Into My Autistic Mind: My Year so far

Hello everybody, this is George Harvey (aka The Autistic Blogger). It’s taking me a bit longer to finish the last part of my Life, Animated Review. So in the meantime here’s another peek into my Autistic mind. You all know the drill by now. Everything you read below will be the raw, unfiltered thoughts that go through my head as I’m writing. Only this time, I’ll be trying to focus primarily on what I’ve been up to the past couple of months. Enjoy:

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It’s hard to believe it’s already been two months since the New Year. I’m thinking of fireworks and the ending to My Little Pony: the Movie. Which had fireworks. I just made “New Year” have capital letters. My sister is home and playing music on the radio. I’m sitting in the dining room. The table is turned in a new position to what it used to be. It’s apparently so the room looks bigger. My room has been completely repainted. I still can’t get the ending of MLP: the Movie out of my mind. Now I’m thinking of the Rugrats in Paris movie and a scene with Angelica and Chuckie. Saying that name makes me think of the Child’s Play movies – and the original film’s poster. Now – SORRY – sorry again my typing is a bit off. I keep mistyping and putting things in capital letters. I’m typing on my laptop instead of my iPad like I usually do. I remember an old kid’s show called Out of the Box that I used to watch with my sister on Playhouse Disney. I just paused to look at the bullet points I’m trying to stick to. To think, by the time I post this it will be the first of March – excuse me, March 1st. Then the old £10 notes will no longer be useable and people will have to be 16 in order to buy energy drinks, according to the new law. Give me a second. Sorry about that. I just had to move some things around. I needed to plug in my laptop as it was running low on power. Sorry, I just tried to type something there, but then thought better of it. Okay, now my laptop is charging. I just had to flip the switch. I’ve been quite tired today. I was up until 4:45am last night watching WWE Elimination Chamber on the WWE Network. I can’t believe I’d never subscribed to it before now. I’m thinking about somebody I sent an email to today. Anyway, I’m hoping when Wrestlemania comes around this year that I’m not working the morning after. If I’m free that Monday morning I’ll be able to watch the whole thing live Sunday night. But if not, I’ll have to watch it on catch up instead. I’m sure my friends will be watching it live too. Anyway, I remember New Year’s Eve. Sorry I’m constantly thinking of MLP. It’s probably because I watched somebody’s blind reaction to it on YouTube last night as well as Elimination Chamber. I didn’t get up until 11:45 this morning. And even then I had an hour’s nap to make up for the hour I missed sleeping this morning. I just had to say hello to somebody there. As I was saying, I remember New Year’s Eve. I didn’t have any plans until my aunt invited me to go out to dinner with her, my uncle and my cousin. There was a man there who wasn’t too happy with the service and had to be physically thrown out of the restaurant for disturbing the peace. I had a hard time spelling “restaurant” there. Thank goodness for auto-correct. I’m thinking of the Rugrats again. It was definitely one of my favourite Nick Toons. They even released a couple of PlayStation games, which I would play at my dad’s house. Anyway, I remember after dinner I went back to my aunt’s house and I had my laptop with me. I was racing to finish not just my last edition of Into my Autistic Mind but the review I’d been working on for five months. I’m thinking of an episode of SpongeBob and the Simpson’s Hit and Run game. I was able to upload both pieces onto my blog with something like 5 or 15 minutes left before the New Year arrived. It was actually kind of thrilling to finish them before the countdown. Since the New Year a lot has happened. One second, I’m thinking of an episode the Powerpuff Girls and a Lilo and Stitch movie. With everything that’s been happening I’ve been very busy. I had wanted to post something other than this edition of Into My Autistic Mind, since I do like to give my readers a bit of variety and I never want to seem lazy. However, with the deadline approaching fast, Feburary being – I can never spell “February” right on my first attempt – February being such a short month and all the hours I’ve been working, I knew I’d never complete on time. I think I’ll save it for a later month when I can actually put more effort into it, instead of rushing it to completion. I want to avoid doing things like that now. Which is why one of my New Year’s resolutions was to take my writing more seriously. I’ve been going over some GCSE English revision guides I bought a while back, I’ve been planning things more clearly and thinking about when best to write. I think it really is helping. Just this month I posted a review of the DS game Pokemon Ranger and it only took me a few weeks to finish, instead of five whole months. I just thought of a Comic Relief segment that was made a few years ago. The one where Alan Sugar is a contestant on Dragon’s