May 7th (2022) Update

Hello everybody, this is George Harvey (aka The Autistic Blogger). I seem to be getting into a habit of this, aren’t I? Every once in a while, I post something like a review or an article. Then I go months without posting anything else – unless it’s an update or something even shorter. It’s not without good reason. I like to make sure the content I put out is the very best it can be. That means spending several days writing, rewriting and polishing things up. The trouble, however, is finding the right amount of time to do everything. As I’ve said before, I have a job where my work hours change week to week. Plus, I can never predict when I’ll be meeting friends or family on my days off. Or even if something more time consuming will cause a change of plans. That brings me to right now. 

These last two months have been some of the most eventful of my entire life. There have been positive moments like celebrating family members’ birthdays, taking my girlfriend for her first driving experience, and even performing on stage in All Shook Up. Unfortunately, I’ve also suffered through a lot of hardships. My girlfriend caught Covid for the second time. My old phone broke – and it was a whole week before I got a new one. I’ve struggled to save money after my rent went up. My grandad and great aunt both passed away. And the less said about certain world events stressing me out, the better – please, EVERYONE, watch the video clip I posted two months ago. As you can imagine, it’s been hard for me to get into the right state of mind and start any new projects.

That said, I haven’t just been sitting and doing nothing. To take my mind off my worries, I’ve been writing reviews for one of my favourite anime series: Sword Art Online. It started in 2014 when I watched the first series, and I’ve continued with every new season (and movie) the franchise has released. When I get the chance, I might post all of them to Autistic Blogger Creates and show you how my reviewing skills have developed over the years. As for my main blog, I doubt I’ll have anything written for the 7th anniversary. But I do have something else in mind as a backup. Let’s just say I’m trying a new approach to creating video content.

In the meantime, I want to thank everyone around the world – and I do mean EVERYONE – who continues to follow and support this blog. It’s always a pleasure for me to see how much it’s being viewed. New content will be coming soon. So until then, stay tuned.

See also: Autistic Blogger Creates (https://autisticbloggercreates.wordpress.com/)

My Publishing History (4th Anniversary Special)

Hello everybody, this is George Harvey (aka The Autistic Blogger). And today is the 4-Year-Anniversary of this blog. So before I begin, I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who’s continued supporting me. Whether you follow my work regularly or stumble across it by chance, I really do appreciate every one of your views – no matter where you are in the world.

Anyway, for this anniversary, I wanted to talk to you about something personal to me. Many of you already know this, but my biggest ambition in life is to become a published author. Since I was 4-years-old, I’ve had creative ideas swimming in my head, eager to get out. Then one day, I tried writing a mystery novel. I’ve never looked back since.

Admittedly, when I first started out, I didn’t really know what I was doing. I had no idea what I wanted to my writing to achieve and even writing itself proved tedious given my Autism. However, I was keen to hone my craft. That’s why I applied for a Professional Writing course at the North (West) Kent College in Dartford. Since then, I’ve had varying degrees of success in getting my work out there. So, today, I’m going to look back on some of the more significant ones; telling you how they came to be and what I learned from them. This is George Harvey/The Autistic Blogger’s publishing history.

First Publication (The Real Me)

My first publication came about during my first year of college. And how it happened was actually due to a happy accident. It all started when we were given a writing assignment. I can’t remember what it was exactly – it might’ve had something to do with Creative Non-Fiction. Anyway, I decided to write mine based on my Autism; explaining how it affected me, what I thought of other people representing it, and how you can’t understand the condition properly unless you have it yourself. Follow the link below to see it:

https://georgeharvey2015.wordpress.com/2019/05/31/the-real-me/

After completing the article, I printed it off and left it on the side for later. I was planning to put it in my bag, but then my mum just so happened to be passing by. After noticing the piece and reading it, she came to me and said it was one of the most aspiring things she’d ever read. In fact, she insisted I let her have a copy so she could show her work colleagues the next day. One of these colleagues had connections with the NAS; who then asked if I’d like to feature it in their Communication Magazine. I agreed without hesitation. And after a few edits, it was released in their Summer 2013 Edition.

Looking back on it now, while this was my first publication, it also wasn’t my best-written. I hadn’t taken English as one of my Sixth Form subjects, and it clearly showed in my grammar; I was using dashes rather than commas too often, and some of my sentences could’ve been better structured. However, the NAS didn’t seem to mind. All that mattered to them was having someone like me who was willing to share their opinions and life experiences with Autism. And then it suddenly hit me.

For the longest time, I’d been so unsure how I was going to sell myself as an author. What made me different from the billions of others who wanted to be published? After this article, however, I had my answer. Unlike many of those people, I had experience in a specific field – one that not everybody is willing to talk about. If I could express my Autistic experiences through writing, then those who had the condition could relate to it, and those who didn’t would be given a better understanding of it. At long last, my path in writing was made clear; I would write to raise awareness of Autism and other personal issues.

Second Publication (Successful Studying)

My second publication was more of a group project. And it was released mostly due to my tutors’ involvement. However, it was still satisfying to see my name credited in a real book. Towards the end of my first year, we had the opportunity to write a guidebook called Successful Studying. This would be made available to future students and help them to overcome the difficulties of studying at a university level. For copyright reasons, I can’t post the chapter I wrote here – so I’ll leave you a link to the book:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Successful-Studying-Neil-Nixon/dp/1907502130/ref=sr_1_31?keywords=successful+studying&qid=1559068665&s=books&sr=1-31.

To summarise, though, I give readers tips on how they can stay focused on their work, even if they have learning difficulties. These tips include: interacting with fellow students, asking for help from their tutors, staying in contact with everyone, not stressing over workloads, studying at home and knowing how to manage their time efficiently. I then ended the chapter by revealing it was written by a student with Autism – assuring them disabilities don’t prevent success.

Compared to the magazine article, this piece was much better-written. There were still some grammar issues, but my structuring and overall presentation had improved since the year began. It was also the first chance I had to make use of my new writing style. Because I was drawing from personal experience (i.e. using studying methods that had worked for me as examples), it made writing the piece that much easier. Plus, the way I conveyed it made things more relatable for the reader – adding something of myself to it brought out its full potential.

Working to my Strengths

As the course continued, I would use this writing strategy wherever I could. It would even be the driving force behind my Overcoming Limitations presentation, which I gave at the end of my second year (see my 1st Anniversary Special: https://georgeharvey2015.wordpress.com/2016/06/01/1st-anniversary-special/).

