Into My Autistic Mind: A Lazy Day Off Work

Hello everybody, this is George Harvey (aka The Autistic Blogger). I’m sorry I haven’t posted any Autism-related content in a while. Work has kept me busier than I expected. I haven’t even managed to post on Autistic Blogger Creates as frequently as I wanted. Rest assured, I am working on bringing content to both blogs right now. In the meantime, here’s another instalment of Into My Autistic Mind. For those of you who don’t know, this is when I type out everything that’s going through my head without any sort of filter. It’s rather nonsensical, but that’s the whole idea. I hope you enjoy.

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As Bruno Mars would say: “today I don’t feel like doing anything“. That’s how I decided to live today. I’m thinking of the music video now with the guys in monkey masks. I’ve often imagined a different version with anime characters. Now I’m remembering a fan animation that took the closing song from one anime but featured characters from another. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is going through my mind now too. And Disney’s the Rescuers. I don’t want to get off topic. I’ve given myself until my dinner is done to write down my thoughts. I’ve spent almost all day inside today. I was catching up on wrestling: WWE Payback and WWE RAW. I also watched the latest episodes of Pony Life – the spiritual successor to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I’m actually typing all this on my laptop rather than my iPad as I normally do. I wish I had something else to post this month, but work has kept me busy. I’m thinking of the Pony Life theme song now. There are always two words I can’t quite make out, which makes it difficult if you want to sing along. I just spent a moment massaging my fingers there. Now I remember a scene from the Aristocats where they’re playing the piano. Apparently they convinced a famous Frenchman to come out of retirement to sing the opening song they had. I also remember the movie features what used to be one of my favourite songs. The one that goes “ta-ra-ra boom-bee-aye, ta-ra-ra booom-bee-aye“. I wasn’t sure whether to uses dashes there. It looks better with them. Anyway, I’m in the midst of a nine-day break from work. Up until now I’ve been constantly visiting people. Whether it’s my college friends at a local park; my girlfriend at Danson Park; my dad, my step-mum and my girlfriend at my dad’s house; or my girlfriend and her family at the Bull’s Head Bar and Hotel for dinner. I’m thinking of a half-snake half-bull creature I saw on Friendship is Magic once, for some reason. I hope my laptop has enough power. I usually always have it plugged in and charging, but I’ve moved it to my table so I can type this. I think it’s best I keep my work space and my relaxation space separate. I haven’t typed at my table for a while because I’ve had – hold on I’m thinking of a scene from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. As I was saying: I haven’t typed at my table for a while because I’ve had two large boxes of VHS tapes underneath it and I couldn’t get my legs under. There’s nowhere that will take old VHS tape anymore. I’m remembering a very old book I used to read about Rapunzel at my nan and grandad’s house. I had to correct my spelling of ‘Rapunzel’ there. People have said I should just throw away the VHS tapes, but I know the right people will sometimes pay a fortune for them. For some reason, I’m remembering Cheaper by the Dozen staring Steve Martin. I almost forgot his name there. It’s not just VHS tapes, I’ve got a large binder full of original Pokémon cards – including one I know is worth a lot of money given it’s a first edition. I just tried to do something with the ‘e’ in ‘Pokémon’ and I just typed a whole lot of them. How many of you remember old adverts you used to watch on TV? I can remember old Skips adverts where two boys would cause things to melt just by placing a Skips crisp on their tongues. Then there were the ones later on that featured a talking tongue. He’d say “this is your tongue talking“. One time, two of these adverts appeared before a movie I was watching. I heard there was controversy several years ago at one particular cinema. They were meant to be showing Finding Dory, but the wrong movie was played and all of the advertisements beforehand were aimed at an older audience. This meant that a trailer for Sausage Party played and hundreds of kids heard R-rated language. I can’t remember if it was the theatre owner or one of the people who made Sausage Party, but, when asked about it, they thought it was hilarious. I just corrected the spelling on ‘hilarious’. I don’t know why I’ve got a lot of movies on my mind right now. Even direct-to-video movies like Belle’s Magical World and The Return of Jafar. One moment. Sorry, I had to check on my dinner. My sausages needed turning over and the pasta needed to be heated more. I don’t know why but I’ve been watching old clips from the original English Dub of Sailor Moon. There’s a YouTube channel called Sailor Moon Says which features them. Sailor Moon Says also used to be the segment at the end of each episode that would teach a moral – like Sonic Says at the end of Sonic SatAM. I just had to check to make sure I got that right. Apparently, it’s Sonic Sez and the show was better known as Sonic the Hedgehog. The segment might have actually been apart of it’s predecessor series: Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. I often remember watching Sonic Underground and wondering why there was never an episode that acted as the series finale. Why I am talking so much about Sonic the Hedgehog? In trying to think about something different I’m now remembering those old educational shows that used to be on TV for primary school children. They included Words and Pictures, Number Time and The Magic Key. I always remember reading the books with Biff, Chip, Kipper, Floppy and the others when I was younger. They’re actually still being used today. My cousin read them when he was a little younger. I haven’t really talked much else about my day today. I’ve been outside for my daily walk in the sun. I’ve transferred some money into my savings account. I still have one more thing I want to watch today. I’ve recently been watching the boxset of Yu-Gi-Oh. I’m on the third season now. That’s not what I’m planning to watch though. It’s a blind reaction to a Phoenix Wright / MLP crossover fan project that recently released it’s second part and acts as a sequel to a similar project called Turnabout Storm. This one is called Turnabout Theatre. Anyway, before all that, I have to get this post tagged and uploaded before the day is out. I’ll try to have better content than this soon, but my spare time is complicated at the moment. Stay tuned and stay safe everyone.