Den. Now I’m remembering the one with Smithy (James Cordon/Gavin and Stacey) and various celebrities debating who should do the appeal film in Africa. There’s also the one where David Tennant was first playing Doctor Who; the one with Doctor Who and Lauren Cooper (The Catherine Tate Show); the one with Lauren Cooper in a war of words with Peggy (Eastenders). Wait? Was that last one a Comic Relief sketch? Actually no, maybe none of them were. I might be getting mixed up with Children in Need. It’s a shame Terry Wogan passed away a couple of years ago. I remember that sketch where he appeared alongside Lee Mack on the set of Not Going Out. I’m thinking of the Don Bluth film All Dogs go to Heaven for some reason. I’ve just heated the tea that I have and made a few text messages. Another thing that has kept me busy these past couple of months has been my drama. It wasn’t long ago I was performing in a panto of The Wizard of Oz. My characters were: a posh school boy; a munchkin in a red outfit, which I really liked; a crow with a Jamaican accent; a forest animal; a Poppy; and Winkie Soldier, who starts off tough, but then reveals he’s gay. Did I mention this was a modern retelling of The Wizard of Oz? It was a bit more like The Wiz. We even had the song Ease on Down the Road playing at the end of Act One. Apparently, it’s the biggest song in musical version of The Wiz, but in the movie version it wasn’t performed well. They just has Michael Jackson (as the Scarecrow) and the actress playing Dorothy performing the number with their backs to the camera and filmed it at least 30ft away. I’m thinking of the Spy Kids movies. But I did really like playing those parts. We had a real dog playing Toto, before he becomes an actor in a furry costume once Dorothy arrives in Oz. I could tell you a lot more about the panto, but then I could also write a whole other piece on that. I’m looking forward to going back to the hall where we rehearse this Sunday. We’ll all be watching a DVD of Dream. Which is what we called our show that was dedicated to Disney songs. Out of all the shows I’ve done so far I think Annie Get Your Gun was my favourite. Have any of you ever heard of the song Muffin Time? Go look it up on YouTube. It’s really catchy and gets stuck in your head. I’m thinking of an old PlayStation 2 game I had called Spyro: A Hero’s Tail. I actually had two copies of the game since the first one got scratched and became unplayable. I’m only just realising I’ll have a lot of editing to do after I’m do. This piece is already two pages long. As for my work life, things have been improving. There was a very long period of time where I wasn’t getting my contracted hours and I was starting to dislike working at the store in Welling. Since the New Year I’ve returned to Eltham and things have been a lot better. Being a small store it’s easier to get around and you get the chance to do more than just one job all the time – before I was only ever working on the tills. Now I work on the self-scan, de-card the store, help tidy up, etc. Plus, since the store isn’t overstaffed like the Welling one was, I’m getting my contracted hours now. In fact, the last two weeks I’ve been given almost double my weekly hours. So all in all, things are going well for me at the moment. However, I know this year will bring a lot of changes. Not too long ago I completed an online course in SEN, and I’m hoping this will allow me to find employment as a Teaching Assistant. I’ve even purchased another course which is tailored to exactly that. I’m also hoping to use what I learn in the book series I’m planning to write someday. I’ve been putting it off for much too long now and I really want to see if I can make a break as a published author. I might even get my very own place to live. It’s something I’ve been interested in doing for a while and it seems like the ideal time to do it. I also think I should try online dating as well. So much to do, so little free time to do it all. I’ll have to make sure I stay organised. I’m thinking of another Powerpuff Girls episode now. Actually, two. Now three. Now Disney’s The Kid. Now Holes. Now Goosebumps – which I wrote a review on once. And now Rugrats the movie. Now Doug’s First Movie, which I’ve never actually seen myself. I’ve just seen clips and snippets. This could go on for a while if I let it. I’ve said pretty much all I want to say. Hopefully, by the end of next month I’ll be finished with my Life, Animated Review. Then I can start debating about what to post for the 3rd Anniversary of this blog. I’m thinking of an old Cartoon Network show I used to love called Cubix. This is a good place to stop I think. I’m less than 25 words from this piece being 1900 words long – introduction included. If I think of anything else to say while I’m editing maybe I’ll add it in somewhere. I won’t change things too much though, as these are meant to be my raw, unfiltered thoughts. Whose Line is it Anyway just popped into my head. And wrestling and the Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and King Kong vs Godzilla and the original American remake of Godzilla. I’m just rambling now. I hope you’ve enjoyed what I’ve had to say. Now I’m at 1969 words.