After that, however, things became more challenging.

My third year of college was, quite literally, make or break for me. I’d moved away from North (West) Kent to Greenwich University (London). And it brought changes that I ultimately wasn’t prepared for. The new workload and deadlines were so tight that I barely had time to relax my mind anymore. It got so stressful that I was actually waking up every morning, shaking and vomiting with anxiety.

But even with the course taking a toll on my health, I was determined to make the most of any opportunity presented to me. That’s why I became a student ambassador; it was another chance to share my experiences and advise younger students on how they could survive university as I had. I also briefly joined the student magazine, before committing to it became impossible. Arguably the best opportunity I had, though, was contributing to another book. This one was called Making Our Mark.

Making Our Mark

Towards the end of the year, a project manager was looking to feature students’ work relating to future ambitions. Although I was up to my neck in deadlines by this point, I didn’t want to let the opportunity pass. Who knew when I’d get another chance to be published? So after attending a briefing on the book, I wrote two pieces of flash-fiction for it. Both of which were included in the final publication. Again, for copyright reasons, I can’t post them on this blog – so here’s a link to the book:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Reeves-Editor-19-May-2015-Paperback/dp/B013RPI1VY/ref=sr_1_159?keywords=making+our+mark&qid=1559072399&s=books&sr=1-159.

But I will share what each is about.

First of all, although the book says flash-fiction, my pieces were actually based on personal experiences. So they were technically “creative flash-non-fiction“. Not that the editor minded.

Anyway, the first piece was titled Never Judge a Book… and drew inspiration from my time as a checkout operator. The idea was that people who saw me probably thought I had a very easy job; beeping items, sitting down for hours and getting paid for it. However, they couldn’t see how I felt on the inside: the strain of repeating the same actions, the stress of dealing with challenging customers, the overall dissatisfaction I had with the job. They didn’t know it, but I had connections in the world of writing and was fixed to become something greater than they could imagine. Emphasising you should never judge a book by its cover.

Aside from my usual grammar errors, this piece turned out better than I expected. It comes off as insightful, creative and even metaphorical at times. It’s an inspiring piece to anyone who’s striving to become better than what they are.

The second piece, Believing is Achieving, was more of a story. It draws inspiration from two of my past experiences: seeing my work published for the first time and receiving advice from Jacqueline Wilson. It features a boy named James (me), who is surprised to find something he wrote (The Real Me) published in a magazine (Communication). He never intended to show it to anyone because he lacked the confidence and doubted the praise his mother gave him. Realising she submitted it on his behalf, however, he sees the positive effect it has on other people. He then makes the bold move to contact his favourite author, Mrs W (Jaqueline Wilson), who actually replies to him and gives him some advice. From then on, James is more determined and confident to become a successful writer.

Like the first piece, this was intended to be something inspirational. Names and events were changed slightly, but the message was the same. You shouldn’t let your disabilities/confidence prevent you from pushing forward in life. With the right motivation, you can achieve almost anything.

Making Our Mark proved, once again, that writing from experience was my winning formula. However, once I left university, I knew it would be harder finding ways to be published. I wouldn’t have nearly as many resources, contacts or opportunities as I once did. Consequently, this was the last book I contributed to as of 2019. But that doesn’t mean it was my final publication, period.

Ambitious about Autism

Going back to when I was writing for the Student Magazine, I had the opportunity to interview Johnathan Andrews; someone who was heavily involved with promoting Autism. After I graduated, he invited me to join Ambitious about Autism; an organisation that works to improve the livelihood of people with the condition. Some of their previous work includes setting up Treehouse School (http://www.treehouseschool.org.uk/) for severely Autistic children and advising producers on how to represent Autism in the media. During my time there, I took part in several of their projects. Including Know Your Normal, where I was a panellist discussing what normal is for people like me, and Are You Autistic? – a documentary by Channel 4 (see my 3rd Anniversary Special: https://georgeharvey2015.wordpress.com/2018/06/01/are-you-autistic-review-3rd-anniversary-special/).

The most fruitful of these projects, however, was their Employ Autism campaign. Not only did I give a presentation, explaining why employment needed to be improved for adults with Autism. But Ambitious held an event teaching employers what to look out for when recruiting these people. A brochure was made to assist with proceedings, and I wrote an article detailing my own opinions:

https://georgeharvey2015.wordpress.com/2019/05/31/autism-in-the-workplace-2/

Unlike my previous publications, this one didn’t have much creativity. It was just me giving my honest thoughts about what could be done to fix employment procedures. It still came off as professional though; explaining what problems Autistic people face when applying for jobs, and what support they need when starting out. Additionally, the message about not using Autism as an excuse to refuse employment was made abundantly clear.

However, there was one issue this article had in common with my other pieces. It’s limited availability.

If I was going to continue producing content, I needed a proper outlet; somewhere to showcase my work to as many people as possible. That’s when somebody introduced me to WordPress.

Blog

Like many things, I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to achieve with my blog at first. I didn’t even give much thought to the title, hence why I called it the least-searched Google term in history: georgeharvey2015. Over time, however, I got a better idea of it’s identity. It started off small, with short pieces about Autism and how it affected me. They weren’t anything special, just samples to show everyone the kind of person I was and what I wanted to achieve. It later grew to include reviews – like the ones I’d been writing on Amazon for years:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/profile/amzn1.account.AHNGEVB42MLFVOSAZTJJKBFBACEQ

But these had an emphasis on disabilities and personal issues. If I felt something touched on a subject like Autism (Lesson Zero), child neglect (Lily Alone), or living independently (Kiki’s Delivery Service) very well, then I’d feature it on the blog. Hence its tagline: “Home of Reviews and Autism Advocacy“. I also started a second blog to show off my older Amazon reviews, but regularly updating it proved too difficult; I was torn between fixing old pieces and writing new ones, and the latter required more attention.

As time went by, my ideas got bigger. And my Autism pieces got longer. I knew I couldn’t keep writing something every fortnight. So I decided to pace myself and write new content only when I had the mindset for it. This would evolve into the once-every-other-month schedule I have now.

Today, blogging continues to challenge me. But the benefits have been invaluable. My presence on the internet has put me in contact with many new people. Including those who’ve asked me for advice, and others who’ve listed my site on their own. In 2016, I even got in contact with somebody who ran after-school clubs for Autistic children. After showing her my posts and giving my Overcoming Limitations presentation, she invited me to become a volunteer myself. This would mark the beginning of a new ambition for me.

