Update March 23rd: Announcements / Into My Autistic Mind 7

Hello everybody, this is George Harvey (aka The Autistic Blogger). It’s been a while, but I’m finally back with a few important announcements.

First of all, in my last update, I said I was starting a new job in Elephant & Castle. I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn new skills and work full-time hours. Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out so well. The traveling was expensive, the pay was unpredictable and I just wasn’t feeling comfortable in the new environment. I think if I had continued, I would’ve lost money and my own self-confidence. So, ultimately, I decided to quit and go back to my old retail job – which my manager very generously kept open for me. Right now, I’m focusing my spare time on job searching, drama rehearsals and community work, in addition to my writing.

That brings me to my second announcement: a new posting schedule.

If you visit my site regularly, you’ll notice I haven’t been posting on it too frequently. In fact, I’ve only made two/three major posts in the last nine months. I do have my reasons. But I realise it’s not very fair on all of you. Whenever you the take time to look at my blog, you deserve to read new and creative content – not just the same boring updates month after month. That’s why, from now on, I’ll be posting new material every 1-2  months. It could be an article, another instalment of Into my Autistic Mind or something else entirely. But I will do my best to give you varied and engaging content as often as I can.

Finally, for those of you who don’t know, April is Autism Awareness month. To help promote it Ambitious about Autism is holding a Youth Lecture event at the Wellcome Collection museum in Bloomsbury, London (Monday 27th, 6:00-9:00pm). I will be attending, along with Johnathan Andrews (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-andrews-bcab-frsa-80482282/) and several other Youth Patrons to take part in a panel discussion. We’ll be sharing our life stories and answering questions on what is ‘normal’ for Autistic people. For more information see our webpage: https://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/know-your-normal.

That’s all I have to say for now. I hope you’ll enjoy my upcoming content. But for now I’ll leave you with this latest instalment of Into my Autistic Mind (see below). If you have any questions regarding Autism and its effects, please leave me a comment – I’ll be happy to answer them. And, as always, keep an eye out for the next post. Stay tuned.

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It’s the 22nd. I’m at my aunt Sarah’s house. We’re having a board meeting. That’s what they – I need to make some corrections. There, done them. As I was saying, my mum and aunts meet up at each other’s houses and they call them board meetings. Mum’s standing next to me. Now she’s sitting down. No unusual thoughts are coming into my mind. Actually, now I say that, I’m thinking of Applejack from Friendship is Magic. I’m sitting next to a bugle (budgie) cage. Actually, no, it’s a canary. My cousin has a canary. And a very barky dog. On the TV they’re talking via out (stupid typos)! They’re talking about the terrorist attack that took place at Westminster Palace – why did my auto-correct insist I include an ‘a’? It’s not called Westminster ‘a’ Palace. My mum and aunts are Laughting and (sorry, laughing) the canary is carping (chirping!) and the dog is barking. I just took a moment to look around the room. I can feel my 3DS – the dog is barking again – I can feel my 3DS, phone and keys in my fleece pocket. A policeman is on the TV reading a statement regarding the terrorist attack. Everyone is talking about Beauty and the Beast. I’m taking every to see it on the 5th of April. Speaking of dates, I’m thinking about March 27th and the panel discussion I’m going to be taking part in at the museum in London. Shey, my other aunt, is whining about something. I wonder what everyone will think – why am I typing random letters sometimes? A couple of times I’ve type ‘t’ even though I’m not writing a word beginning with ‘t’. My aunt Sarah is waiting on the potatoes for dinner. My cousin Charlotte is apparently going to a young chef (thank you auto-correct) – a young chef restaurant at the O2 arena. As I was trying to say, I wonder what mum and my aunts will think when they read this? I usually say on face – hang on – Facebook when I have new content on my blog. I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned them in any instalment of Into my Autistic Mind. Looking at an emoji button on my iPad’s keyboard, I’m thinking of the Emoji Movie. I just had to capitalise the last two words there. Anyway, I just know the Emoji Movie is going to be the death of Sony Animation Studios. That trailer they released of the ‘meh’ emoji is just terrible. I’m thinking of Animat and how he reacted to it on his animation podcast. I left a comment saying #CancelTheEmojiMovie – or something like that – because u (sorry, I) agree with him. Did you know they cancelled a Popeye movie so they could release the Emoji Movie instead? The news isn’t talking about anything except the terrorist attack right now. I probably shouldn’t keep mentioning it. It’s not a nice subject to talk about. I’ve written 487 words now. Well now it’s – hang on my phone just vibrated. I got a message from Sarah – it just vibrated again. It’s just some Facebook notifications. Mum’s talking to everyone about something funny at school. I’m at 525 words now. Shey mentioned my name, but it was a different George. It’s dark outside. I’ll probably put my iPad down soon and play my 3DS before … sorry for the pause there. I’ll probably play it before mum and I go home. I hope I get to finish the review I’ve been working on soon. I can’t believe I stated – started – working on it in January and it’s still not done. I’ve had to focus on a lot of things the last couple of months and I think my writting – writing – is starting to slip. Do you see what I mean. I think I’m writing too many long sentences and trying to finish things as soon as possible without thinking. That’s why it takes me longer. I’ve just corrected a spelling mistake, but it look like we’re having dinner now. I’ll stop things here.

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/)