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If you have any questions regarding Autism or some of my pieces on it, then please feel free to leave me a comment – I’ll be happy to answer them. As I said, I will try to complete the last part of my Life, Animated Review by the beginning of next month. I hope you’ll enjoy it when it’s released. And until then, stay tuned.

My Little Pony: Lesson Zero and Autism (Part 1)

Hello, everybody, this is George Harvey (aka the Autistic Blogger). And today I’m going to be looking into something I’ve wanted to for quite some time now.

If you’ve read some of my earlier posts, you’ll know I’m a big fan of the series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I could write on and on about why I support the fandom, and why I think the show appeals to all audiences – not just young girls – but that’s something for another time. What I want to do, instead, is focus on one episode in particular, and discuss how I think it’s significant to people with Autism.

But before I do, allow me to give an overview of the series.

Friendship is Magic takes place in the land of Equestria, a magical world inhabited by Unicorns, Pegasi and Earth Ponies – as well as other mythical creatures such as Dragons and Alicorns (winged unicorns). In the beginning, the main character is Twilight Sparkle, a unicorn who studies magic under the tutelage of Princess Celestia, the alicorn monarch of the land. Twilight is a model pupil, and she seems content with her life. But she always spends her free time studying. As a result, she never socialises with anybody other than Spike; a young, flightless dragon, who acts as her personal assistant. This concerns Celestia.

One day, the princess sends them both to Ponyvile to help with the Summer Sun Festival. As they explore the village, Twilight encounters five other ponies. Applejack; a hard-working farm pony. Fluttershy; who loves animals and gets scared easily. Pinkie Pie; who’s full of energy and loves parties. Rarity; who dreams of opening fashion boutiques all over Equestria. And Rainbow Dash; who thinks she’s the coolest flyer around and plans on joining the Wonderbolts aerial team. At first, Twilight wants nothing to do with these ponies. Even when they join her on a quest to stop the evil alicorn, Nightmare Moon. As they journey to the villain’s lair, however, Twilight realises her companions represent the Elements of Harmony – honesty (Applejack), kindness (Fluttershy), laughter (Pinkie Pie), generosity (Rarity) and loyalty (Rainbow Dash). More importantly, though, they’re her friends! Together with Twilight’s own element of magic, they defeat Nightmare Moon and restore her to her true form; Princess Luna. After the festival, Celestia allows Twilight to stay in Ponyville so she can learn more about the magic of friendship.

Now the premise might sound cheesy, I know. But you’d be surprised how seriously Friendship is Magic takes itself. Unlike previous generations of My Little Pony, the show doesn’t appeal to audiences by being over-the-top and girly. Instead, it focuses on teaching universal morals that everyone can relate to. These morals include: being open about your problems, discovering your purpose in life, and staying true to yourself no matter what tries to sway you. Some episodes even touch on deeper subjects like depression, racism and civil war.

Additionally, the show has run for over six seasons because its characters are always developing. Fluttershy is now braver and more assertive, Rarity and Rainbow Dash have achieved their dreams in fashion and flying, and Twilight herself has become an alicorn princess with a student all her own.

But I don’t want to ramble for too long.

The episode I’m going to discuss is called Lesson Zero (S2, Ep3). Admittedly, this is one of the older stories in the series, now. But it’s significant to me for various reasons. Not only was it the first episode of ‘Friendship is Magic’ I ever saw, but after watching it again, I realised something familiar about Twilight’s behaviour. Specifically, she showcases many autistic traits throughout the story. For a brand that used to be all Happy Rainbow Butterfly Pony Flowers (Animat, 2012), I think it was admirable of the writers to take My Little Pony in this direction.

Just for the record, I don’t think Twilight is autistic – there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that she’s not. But I do see a lot of myself in her. Even her friendship experiences are similar to mine. For example, if you listen to the extended version of the Friendship is Magic theme song, Twilight sings:

“When I was young I was too busy to make any friends. Such silliness did not seem worth the effort it expends. But my little ponies, you opened up my eyes. And now the truth is crystal clear as splendid summer skies. And it’s such a wonderful surprise.”

This is my life in a nutshell.