New Ambition

Until now, all of my future goals had been writing-based. But working with Autistic children made me realise something. The best people you can confide in with your problems are those who’ve experienced them personally. What made me such a valuable asset was being the only volunteer who also had Autism. This made it easier for me to relate to those children and understand their behaviours (shyness, isolation, lack of motivation, etc.). I also remembered something else. Some of the best support I’d had was during my school years. Without my various TAs keeping me on track, I never would’ve made it through school – let alone attended university. From this point on, I wanted to try becoming a teaching assistant. And that brings me to where I am today.

Hopes for the Future

Currently, I’m 25-years-old and have been taking courses in Special Educational Needs. I’ve also had chances to go into schools and get experience, but they haven’t lead to anything permanent so far. I still get notifications about positions today, but applying for them isn’t as simple as it used to be. Why? Because like most people, life has caught up to me.

I now live in my own studio flat; paying bills, going to work and occasionally meeting with friends and family. Additionally, the job I have is full-time with the hours and days varying from week to week. This makes it difficult for me to plan anything long-term, as I never know my rota until a month in advance. Even if I wanted to quit my job and become a full-time TA, I’ve been made aware of several money issues I could face – it’s tricky paying my rent even now. However, I don’t want to give up on being a TA. Because if I become one, it will be a two-way benefit; I can help children overcome their Autistic problems and learn what life is like for them in primary school. The latter of which would be essential to my most ambitious project.

Ever since my first year of college, I’ve wanted to write a children’s book series that raises awareness of disabilities and personal issues. In recent months, I’ve been brainstorming more solid ideas for it, but I still have a long way to go before writing the first story. And that’s not considering the time I’d need to finish the thing and refresh my memory of the publishing process. It might sound easy. But there’s a lot that eats into my spare time; work, socialising, drama, relaxing. Even blogging.

One reason I keep writing is to maintain my profile. I don’t want people to think I’m some random person who wants to get published. I want them to know how devoted I am and what I want to achieve. But like I said, blogging takes time for me. Sometimes I wonder whether I should even hold back writing longer pieces and push forward with my personal projects. My book series might be a long ways off, but I still have other ideas that could work. There was even one that came close to being a reality – before the organisation said they couldn’t provide what I was after.

I think maybe I should set a goal for myself. For the 5th Anniversary special, I should get something of a finished project completed and share it with you on this blog. Even if it’s not published at that point, a sample will show the progress I’ve made, and keep me motivated for the future.

Anyway, that’s all I have to say for this post. Again, I want to say a special thank you to everyone who’s continued supporting me. It really helps to know that my work is being shared and enjoyed by many people. If you’ve enjoyed reading this post, or have any questions, then please leave me a comment – I’ll be more than happy to answer them. And, until next time, stay tuned.

My Little Pony: Rock Solid Autism (Part 2)

(Continued from Part 1: https://georgeharvey2015.wordpress.com/2019/02/01/my-little-pony-rock-solid-autism-part-1/)

Spying on Maud and Starlight’s kite-flying, Pinkie worries the two of them aren’t bonding quickly enough. And that Maud could still choose to live in Ghastly Gorge rather than Ponyville. She decides to intervene. Under the pretence of delivering a pizza, she asks them how things are going and suggests now might be a good time to start talking about each other’s feelings. This makes Maud and Starlight rather uncomfortable, as Maud isn’t good with feelings and Starlight worries it could bring up her evil past again.

Being Aspergic myself, I’ve often dealt with this scenario. People ask me how I’m feeling in everyday situations, like just after work or meeting with friends. Sometimes I don’t really know how I feel. I’m just the same relaxed way I always am, with little to no change. Even when my mood is different, there has to be something significant to it. Or I feel it’s not worth mentioning. For example, maybe my day was eventful because I discovered a fake £20 note. Or a new colleague started at work that afternoon. If it were just a regular day, I’d describe it as one. Even so, people still expect me to give long, detailed answers every time. Which is why I often say things like “I’m good” or “fine” to end the conversation. It might seem rude or unengaging, but it’s because I genuinely have nothing more to say on the subject – and I don’t want to be pushed into giving details that aren’t there. In this case, Pinkie is pressuring Maud and Starlight to become closer friends when they’re only just starting to know each other.

In a cunning move, Maud finds a way to ditch her sister so she and Starlight can spend more time alone together. She then takes Starlight to the Ponyville gem cave, where she explains why she finds rocks so fascinating. Each one has its own unique story to tell if you look closely enough. For instance, the line-markings on her pet rock, Boulder, tells Maud he’s over 2000-years-old. Another reason she likes rocks is “they don’t exclude you if you’re…different, from other ponies.”

Exclusion is a serious matter for people with Autism. It can affect their self-esteem and how they choose to interact with others. It can also harm their self-confidence. As I mentioned before (Part 1), Maud is one of the few ponies the Mane 6 couldn’t make friends with initially. They didn’t exclude her from their activities, but they also couldn’t work around her limited interests. Her obsession with rocks just wasn’t something they were used to dealing with. Other ponies have likely felt the same way, but worse; not wanting to get involved with Maud because they can’t grasp her unusual personality. It’s a setback she’s probably faced for years.

However, it’s not always other people’s fault. I’ll admit, when I was younger, I may have put up social barriers myself. When I first learned I had Autism, I started feeling a lot more self-conscious – like there was something about me that alienated me from other people. I would often sit by myself, watching others socialise and think about joining in with them. However, I never did so in the end. Because I was worried they wouldn’t be interested in what I had to say. Fear of rejection might be why Maud has never tried making friends before now.

Fortunately, Starlight isn’t the sort of pony to turn a blind-eye so quickly. After hearing what Maud has to say about rocks, she sees they’re “beautiful and strong, but they don’t judge you or make you feel less than in any way.” Rocks are a nice hobby to have if you don’t want anyone dwelling on your past. It’s at this point she says, “I think I’m starting to like rocks, too.” And then something incredible happens: Maud smiles!

Now, I’m not saying Autistic people never smile – that would be unfair. And this isn’t even the first time Maud has smiled onscreen. However, you need to understand how significant something like this is for her. Keep in mind, Maud rarely shows any emotion. Even when talking about her interests, she maintains a neutral expression and talks as if they’re no big deal. For her to show happiness so openly, it almost feels out of character for her. So whenever she does smile, you know you’ve done something special. And this is a special moment. Not only has she found somepony to share her love of rocks with (outside her family), but she also likes Starlight’s kite-flying hobby, and Starlight likes her for not judging who she used to be. For the first time since Pinkie suggested it, Maud believes a friendship with this pony could actually work out.

