, Tommy. Finish the job like you always do."

____

Sorry this is kinda short. I was in the mood for a mini oneshot lol

As always, if you have more requests, questions, or I misinterpreted an ask, please let me know!

going through 20 different emotions trying to write fanfic rn