Also, I’m not the only one to make a connection between Twilight and Autism. Many parents have watched this episode, and they agree the writer (Meghan McCarthy) must’ve had some experience with the condition. If you want to know more, I’d recommend watching Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony. For now, though, let’s take a look at Lesson Zero.

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The episode begins with Twilight and Spike making a list of everything she needs to accomplish by the end of the day. Item 1: create said checklist.

Straight away this relates to Autism. A lot of people write lists to remind them of things. But it’s especially helpful if you have trouble processing large quantities of information. When I have multiple thoughts on my mind, it’s difficult keeping track of them all – sometimes I focus too much on certain tasks and forget about doing others. That’s why I write checklists/timetables. If I know when, and how long, to work on something I feel more in control. And it keeps me from stressing out. The only downside is I literally have to note down everything – to the smallest detail.

This is sort of what Twilight does. Her first task is to create the checklist she’s writing; mine is to wake up in the morning. Her last item is to triple-check her list to make sure she didn’t miss anything when she double-checked it; mine is to get to bed by a certain hour. Twilight is definitely a well-organised pony who enjoys doing things by the book. We even see she has a list of materials needed to make a checklist (quills, parchment, ink, etc.).

Back onto the story; Twilight gets ahead of schedule, so she and Spike go to Sugarcube Corner. There, they collect some cupcakes for an afternoon picnic with her friends. When she opens the box, however, there are thirteen cupcakes instead of twelve. The store owner, Mrs Cake, says she had one extra, so she made it a “baker’s dozen”. Twilight appreciates the thought, but she’s concerned that icing from the thirteenth cupcake is getting over the one next to it – thus making them uneven. She tries to balance things out. But ends up removing all but a drop of icing from each cupcake.

I have to say, this might be the most memorable moment of the entire series for me. Twilight is acting more Autistic/OCD here than she ever has in the show’s history (i.e. letting a small change throw her off and trying to fix something that’s not a problem).

Technically, yes, there’s nothing wrong with the cupcakes. But for Twilight, there’s a major issue. She doesn’t want her friends to think she’s valuing some ponies over others by giving them more icing. You might say this is overreacting a bit, but it’s easy to see a small problem as something bigger – especially when you’re autistic. Plus, Twilight feeling this way isn’t unreasonable. In a previous episode, she couldn’t decide which friend to take with her to a party, and it caused some friction within the group (S1, Ep3).

It’s also established that Twilight is a perfectionist and prefers doing things exactly right. However, being this way 24/7 has its drawbacks. In some cases, you end up making a problem worse rather than fixing it. Case in point: me and my writing.

If I were in Twilight’s predicament, my problem wouldn’t be with the icing, but rather the number of cupcakes. Since you can’t divide thirteen by six (evenly), I’d want to get rid of that extra cupcake. It probably wouldn’t even occur to me to just save it or give it to Spike – which I’m surprised Twilight didn’t think of.

It turns out, though, this scene only foreshadows a greater problem to come.

With the cupcakes in tow, Twilight and Spike head home. Spike has a “claw-cramp” after holding the checklist all day and says he’s glad they don’t have anything to report to the Princess this week.

Before I go on, let me explain.

At this point in the series, Twilight would write letters to Princess Celestia at the end of every episode. The letters would express the moral of the story and what lessons she learnt about friendship – you know, typical kid’s show stuff. Here’s the thing, though; Celestia never said this was a weekly assignment. You could assume she mentioned it off-screen. But it makes more sense to think that Twilight decided this deadline herself. We know she takes pride in being Celestia’s student and is determined to prove her worthiness. So it’s natural she’d want to set herself personal goals.

As we find out, though, trying to do too much too soon can have disastrous consequences.

Twilight looks over her journal and discovers it’s been almost seven days since she sent her last letter. Which means, if she doesn’t send one by sundown, she’ll be late for the assignment – something that’s never happened before. Spike tells her not to worry because he’s sure the princess will forgive her for missing one little deadline. But Twilight doesn’t want to take the risk. In fact, she’s concerned what might happen if Celestia thinks she’s slacking off.

Remember that greater problem I mentioned earlier? This is it.

(Continued in Part 2: https://georgeharvey2015.wordpress.com/2016/10/22/my-little-pony-lesson-zero-and-autism-part-2/)

(Image courtesy of http://www.brony.com/brony-facts-faq/my-little-pony-cast/)