As they continue exploring the cave, Starlight finds a wall made of hallow granite. Breaking through it, they make an impressive discovery: a vast underground cavern, full of crystals, with a large waterfall and stream running through it. Maud admits she’s never seen anything like it – which is “highly unusual, for [her].” It’s definitely a sight to behold. But then Pinkie shows up. She satirises the moment by taking a picture and saying how she can’t wait for the two of them to be “old, and eating pistachios together, and telling their grand-foals about this.”

Again, Pinkie is overstepping her boundaries here. She doesn’t realise Maud and Starlight are bonding organically, and they don’t need her trying to speed up the process. In fact; Pinkie is so desperate that she sets off an explosion in the cave, trapping them all inside. She hopes it will give them time to bond. But Maud uses Boulder to break through the sandstone ceiling. Starlight is so impressed that she even compliments Boulder on his actions as though he’s alive – showing how much she understands Maud’s mindset towards him.

Free from the cave, Pinkie tries to keep an eye on Maud and Starlight again. But Starlight finds another way to ditch her, which makes Maud smile – thus making her the first pony to achieve this feat twice in one episode.

Later on, as Maud and Pinkie are going to bed, Pinkie says she’ll be there every step of the way to help make Starlight Maud’s new best friend. She’s even made plans for the next 17 days! However, it’s clear that Maud is becoming frustrated with Pinkie’s actions. She can’t bond with Starlight properly because her sister keeps interfering. And it’s starting to feel like she’s doing this because she has to, not because she wants to. Unfortunately, Maud struggles to tell her sister this because she’s not good with words. And with Pinkie too overexcited to listen anyway, she eventually just gives up.

This is another familiar scenario for me. Sometimes I do want to make conversation with people. But getting my words out can be a challenge. Everybody is so focused on talking to each other that they don’t always notice when I’m trying to speak. And chances to make myself heard (e.g. pauses in speech) are few and far between. I suppose it often comes down to people’s expectations of me. Since they know I don’t talk much anyway, they just assume I won’t have anything to say throughout. But that’s not necessarily true. I might want to comment on something, but it’s tricky getting my words in edgewise. As Maud does with Pinkie.

Maud’s other problem is finding the right way to express herself. She wants to tell Pinkie she needs to stop helping so much, but she’s isn’t much of a talker. As such, she can’t find the words or tone of voice to make her understand. In recent years, I’ve noticed something similar with my own speech. Whenever I try explaining things without thinking, my thoughts often get jumbled up in my head. I start tripping over my words, repeating myself or even stopping and starting over again – which is really embarrassing. The same can be said for my writing skills. For years, I just wanted to get things done as quickly as possible. But because I never structured my paragraphs, ideas would continuously change, and I’d spend more time editing my pieces than actually finishing them. Consequently, they’d take me forever to complete and they rarely turned out how I wanted.

For Autistic people, getting their points across can sometimes take planning and pre-thought. Which is why they often prefer writing down their feelings as opposed to speaking them. So that’s what Maud does. The next morning she leaves Pinkie a goodbye note, thanking her for her efforts. Not wanting to hurt her feelings, though, she doesn’t mention the trouble her sister caused. Instead, she claims her decision needs to be rock-based, and that she probably won’t have time for friends. Which is crushing to hear, as we know how much she really wants to be friends with Starlight. With her note delivered, Maud departs for Ghastly Gorge.

Distraught over her sister leaving, Pinkie goes to Starlight to tell her what’s happened. Interestingly, she takes the news better than her – almost as if she were expecting Maud to make this decision based on what would be most comfortable for her. Pinkie then asks why the two of them couldn’t just be friends, causing Starlight to realise how ignorant she is. She tells Pinkie she does like Maud. “She’s weird [but] in a good way. She sees the world in a totally different way than any pony [she’s] ever met. She accepts her for who [she is], she taught [her] that a rock is never just a rock, and she can make anything funny.” They never had to say it, but they “got” each other. Pinkie was just getting in the way too much.

Everything Starlight says here is right on the money. Particularly the part about Maud seeing the world differently. What many people mistake for strangeness in Autistic people is actually their habit of noticing what others tend not to. It might seem trivial to focus on things like the markings on a rock. Yet it’s this attention to detail that makes Autistic people such experts in unique fields. Without Satoshi Tariji’s love of bug-collecting as a boy, Pokemon would never have existed. If Einstien hadn’t been obsessed with numbers, he wouldn’t have become a famous scientist. And if Maud weren’t so fascinated by rocks and their properties, she wouldn’t have become a professor. Just because something seems irrelevant, doesn’t mean expertise on it won’t be considered valuable one day.

Realising her mistakes, Pinkie goes to Ghastly Gorge to find her sister. She arrives just in time to save Maud from being eaten by a Giant Mountain Eel – yes, this world has those. A fact Maud is almost oblivious to, as she’s autistically distracted by an emerald jasper.

As they escape, Maud claims Pinkie “didn’t need to come. [She’s] having a great time on her own [and] even made a new friend.” This, however, is a flat-out lie. Before Pinkie showed up, Maud was miserably gathering rock samples with only Boulder around for company. Although she was doing what she loved, the isolation was clearly getting to her and making her depressed. It just goes to show no matter what you strive for in life, it’s important to have somebody to share it with. Otherwise, it can all feel meaningless.

Maud continues by saying she “[doesn’t] belong in Ponyville. It only proves [she’s] better off all by herself, like she always has been.” But Pinkie tells her not to think like that. Everything was her fault. She forced Maud into making friends her way, but her way isn’t Maud’s way. She didn’t even realise what her sister was going through.

This might be the most important lesson to take from this episode. I said before (in Part 1) that Pinkie wanted Maud to live near her so they could spend more time together. But also so she could look after her. Pinkie cares very deeply for Maud and understands her condition better than any pony. However, she thought her Autism would prevent her from making friends on her own or living independently. Hence why she tried taking charge of the process and putting extra work into it. However, this only succeeded in stressing Maud out. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to help somebody. As long as you support them in a way that’s comfortable for them.