If you have any questions be sure to leave me a comment – I’ll be sure to answer them. Also, be sure to check out my second blog site Autistic Blogger Creates (https://autisticbloggercreates.wordpress.com/blog-2/)

Into My Autistic Mind on Holiday

Okay, I have about an hour to write this. I’m thinking of a manga I just read in the car, but we’re going out for dinner soon and I want to make sure I get this written and edited. Sorry for the pause. I’ve been taking a break from writing long articles after my anniversary special. I’m thinking of the ending to 101 Dalmatians – the animated Disney film. And now an old Pokémon card game you can play on the PC. And now a similar game that was released on the Game Boy Colour. Anyway, I’ve been holiday in gin – sorry – holidaying in Devon. I’ve been coming to this side of the country for years since I was young. I’m thinking of Peter Pan after writing that. I always remember being in a caravan by the seaside, with amusements and late night clubs where you could do karaoke, play mini-golf, play in the arcade and watch shows with costumed characters. I remember we always used to. To to – sorry, I’m having typo troubles. I always remember going to Haven the most. The one with Rory the Tiger. Pontins had a crocodile mascot – I forget its name. But the weirdest one I stayed at had a mascot called Fizzer and he had his own theme song that ended with you counting from 5 to 1. I’m starting to think of a scene from Best Gift Ever – a My Little Pony Christmas special. Right now I’m sitting – sorry, more typing issues. I’m sitting in a room that’s clearly meant for a very young boy. When they rented the holiday house there were five rooms and I got the one with the bunkbed. I’m not sharing the room with anyone, but I’m choosing to sleep on the bottom bunk. It’s strange, I write certain words and it makes me think of certain movies like Tom Hanks’ Big. I saw Toy Story 4 recently – the ending was something. And now I’m thinking of The Rugrats Go Wild and Snow Dogs. Anyway, as I was saying, the room I’m staying in is clearly meant for a young boy. It’s got blue sheets. There’s a blue bookshelf with Doctor Who books and several others that I’ve owned over the years myself. Including The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and…hold on…Holes. I remember the movie with Shia Le- I can’t remember how you spell his last name. We did the book once during English in my secondary school. In the room there’s a wooden toy clock and a small toy box, but there’s also old time advertisements for seamen recruits and a shipwreck from 1798 and 1796, respectively. I’ve got an old Recess episode going through my head now. Several in fact. It’s been a good few days out here in Devon. And I’ve been able to forget my worries about work and just unwind a bit. Who knows when I’ll do something like this again? Especially as my family live so far apart now. Oh well. I don’t know why that’s made me think of a random line from a random Disney video I’d rather not mention. My portable charger is to the left. As is my phone and my Sword Art Online wallet. I love that anime. I’m went to Hyper Japan Fest again not so long ago. I didn’t offer quite as much as it usually does and I didn’t spend nearly as much money. But at least Scott and Paul, my friends, were both there this time. Have you ever seen the remake of It? There’s a deleted scene where Georgie actually avoids being killed by Pennywise and the latter thinks “oh (swear word)” – I’m trying to keep this blog family friendly. I just heard a banging. The downstairs toilet door hits the shower if you don’t close it properly. Also, the light constantly flickers. I haven’t been able to eat as healthily as I normally do because – my mind is focused on Monsters Inc. – because we’ve been eating out a lot and it’s common to eat things like chips and other fried food when you’re by the beach. That’s not to say I haven’t been trying to get my five-a-day. McDonalds made sure to remind kids of that with their old Yum-Chums alerts. Sorry, adverts. That’s put another movie in my head: Bruce Almighty. Only Jim Carrey can make a word like “eroding” sound entertaining. I’m just rubbing my hands as I think of what to say next. We’ve been to two places today. One was town where we walked along the harbour and then had lunch – I had a 1/4 pounder and chips. And then to a proper seaside where we walked along the shore and let our three dogs: Buster, Bertie and Harper run freely. There was a giant jellyfish in the sand at one point. Nobody wanted me to touch it, but I did…with my big toe…and I was fine. It’s only the tentacles that are dangerous, not the top parts – as Finding Nemo demonstrated. I just corrected a spelling mistake and now I’m hearing voices in the next room. Now I’m thinking of the Monsters Inc. PC game as I say that. Holidays are a nice way to unwind. I don’t think anything will beat the time I went to Florida for my grandparents’ 50th anniversary. That was the year I tried my first upside-down ride and enjoyed it. I then had the bravery to go on Dueling Dragons at Universal Islands of Adventure. Twice. I’m glad they kept that open while they were Renatinho – I don’t know what that word is my autocorrect just gave me – while they were renovating the new Harry Potter land. The two coasters stopped dueling after an incident where a loose item slipped out of someone’s pocket and caused another park guest to have his eye removed. Now the ride is gone completely and been replaced with a Hippogriff dark ride. Or so I’ve heard. I’ve been watching DefunctLand, Yesterworld and Expedition Theme Park on YouTube to learn the history of some theme parks, their rides and, occasionally, their closures. I’m now thinking of the end to Spy Kids 2…and 3…and 1…and the fourth film they released years later. Okay it looks like I’ve written enough. Have to make sure I’m ready to go out for pizza soon. Hope you enjoyed this edition of Into My Autistic Mind. 

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/)