Two hyped-up autistics have spent nearly 20 minutes breathlessly gushing about totally different topics, witnesses have reported.
Ethan Stern, 25, and Ben Espenson, 23, have both been excitedly gabbling about their special interests and remain completely unaware that there’s zero overlap.
The Daily Tism was able to reconstruct their conversation from a number of witness reports, mostly thanks to the sheer volume at which each of them was yapping.
The close friends were reportedly wandering through a park when there was a rare “special interest collision”: Stern spotted a heron in the shallows of the lake and, at the exact same moment, Espenson noticed a tree that looked exactly like one from The Lord of the Rings. Both shrieked excitedly, and – in their enthusiasm – just straight-up stopped listening to anything the other one was saying.
“Look how majestic it is!” exclaimed Stern. “I think it’s a male based on the size. I bet it’s going to eat a perch or a chub, or maybe even a carp.”
“I know, right?” Espenson agreed. “We should sit under here and pretend we’re being hunted by a Ringwraith!”
When approached for comment about their friendship, Stern remarked: “He’s my best friend. I love our bird-watching trips.” Espenson added, “We are best friends! We’re going to look so good in our matching Hobbit costumes.”
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Autistic friends yet to notice they're having two different conversations