I know just how Maud feels. Back when I was looking for a new job, I would be asked on a daily basis what positions I’d applied for. Or what I’d done to improve my CV. It got to the point where I felt like I was being pressured to devote all my spare time to this task, which made me hate it even more. I actually started hating the people who were asking me, too. They didn’t understand I needed to go at my own pace. That way, I could feel I was doing this for my own sake – not their’s.

Pinkie shamefully admits she underestimated Maud and didn’t take her feelings into account. Maud understands she did it out of love. And after reconciling, she agrees to give Ponyville another chance. With Pinkie promising to give her some space.

Back in Ponyville, Maud is seen flying a homemade kite alongside Starlight – the latter’s hobby having rubbed off on her. They’ve officially decided to become friends, but agree they don’t have to talk about feelings if they don’t want to. Maud then shows Starlight her new home: the carven they discovered, with added furnishing. Pinkie appears one more time to say how happy she is that Maud has moved to Ponyville. But then she swiftly exits, remembering her promise.

*

And that was Rock Solid Friendship. Quite possibly one of the best-written stories Hasbro has produced. There was just so much this episode got right about Autism; Maud’s unusual interests, her difficulty speaking, her struggles with independence, her insensitivity, her literal way of thinking, her imagination, her desire to make friends, feeling pressured, wanting to be understood, getting distracted, and so much more. Add in the relatable situations, and Pinkie less-than-helpful actions, and it paints a clear picture of what life with Autism can feel like.

The best part is, Maud’s journey didn’t end with this episode. Towards the conclusion of Season 7 (Uncommon Bond), we were given an update on her relationship with Starlight. Although they still don’t talk about anything personal, they’re happy being in each other’s company. And Maud is well-acquainted with Starlight’s other friends, Sunburst and Trixie. So, all in all, their friendship has remained healthy. Also, Maud continues moving forward in life. In Season 8 (Maud Couple), it’s revealed she actually has a boyfriend: Mud Briar. He’s just as Autistic as she is and they share much in common. He’s a very literal pony, has specific interests, rarely shows any emotion, and even has a pet stick (Twiggy) – just as Maud has Boulder. His personality can be a bit annoying at times, especially when he’s always saying “technically” and correcting others. But it’s clear he and Maud are perfect for each other. Plus, he makes her smile more than any other pony in the series.

In conclusion, Rock Solid Friendship is another example of why this series is so beloved. My Little Pony still has a stigma against it, given how girly it used to be. But if people took the time to watch Friendship is Magic, they’d realise how far the brand has evolved and why its fanbase extends across all ages and genders. If you’re looking for a piece of media that perfectly represents Autism and the people involved with it, then this is definitely for you. Rock Solid Friendship will inspire those who have the condition and enlighten those who wish to learn from it.

And that’s all I have to say for this review. I’m glad I posted it when I did. Because in less than a week, the final season of Friendship is Magic will begin (April 6th, 2019). It’s sad to see the show end. But its legacy will live on through the lessons it’s taught and the people who’ve been inspired by them.

If you have any questions, then please leave me a comment – I’ll be more than happy to answer them. And if you enjoyed this review, please check out the episode itself, and join me for the end of an era this year. Until next time, stay tuned.

(Image courtesy of: http://www.mylittlepony.it/2017/05/05/rock-solid-friendship-commenti-dal-blog/)

Life, Animated Review (2nd Anniversary Special – Part 4)

(Continued from Part 3: https://georgeharvey2015.wordpress.com/2017/11/01/life-animated-2nd-anniversary-special-part-3/)

As Owen prepares for his graduation, he has The Little Mermaid (1989) playing in the background. Specifically, the ending where Sebastian says: “children got to be free to lead their own lives.” Once again, a Disney film parallels Owen’s life. Like Ariel stepping out of the sea, he’s leaving school to become independent. It’s a proud day for Cornelia, too, seeing her son on stage. It’s incredible to think how far he’s come from being the quiet little boy she thought would never talk again. Let alone graduate.

Following the ceremony, Owen and his family begin the process of moving him to his new apartment. Before they do, however, Owen insists on watching a few scenes of Dumbo (1941) to celebrate. This notion seems to imply that he understands his condition in this situation. He needs to watch those scenes to be in the right frame of mind, or it could impact him both mentally and emotionally. In fact, we get to witness this Autistic stress first-hand.

Just as the family is about to leave, Owen suddenly realises he’s lost the charm on the necklace Emily gave him. He gets very upset about it and starts behaving erratically (i.e. trying to ‘sniff it out‘ and moaning like a child). His dad suggests they can simply buy another one, but Owen won’t hear of it. Although he knows Emily didn’t make the charm herself, she did buy it for him out of love. So it’s special in a way his dad can’t understand.

To be honest, I do get how Owen feels. I’m something of a hoarder myself. I know it makes sense to get rid of old things and make room for the new. But doing so never feels right to me. It doesn’t matter if its school work, holiday souvenirs or a scarf my Nan gave me before she died; they all have unique memories attached to them. Throwing them away would feel like throwing away part of myself. Perhaps that’s why Owen holds so tightly to his Disney films.

Eventually, Cornelia finds the missing charm, and everyone makes their way to Owen’s new place. His apartment is in an assisted living community, around 75 miles from his parents’ house. Owen is excited to be moving in at first and eagerly helps to unpack. However, once Ron and Cornelia leave, the reality of the situation slowly starts to sink in: he really is all by himself. His feelings are expressed through yet another Disney film. This time it’s Bambi (1942). The first scene shows Bambi’s mother warning him about the dangers of the meadow; it’s wide and open, and they’re unprotected on it. Then, following the infamous shooting scene, the fawn is shown calling out for his mother – which is just before his father shows up, telling him she can’t be with him anymore. In a way, Owen is going through Bambi’s predicament right now. The world can be a dangerous place sometimes, and now he has to face it without the usual protection of his parents.

As time goes by, Owen gradually adjusts to his new life. He struggles with some basic things, like opening the right mailbox. But as it’s an assisted living community, there are always people around to help him. They show him how to cook, how to pay bills and when to take his medication. They also assist him in looking for a job, and we actually get to see him going for an interview at his local cinema. It’s interesting to note the type of role he’s going for too since it involves interacting with many unfamiliar people. And as all we know, this sort of thing tends to make him nervous. It’s good to see him fighting his own insecurities.

Around this time, we also delve more into Owen’s relationship with Emily. And some of its issues. You see, although they do enjoy each other’s company, there appears to be very little chemistry between them. One night when she comes over, they just spend the evening watching Disney’s Aladdin (1992). And other than some light conversation over food, there’s nothing but awkward silence throughout. Reality-wise it’s not the healthiest relationship. Other people notice as well.

While playing miniature golf together, Walter speaks to Owen about possibly moving forward with his relationship. Owen, however, doesn’t seem to grasp what the next stage is. For example, when asked what people use other than their mouths when they kiss, he replies “feelings.” But of course, the real answer is tongues. The problem is, Owen only knows about romance from what he’s seen in Disney films; through couples like Eric and Ariel, Hercules and Meg, Belle and the Beast, etc. It’s challenging for Walter to work around that since Disney films don’t usually explore relationships beyond the Happily Ever After kiss. He even jokingly says the only way he might get his brother into sex is by showing him Disney p###. Sadly, it never comes to that. Because not long after this, something goes horribly, horribly wrong.

At his home in Washington DC, Walter gets a phone call from the assisted living community. After looking distraught for a moment, he tells us the sad news. Emily has broken up with Owen. Apparently, there was a meeting with caseworkers where she expressed concerns about him getting “too close” and that she needed personal space. Owen takes the news very badly. Keep in mind, breakups are practically unheard of in Disney films; the fact that he’s lost his Happily Ever After isn’t something his mind can fully comprehend. It’s the first time he’s ever experienced such as a hard dose of reality. Trying to make sense of it all, he calls his mom and asks her why life is “so full of unfair pain and tragedy?” She replies it’s just the way life is sometimes. There are joyous and relaxing times, but also sad and painful ones. What’s important is to accept they’ve happened, move on and trust things will get better in the end. Unfortunately, Owen can’t seem to do that. Not only does he still wear Emily’s necklace, but he has a picture of her next to his bed. Plus, he’s seen watching a sad clip from The Little Mermaid where Ariel is crying over Eric getting married to the Sea Witch. Eventually, a councillor has to step in to try and explain the situation. But Owen won’t listen to reason. He’s too emotionally unstable and even starts shouting in frustration.

It is painful to watch. But once again, I think it’s an essential scene. It shows how sensitive Autistic people can be under challenging circumstances. I should know, I’ve been there myself. During my last year of University, I was succeeding well in terms of grades. But I was also under a lot of stress. The sheer volume of work and tight deadlines were so intimidating to me that I never wanted to stop working. If I did, I feared my condition would slow me down and then I’d never finish on time. As a result, I devoted practically every second I had to my assignments. Which gravely affected my health and mentality. It got to the point where I was literally crying myself to sleep and waking up in the morning vomiting with anxiety. It didn’t matter what other people said to me; they weren’t the ones with Autism. They couldn’t understand what battling through my learning/focus difficulties was like. So whenever they said I was stressing over nothing, or they’d been through worse, it didn’t reassure me. It just made me resent them.

Anyway, back onto Owen; he tries to cope by channelling his emotions into his creative work again. For instance, he creates the villain Fuzzbutch for his Land of the Lost Sidekicks story. A creature that blows fog inside people’s heads and makes the world look like a sad, scary place. Clearly, it’s how he sees it right now. But that’s not all.

Soon after, his mom calls with some exciting news. He’s been invited to an Autism conference at the Rennes University in France. They want him to give a speech about Autistic people, and how they use their passions to make sense of the world – as Owen does with Disney. Owen agrees to go, but he struggles with a lot leading up to it. He finds it challenging to write his speech, he doesn’t know how to do up a tie (despite being 23-years-old), and when he’s on stage it looks like he won’t talk at all – he’s never spoken to such a large audience of strangers before. Eventually, though, he does find his voice.

He starts off talking about the very specific interests he and some of his Autistic friends have; animated films, superheroes, and the history of all actors and comedians who are Jewish. He then addresses the false notion that Autistic people don’t want to be around other people. The truth is, they want what everyone else wants. But sometimes they’re misguided and don’t know how to connect with others. He, himself, used to be afraid of growing up and watched the world go by like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. He explains that Quasimodo didn’t get the girl in the end, but was happily welcomed into society after a long and hard journey of being an outcast.

I hung on every word of the speech because it’s 100% true, especially the parts comparing Owen to The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Here’s the interesting thing about that movie – and by the way, I am quoting a review by Animat here. Not only is the tone more adult for a Disney film, but it touches on many dark and realistic themes that most animated features wouldn’t dare to. These include religion; the mistreatment of gipsies (which can be seen as a social commentary on immigration); lust; and most importantly, dealing with a heartbreak. The reason the latter stands out is that it’s a moment in life everyone goes through. Sure, eventually, you will settle down and find true love. But along the way, you will end up loving the wrong person – someone who doesn’t love you back. And you will learn this the hard way. It’s definitely sad when Quasimodo sees Esmeralda kissing Phoebus. But it’s essential to the plot because it reminds him of his true goal. Which isn’t to fall in love, but to be socially accepted. And when it comes down to it, that’s the primary goal for any Autistic person.

Following the conference, Owen finally comes to terms his break up. He takes off Emily’s necklace and shows Walter a message he sent her over the weekend. It says he’s now accepted their relationship is over, but he hopes they can still be friends – they know each other too well not to. It seems to have worked; Owen and Emily do cross paths at one point, and they appear to be on good speaking terms.

As the documentary comes to an end, we see Owen at his new job in the movie theatre. He tells us once more how worried he was about losing his Disney films when he grew up. But he never did. Although his childhood is over, he’s glad to be moving forward, while still cherishing what he holds most dear.

And I think that’s an important message. It’s good to want to change yourself. But it’s also essential to keep a part of your old self too. If you change just for other’s benefit, then you’ll lose sight of who you really are, and maybe even hate yourself for it. Nothing is more important in development than happiness.

The final scene shows Owen sitting in a dark movie theatre, mumbling his usual Disney dialogue, while a montage of Disney clips plays – the last one being Simba’s roar atop Pride Rock.

*

And that’s Life, Animated. Simply put, it’s one of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen. Not only does it perfectly represent Autism in such an open and honest way, but it shows exactly how the condition affects everyone, not just the person who’s diagnosed. On top of that, the comparisons made between Owen’s life and Disney mean it’s both relatable and inspiring to anyone who watches it.

As for me, I felt a genuine connection to the story. In many ways, Owen and I are the same; we both have trouble socialising, we both like being creative and we both mumble things that stick in our heads. At the same time though, we’re also very different. I got my first job when I was only 18-years-old. And while Owen has already experienced moving out and having a girlfriend, I’ve yet to accomplish either. It just goes to show how diverse the condition is for each individual person.

I cannot stress this enough. If you have Autism, or you know somebody who does, then this is an absolute must-watch documentary. Nowhere will you find a more perfect guide to the condition, and what you can do to assist it. If you see it for sale, just buy it yourself and be inspired by a masterpiece.

And with that, my 2nd Anniversary Special is done. I never imagined it would take me a year and four parts to finish. But now I can start debating on what to release for the 3rd Anniversary. If you have any questions, please leave me a comment – I’ll be happy to answer them. And until next time, stay tuned.

(Image courtesy of http://www.tulsakids.com/Web-2016/Life-Animated-at-Circle-Cinema/)

Update January 17th: New Year, New Job, New Schedule

Hello, everybody, this is George Harvey (aka The Autistic Blogger), here with another quick update.

First of all, I’d like to say a Happy New Year to all my readers. I know it’s been a while since 2017 began, but this is the first chance I’ve had to write something new on my blog. Over the past few months, I’ve been very busy working on my CV, applying for jobs, and even writing a book for Stories2Connect (http://stories2connect.org). But the main reason I’ve been busy is because I’m starting a new job! Yes, in about a week’s time I will be leaving my checkout position and going to work for a new company in London. It’s a full-time job, but the hours are 12:00-8:30pm (Monday-Saturday). This means I won’t have as much spare time on my hands. I still have plans for this blog; I just don’t know when I’ll be able to commit to them. If I try rushing things, or setting deadlines, I’ll just end up stressing myself and producing sloppy results. All I can say, for now, is please be patient, and I will try to bring you the very best content I can in the future.

Either way, I want to thank everybody for their continued support. Since June 2015, this blog has been viewed over 2000 times, by more than 800 people around the world. If you’d like to see its best work I’d recommend Lesson Zero (both parts), Secondary School and Change (part 2), the Lily Alone Review, Into My Autistic Mind (1-6) and the 1st Anniversary Special – links below. Also, be sure to check out my other blog site, Autistic Blogger Reviews (https://autisticbloggerreviews.wordpress.com/).

If you have any questions, please leave me a comment – I’ll be happy to answer them. And, until next time, stay tuned.

https://georgeharvey2015.wordpress.com/2016/10/22/my-little-pony-lesson-zero-and-autism-part-1/

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

https://georgeharvey2015.wordpress.com/2015/07/21/secondary-school-and-change-part-2/

https://georgeharvey2015.wordpress.com/2015/08/04/lily-alone-review/

https://georgeharvey2015.wordpress.com/2015/06/15/into-my-autistic-mind/

https://georgeharvey2015.wordpress.com/2015/06/22/into-my-autistic-mind-2/

https://georgeharvey2015.wordpress.com/2015/07/06/into-my-autistic-mind-3/

https://georgeharvey2015.wordpress.com/2015/08/11/into-my-autistic-mind-4/

https://georgeharvey2015.wordpress.com/2016/02/23/into-my-autistic-mind-5/

https://georgeharvey2015.wordpress.com/2016/05/31/into-my-autistic-mind-6-special-announcement/

https://georgeharvey2015.wordpress.com/2016/06/01/1st-anniversary-special/

My Little Pony: Lesson Zero and Autism (Part 2)

(Continued from Part 1: https://georgeharvey2015.wordpress.com/2016/10/22/my-little-pony-lesson-zero-and-autism-part-1/)

From here onwards, the episode focuses on Twilight trying to cope with the stress of potentially missing her deadline. Many people go through this situation, of course. But it’s important to note how Twilight is reacting. And why. Because she thinks very highly of Celestia, she feels it’s necessary to push herself – if she’s not perfect, it’s not meeting her tutor’s standards. I had this same problem in university. Because I took Creative Writing at Greenwich, one of London’s top colleges, every assignment felt like it had to be precise or else I’d fail my course. This goes back to what I said before about problems feeling bigger than they actually are. No one expects perfection – not even royalty. But if you’re used to being a model pupil, it’s easy to stress over small details and imagine all the negative outcomes.

Thinking she’ll be sent back to magic kindergarten if she fails, Twilight decides to find a friendship problem and solve it by the end of the day. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have much luck. Every time she runs into one of her friends they look like they’re in trouble. But it turns out to be a misunderstanding, leaving her crushed.

Yes, Twilight is actually hoping her friends are suffering so she’ll have something to fix and write about. When you’re stressing over a deadline, it’s hard to concern yourself with anything else.

With no friendship problems in sight, Twilight curls up on a park bench trying to comfort herself. However, the pressure is clearly getting her. She’s stroking her tail, her mane is frazzled, she starts crying and arguing with herself (Gollum-style.) She even has hallucinations of younger ponies (fillies) laughing at her.

You might think this behaviour is a bit exaggerated or comical. But I can tell you, from personal experience, that it’s realistic. There were times in university when I’d curl up in fear. Or I’d cry and talk to my reflection. Sometimes I even had nervous twitches that made me throw up in the morning. The point is, stress can cause you to act the way Twilight does. And I’m glad Meghan McCarthy and the animators gave us such an accurate portrayal here.

Spike tells Twilight she needs to calm down because he’s worried about her. He suggests they go to the picnic so she can relax. But Twilight sees this as another chance to find a friendship problem.

Again, this is realistic behaviour from Twilight. When you have short deadlines, it feels like you can’t afford to take breaks. If you do, you’ll just have less time to finish your tasks, which makes the situation more stressful.

Arriving at the picnic, Twilight tells her friends she desperately needs their help. They seem eager to lend a hoof until she explains she’s late for an assignment. At which point, they brush off the problem and go back to their picnic. Twilight insists her whole life depends on this. But her friends just say she’s getting all worked up over nothing – some even laugh and call her a drama queen. This infuriates Twilight, and she runs off in frustration.

This is a very pivotal moment in the episode. Not only does it affect everything that happens afterwards, but it ultimately leads us to the moral of the story.

Also, this situation is something I feel very personal about.

To be fair, Twilight’s friends aren’t being hurtful on purpose – they do show regret after she runs off. But if I were in her position, I’d be mad too. There have been times when I’ve gone to people for help, and all they’ve done is tell me my problems aren’t worth stressing over. I  do understand why they say this. But it doesn’t do anything to help me, and I almost hate them for it.

It’s the same with Twilight.

Yes, she is overreacting – that much is obvious. But she wouldn’t be panicking if she didn’t feel she had a reason to. Her friends don’t see what’s so stressful because they’re not the ones with the problem. So they think the obvious solution is to stop worrying about it. But this is the worst thing you can say to somebody in Twilight’s predicament.

People do prefer not to feel negative emotions. But they can’t stop feeling how they are just because someone tells them to. If you were punched in the face, you wouldn’t forgive the person who did it just because they said it was a joke. You wouldn’t immediately cheer up if you were told your mother died. And you wouldn’t stop worrying about something just because another person said they would. Telling someone they’re overreacting, without offering a proper solution to their problem, just makes that person think you’re being insensitive. Or worse, poking fun at their misery. This is the sort of thing that ruins relationships.

Twilight’s friends don’t realise the severity of their actions – or lack of them. And it’s what leads us to the episode’s climax.

We cut back to Twilight, who’s watching the sun set from her bedroom. By this point, her mind has officially snapped, and she’s descending into madness.

Seriously, go on YouTube, type Crazy Twilight Sparkle and click the first video that comes up. This scene alone proves why My Little Pony isn’t just for girls anymore.

With seemingly no other option, Twilight decides if she can’t find a friendship problem, she’ll make one.

I’ve been through this scenario once too often; the pressure of meeting a deadline can be so overwhelming you resort to taking shortcuts. The stress means you can’t think straight and you’re so focused on finishing the task you don’t care if it’s done well or not.

Twilight goes outside, with a sadistic grin on her face (see image link below), and comes across Applebloom, Sweetiebelle and Scootaloo (the Cutie Mark Crusaders). She shows the fillies her Smarty Pants doll and gives it to them, hoping they’ll fight over it. When they don’t, she casts a “Want It/Need It” spell, which forces them to fight. Twilight tries to teach the girls about sharing but quickly realises the spell is too powerful. Then more ponies fall under her spell until nearly everyone in Ponyville is fighting over the doll. Twilight finds her friends and admits she messed up, just as the sun sets over the horizon.

By the way, I should mention the sun has been setting in a rather unique way. Along with a ‘ticking’ windmill, it’s been jolting across the sky like the hours on a clock face. I love how the animators did this because it emphasises how Twilight is feeling about her time pressure.

Just when it looks like things can’t get any worse, a voice cries out “TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” It’s Princess Celestia. She casts a spell which removes the enchantment from the doll, returning every pony to normal. She then approaches Twilight and says to meet her in the library. Believing she knows what this means, Twilight says a sad goodbye to her friends and walks away – it’s only then they realise how big Twilight’s problem might’ve been.

However, it turns out Celestia isn’t mad. She tells Twilight she’s a wonderful student, and she doesn’t need to get a letter from her every week to know that.

This is further proof that Twilight set the letter deadline herself. She was just pushing herself, unnecessarily, to impress her teacher.

Suddenly, Twilight’s friends burst in and beg Celestia not to punish her. They insist it was their fault for what happened because they didn’t take Twilight’s feelings seriously before. If they did, they could’ve done more to help her, and she wouldn’t have caused all the chaos.

I’m so glad Megan McCarthy included this scene. The episode could’ve ended with Twilight learning her lesson, and that would’ve been enough. But she makes it clear that Twilight wasn’t the only pony at fault. Her friends share equal blame for not taking the right course of action. To quote a line from an old Sonic Underground episode: “You’re part of the problem if you’re not helping solve them.”

Celestia seems impressed that every pony has learnt from the day’s experience. So she makes a deal with them. She’ll forget the fiasco if, from now on, all six of them write her letters on their lessons of friendship – when, and only when, they discover them.

This solution is perfect for two reasons: A) it takes some much-needed pressure off of Twilight, and B) it solves a problem many critics had with the first season. You see, because Twilight was the only pony who could write Celestia letters, she had to be shoehorned into every single episode – even when she wasn’t the primary focus. With this new set-up, however, the writers could keep the spotlight on other characters, without squeezing Twilight in if they didn’t need her.

Before Celestia leaves, Twilight finds out it was Spike who told her she was in trouble and needed some guidance.

I love how Spike was written in this episode. He’s the only character (other than Celestia) who did the right thing. Twilight was too busy panicking to contact the one pony who could’ve assured her nothing was wrong. So, like a true friend, he did it for her. It’s better to express your fears to the person you’re answering to rather than worrying about what they might say or think.

The episode ends with everyone working together to write Celestia a letter. Twilight has learnt not to let her fears get the better of her, or let a small problem turn into something bigger. Her friends have learnt it’s important to listen to others, and consider their feelings when they come to you with a problem. Spike tries writing how great he is and how he didn’t need to learn a lesson but realises he should cross it out. Everyone laughs as the screen fades to black.

*

Overall, Lesson Zero is one of my favourite Friendship is Magic episodes. There have been better ones since it aired like Magical Mystery Cure (S3, Ep13), Slice of Life (S5, Ep9) and Crusaders of the Lost Mark (S5, Ep18). But I enjoy how relatable it is.

I don’t think I would’ve done anything differently to Twilight in this episode. In fact, one of the lessons it teaches has had a profound impact on my writing.

When I first started this blog, I tried to write something for it every week. Unfortunately, this proved too stressful because I had other things going on in my life. And I couldn’t always come up with ideas. So I decided to take Princess Celestia’s advice. Now, like Twilight and her friends, I only write when there’s a significant topic I want to discuss, and when I’m able to devote enough time and effort to it. This has allowed me to produce much better content, with the quality and high standards that my readers deserve.

I could tell you more about what Lesson Zero has done for my life. But I can’t do it justice just by talking about it. If you have Autism, or you care for somebody with the condition, then I would seriously recommend giving this episode a watch. Who’s knows, you might like it so much you end up becoming a brony/pegasister yourself, and watch all six seasons of Friendship is Magic – plus the four Equestria Girls movies.

That’s all I have to say for now. I’m sorry it’s taken me forever to finish this post – it’ll probably be a while before there’s another one – but I try to make sure I have the right blend of quality and quantity in my work. If you have any questions, please leave me a comment. I’ll be happy to answer them. And, as always, stay tuned.

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

(Twilight’s sadistic grin: http://orig11.deviantart.net/8150/f/2012/193/1/9/twilight_sparkle___crazy_by_pyschedelicskooma-d56ymme.png)

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.

*

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/)